Do you think adopted children are more susceptible to sexual abuse?

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adoption is a sin	yes, because COMPLETE STRANGERS ARE RAISING OTHER PEOPLES KIDS and since theyre not their kids they dont really care Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Kevin	not really answer my question? http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApsFeUKfl2sVqCV63OXZ9r_sy6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20100103132711AA0SAbn Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Victors momma	There is a lot of non adopted children who are sexually abused and I don't think its more likely for adoptee to get abused than a non adoptee. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

cricketlady	IF they were sexually abused PRIOR to adoption I think they may be more prone to sexual abuse in the future. I also think Some adoptive parents may be over-protective because that's just who they are. They also want to make certain that no more bad things happen to their children--such as what brought them into foster care[speaking from the foster/ adoptive point of viedw]. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Mel	Absolutely Not Perpetrators try to target certain children. They build their confidence, they might even threaten them if they tell. However, being adopted certainly is not a factor. I come from a family with several adopted children in my immediate family and extended family including myself. I am a parent to two adopted children and any "issues" we had growing up or have now has nothing to do with being adopted. I was a child and youth case manager (social worker) and now I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. And going from being a case manager and working with children with emotional issues to being a therapist for children and families most of the children who have been sexually abused were abused either prior to being adopted or have not been adopted at all. And when I say most I started in my ten year career I have come across only two cases. And I worked for the department of children's services in both the child protective department and the foster care department before leaving. I'm so sorry that you were sexually abused but honestly perpetrators go after a specific type of child and only a child who was adopted also suffers from other issues would they become a possible victim. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Genna	No more than any other child would be. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Opedial	I am thinking no, not soley. In fact for children like mine, they were more susceptable living where they did. As a foster parent, many of the children coming in were sexually abused, not by their parent, but due to poor judgement skills on parents (which is how parents ended up in care) the adults that the children were around were not screened per se by their parents. But as to your question, I think adoptive parents can be overprotective of their children, like they know this was their one shot or soemthing like that. I would be worries about pedofiles though getting through the screening process and adopting just for the chance to abuse...that would be my fear with your question. I am sorry to hear Sunny about your abuse. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

gypsywinter	Excerpt: "Children residing in households with adults unrelated to them were 8 times more likely to die of maltreatment than children in households with 2 biological parents (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 8.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6-21.5). Risk of maltreatment death also was elevated for children residing with step, foster, or adoptive parents (aOR: 4.7; 95% CI: 1.6-12.0), and in households with other adult relatives present (aOR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). Source: Pediatrics; Apr2002, Vol. 109 Issue 4, p615, 7p, 1bw Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Rosie	Nope. I do not. Nor is there any scientific evidence to support your opinion. Adoption is not a disorder. It's a hard start to a life, but not a life sentence of abuse and emotional crippliness. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

SLY	When you consider that one in four women will be sexually abused before they turn 18, any increase is horrific. However, I have heard, and Gypsywinter's statistics suggest, that there is indeed an increase in all areas of abuse, so sexual would be included, too. One of the things that has been something of a stop has been the incest taboo in natural families, which someone with those proclivities would be able to brush aside, since there is no genetic connection, so the incest taboos would not necessarily apply. The law in many states, do not consider sex between adoptive family members to come under the incest laws, but, of course, under the child sexual abuse laws apply in the case of minors. However, I always thought it was interesting that Incest Laws didn't apply in what is supposed to be "as if born to" and the laws are very clear about "blood" and "half blood" and etc, emphasis on blood relation. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

R.M.G!	Kids can be abused anytime their Parents, or Guardians fail them. Are you implying that Adopted kids are more susceptible to being abused, because of an inferiority complex? If that is the case, the Adults responsible for their well-being failed them miserably. In doing so, don't you think you are potentially labelling ALL Adoptees as "victims"? THAT would be absurd! Not every Adopted child is going to suffer abuse. And if they DO, is it at the hand of the Adoptive parents, or by someone else? Why is there such a "victim mentality" on this board? Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Coco	No. The group most susceptible to sexual abuse are children in foster care, unfortunately. Statistically, they are drastically over-represented in this area. This is, in part, because there are many children in care who have not yet disclosed their own sexual abuse, and thus act out and perpetrate sexual abuse on other children in the home. The other group at highest risk are children living with STEP parents, not necessarily adoptive parents, though many step parents ARE adoptive parents. So, I am not sure infant adoption is in this category at all, because often the "step" parent has specifically chosen this family, this single mother, this relationship, in order to groom and have access to children. It's sick. It's wrong. It happens. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Randy B	I think that a look has to be taken at the broader picture first before focusing in on adoption. When ever anyone goes through some form of trauma, be they the soldier on the battle field, the police officer at a horrendous crime, the fire fighter at a bad one, a lover who has lost a partner, the victim of a crime.... they suffer some degree of emotional impact. As a result of this some "harden up" and become more protective of themselves, some become more vulnerable and some deal with it in other ways. In the same way that some crime victims become more protective of themselves, some become more susceptible to being re-victimized again the came holds true for adoptees I think. I'm not saying that they wish this for themselves or that they do anything that directly brings it on but I think they have the same possibilities to be re-victimized. Its more of a trauma issue then an adoption issue and everyone perceives trauma differently and handles trauma differently. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Tad W	Several (close to 20) years ago, I read studies that indicated that step-parents and foster parents were significantly more likely to sexually abuse a child than biological parents. The thinking at that time was that the absence of the biological/genetic/familial ties were a factor driving the "perp" in such cases But the child could be more susceptible from an emotional point of view as well. It seems to me that the same factors would apply in any adoption or substitute parent situation. I have also seen children in step families (where the bio father is a non-player) display a greater level of promiscuous behavior than the norm. There is some nascent research that indicates that certain hormones and neuro-chemical receptors that develop in infants do not develop, or develop differently, when the child is separated from its mother. These developmental differences appear to be related to bonding and other emotional issues in adopted children. I can see where this could result in an increased susceptibility to sexual contact or even sexual acting out by the child trying to fill the void of an endorphin deficiency. Unfortunately, this neuro-chemical research is not specific enough to identify whether a child adopted as an infant is more or less at risk than a child adopted from an institutional setting, but it is certainly something to consider. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

l e n	No, but I think kids who lack self esteem and lack self respect are more at risk but they can be from biological families or adopted families and have these issues for many different reasons. If a child is raised to be strong and respect themselves and be aware of life's dangers then they will be at less risk. "I believe adopted kids to be emotionally weaker, less confident, and more people pleasing than the general population." I totally disagree with that, perhaps it is true for some adoptees but certainly not all and it can be equally true for kids raised in biological families. I think girls who don't have strong father figures or male role models in their family tend to be that way and more at risk. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

AnnaBelle	Pedophiles tend to target children who have been through trauma, so yes, adoption would fall into that category. Children who have been through prior abuse or trauma are generally less confident and more people-pleasing, and are also less likely to report abuse, which is another reason why they are groomed and targeted by predators. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

d	Yes, and I think another reason is because they know adopted children are less likely to tell on them. Also, I wouldn;t use the words 'emotionally weaker', I think it is more like these kids have already been throu a trama so it hardens you a little bit. So then when you experience another trama, you just kind of turn yourself off to it. Basically they would rather put up with it and try to block it out than deal with the reality. I think that is different from emotional weakness. I think foster children are even more atrisk. I know more foster kids who were abused than who weren't abused. I was abused by other foster kids, and my sister who was a year older than me was abused by several different foster parents and their biological children. The girls are definately more at risk. In one foster home, the 16 year old son of the fp's used my sister in sexual experiments, when she was 11 years old at the time. She didn't report it, and I knew it was happening and I didn't report it either. Most foster children, myself included, never reported anything. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

LinnyG	Absolutely. It is common knowledge that sexual predators frequently target children who are vulnerable. It has been shown in many studies that adoptees suffer from low self esteem and seek attention in inappropriate ways. Many adoptees mistake sexual advances for "love" and acceptance. This can put them in dangerous situations. I think that the abuse can be not just family, which many here are or will imply, but also abuse from people who realize the adoptee's vulnerability. Studies have shown that many adoptees are sexually promiscuous & have a higher rate of teen pregnancy & are frequently sexually abused because they mistake physical intimacy with "love". People can and will take advantage of this. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No