Susan Ayers‐lopez
Biographic Data
| ID | 4890741 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Susan Ayers‐lopez |
| GIVEN NAMES | Susan |
| FAMILY NAME | Ayers‐lopez |
| SIGNATURE | LÓPEZ S A |
| AFFILIATIONS | The University of Texas at Austin |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 79 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1982 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2016 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Agency-Related Barriers Experienced by Families Seeking to Adopt From Foster Care
Although about 100,000 children in foster care await adoption, families approved to adopt encounter obstacles in the adoption process. This nationwide longitudinal study identified agency-related barriers faced by prospective adoptive parents. A pur-posively recruited sample of 300 families seeking to adopt from foster care completed an in-depth, semi-structured telephone interview and quarterly follow-up surveys until they either finalized a fos…
Youth Perspectives on Being Adopted from Foster Care by Lesbian and Gay Parents
This article presents findings from a qualitative study on the perspectives of youth who were adopted from the United States foster care system by lesbian and gay parents and includes focus group data from adopted persons and survey data from adoptive parents. This study fills a unique gap in the literature by hearing directly from the youth through focus groups. Findings indicated that children use a variety of strategies for sharing or not shar…
Post-Adoption Support Groups
Married couples who adopt older children from foster care, especially children with special needs, can often face unique marital stressors. This article explores strategies for strengthening marriages using a sample of adoptive couples who participated in marriage enrichment events sponsored by an innovative state and federally funded Healthy Marriage Initiative project. The authors found that participation in marriage enrichment events aimed at …
Birth Mothers' Perspectives on Their Relationship With the Birth Father 12 to 20 Years After Adoption
This study investigates birth mothers' perspectives on their relationships with birth fathers after adoption placement. A total of 125 birth mothers were interviewed 12 to 20 years postplacement about the nature of their relationship with the birth father and their satisfaction with their contact with the birth father both at the time of placement and currently. These interviews were part of a larger longitudinal study of birthparents, adoptive p…
In search of innovation
Birth Mothers' Perceptions of Their Parented Children's Knowledge of and Involvement in Adoption
An examination of birth mothers' perceptions of the relationship between the children she is parenting and the children she placed for adoption offers unique insight into the life course of openness. In the present study, 94 birth mothers from the United States participated in a semi-structured interview, discussing their oldest parented children's knowledge of and experience with their siblings placed for adoption. Results show that 59 birth mot…
Evolution and resolution
This article explores birthmothers' experiences of grief and loss over time across the continuum of openness in adoption. Data were collected by structured interview at two points in time: 4-12 years postplacement (169 birthmothers) and 12-20 years postplacement (127 birthmothers). At Wave 1 a majority of the birthmothers were experiencing moderate to high degrees of grief. However, by Wave 2 a similar majority reported feeling some or no feeling…
The Impact of Openness on Adoption Agency Practices
This article reports the results of a longitudinal study of the changing openness-related practices of private U.S. adoption agencies. Staff from private adoption agencies were interviewed at three points in time, in 1987–89, 1993, and 1999, about their current practices and attitudes regarding openness in adoption and any changes that may have taken place since the previous interview. From 1993 to 1999 agencies continued a trend toward offering …
Family and Peer Systems in Early Adolescence
This paper proposes a reconsideration of the role of family experiences in early adolescent peer relations. Although early models of family-peer relations stressed either their dissimilarity or their inevitably competitive quality, current research indicates greater integration and continuity between them. Recent findings suggest that the picture of early adolescent peer relations as universally successful in providing adolescents with the experi…
Children's discourse during peer learning in experimental and naturalistic situations
Two complementary studies are reported concerning the characteristics of peer communication styles as children help one another learn. In the experimental study, 64 pairs of children (kindergarten and grade 2) were videotaped while working at a balance scale problem, either cooperatively or by one teaching another. Aspects of discourse associated with effectiveness were identified. In the naturalistic study, 22 second‐graders were audiorecorded d…
Evolution and resolution
This article explores birthmothers' experiences of grief and loss over time across the continuum of openness in adoption. Data were collected by structured interview at two points in time: 4-12 years postplacement (169 birthmothers) and 12-20 years postplacement (127 birthmothers). At Wave 1 a majority of the birthmothers were experiencing moderate to high degrees of grief. However, by Wave 2 a similar majority reported feeling some or no feeling…
Family and Peer Systems in Early Adolescence
This paper proposes a reconsideration of the role of family experiences in early adolescent peer relations. Although early models of family-peer relations stressed either their dissimilarity or their inevitably competitive quality, current research indicates greater integration and continuity between them. Recent findings suggest that the picture of early adolescent peer relations as universally successful in providing adolescents with the experi…
In search of innovation
The Impact of Openness on Adoption Agency Practices
This article reports the results of a longitudinal study of the changing openness-related practices of private U.S. adoption agencies. Staff from private adoption agencies were interviewed at three points in time, in 1987–89, 1993, and 1999, about their current practices and attitudes regarding openness in adoption and any changes that may have taken place since the previous interview. From 1993 to 1999 agencies continued a trend toward offering …
Post-Adoption Support Groups
Married couples who adopt older children from foster care, especially children with special needs, can often face unique marital stressors. This article explores strategies for strengthening marriages using a sample of adoptive couples who participated in marriage enrichment events sponsored by an innovative state and federally funded Healthy Marriage Initiative project. The authors found that participation in marriage enrichment events aimed at …
Agency-Related Barriers Experienced by Families Seeking to Adopt From Foster Care
Although about 100,000 children in foster care await adoption, families approved to adopt encounter obstacles in the adoption process. This nationwide longitudinal study identified agency-related barriers faced by prospective adoptive parents. A pur-posively recruited sample of 300 families seeking to adopt from foster care completed an in-depth, semi-structured telephone interview and quarterly follow-up surveys until they either finalized a fos…
Youth Perspectives on Being Adopted from Foster Care by Lesbian and Gay Parents
This article presents findings from a qualitative study on the perspectives of youth who were adopted from the United States foster care system by lesbian and gay parents and includes focus group data from adopted persons and survey data from adoptive parents. This study fills a unique gap in the literature by hearing directly from the youth through focus groups. Findings indicated that children use a variety of strategies for sharing or not shar…
Birth Mothers' Perceptions of Their Parented Children's Knowledge of and Involvement in Adoption
An examination of birth mothers' perceptions of the relationship between the children she is parenting and the children she placed for adoption offers unique insight into the life course of openness. In the present study, 94 birth mothers from the United States participated in a semi-structured interview, discussing their oldest parented children's knowledge of and experience with their siblings placed for adoption. Results show that 59 birth mot…
Children's discourse during peer learning in experimental and naturalistic situations
Two complementary studies are reported concerning the characteristics of peer communication styles as children help one another learn. In the experimental study, 64 pairs of children (kindergarten and grade 2) were videotaped while working at a balance scale problem, either cooperatively or by one teaching another. Aspects of discourse associated with effectiveness were identified. In the naturalistic study, 22 second‐graders were audiorecorded d…
Birth Mothers' Perspectives on Their Relationship With the Birth Father 12 to 20 Years After Adoption
This study investigates birth mothers' perspectives on their relationships with birth fathers after adoption placement. A total of 125 birth mothers were interviewed 12 to 20 years postplacement about the nature of their relationship with the birth father and their satisfaction with their contact with the birth father both at the time of placement and currently. These interviews were part of a larger longitudinal study of birthparents, adoptive p…
Children's discourse during peer learning in experimental and naturalistic situations
Two complementary studies are reported concerning the characteristics of peer communication styles as children help one another learn. In the experimental study, 64 pairs of children (kindergarten and grade 2) were videotaped while working at a balance scale problem, either cooperatively or by one teaching another. Aspects of discourse associated with effectiveness were identified. In the naturalistic study, 22 second‐graders were audiorecorded d…
Family and Peer Systems in Early Adolescence
This paper proposes a reconsideration of the role of family experiences in early adolescent peer relations. Although early models of family-peer relations stressed either their dissimilarity or their inevitably competitive quality, current research indicates greater integration and continuity between them. Recent findings suggest that the picture of early adolescent peer relations as universally successful in providing adolescents with the experi…
The Impact of Openness on Adoption Agency Practices
This article reports the results of a longitudinal study of the changing openness-related practices of private U.S. adoption agencies. Staff from private adoption agencies were interviewed at three points in time, in 1987–89, 1993, and 1999, about their current practices and attitudes regarding openness in adoption and any changes that may have taken place since the previous interview. From 1993 to 1999 agencies continued a trend toward offering …
Birth Mothers' Perceptions of Their Parented Children's Knowledge of and Involvement in Adoption
An examination of birth mothers' perceptions of the relationship between the children she is parenting and the children she placed for adoption offers unique insight into the life course of openness. In the present study, 94 birth mothers from the United States participated in a semi-structured interview, discussing their oldest parented children's knowledge of and experience with their siblings placed for adoption. Results show that 59 birth mot…
Evolution and resolution
This article explores birthmothers' experiences of grief and loss over time across the continuum of openness in adoption. Data were collected by structured interview at two points in time: 4-12 years postplacement (169 birthmothers) and 12-20 years postplacement (127 birthmothers). At Wave 1 a majority of the birthmothers were experiencing moderate to high degrees of grief. However, by Wave 2 a similar majority reported feeling some or no feeling…
In search of innovation
Post-Adoption Support Groups
Married couples who adopt older children from foster care, especially children with special needs, can often face unique marital stressors. This article explores strategies for strengthening marriages using a sample of adoptive couples who participated in marriage enrichment events sponsored by an innovative state and federally funded Healthy Marriage Initiative project. The authors found that participation in marriage enrichment events aimed at …
Birth Mothers' Perspectives on Their Relationship With the Birth Father 12 to 20 Years After Adoption
This study investigates birth mothers' perspectives on their relationships with birth fathers after adoption placement. A total of 125 birth mothers were interviewed 12 to 20 years postplacement about the nature of their relationship with the birth father and their satisfaction with their contact with the birth father both at the time of placement and currently. These interviews were part of a larger longitudinal study of birthparents, adoptive p…
Agency-Related Barriers Experienced by Families Seeking to Adopt From Foster Care
Although about 100,000 children in foster care await adoption, families approved to adopt encounter obstacles in the adoption process. This nationwide longitudinal study identified agency-related barriers faced by prospective adoptive parents. A pur-posively recruited sample of 300 families seeking to adopt from foster care completed an in-depth, semi-structured telephone interview and quarterly follow-up surveys until they either finalized a fos…
Youth Perspectives on Being Adopted from Foster Care by Lesbian and Gay Parents
This article presents findings from a qualitative study on the perspectives of youth who were adopted from the United States foster care system by lesbian and gay parents and includes focus group data from adopted persons and survey data from adoptive parents. This study fills a unique gap in the literature by hearing directly from the youth through focus groups. Findings indicated that children use a variety of strategies for sharing or not shar…
Psychology (9 works) · Child Welfare and Adoption (8 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Sociology (8 works) · Developmental psychology (7 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (6 works) · Reproductive Health and Technologies (5 works) · Medicine (3 works) · Openness to experience (3 works)