Identità etnica e adozione internazionale: una panoramica delle ricerche

[Autom. eng. transl.] International adoption is a numerically consistent phenomenon of undoubted social importance not only in Italy, but in all Western countries. In the last decade also the psychological and social literature has turned its interest towards this theme. Very recently the focus was also placed on a specific aspect, the construction of identity in the subjects adopted: in this regard the case of international and interracial adoptions appears to be full of implications and rich in facets. However, the research conducted on this particular dimension is still very limited in number, more widespread in the United States than in Europe and even less in Italy. This necessarily leads to dealing with a literature that is often far from our cultural context and that rarely offers cross-cultural comparison points. Also in the thematic path proposed here, therefore, it will be necessary to question oneself and take into account these differences: on the one hand, it wants to anchor itself to the international panorama for the rich contribution that above all in recent years has given to reflection on this topic and on the other does not wants to lose the specificity of the Italian context, even in the limited range of proposals that have been made on this topic. The proposed reading path aims to outline some research trends that can be traced in the national and international literature on the issue of the construction of ethnic identity in children, adolescents and young adults, in international adoption. Some relevant thematic areas have been identified that can orient us in deepening this theme: the ethnic dimension in the adoption of minors of different ethnicity, the evolution of research in the direction of the bicultural perspective, the role of the adoptive parents that takes its shape in the cultural socialization strategies chosen, the impact on psychological well-being and, finally, some application implications for the intervention.