Since the mid-1970s, adoption practices in the United States have changed dramatically, and the confidentiality maintained in the past is no longer the norm. The trend is toward openness in adoption in which either mediated (through an adoption agency) or direct contact occurs between the adoptive family and birth parent(s). Some adoption professionals argue that openness is harmful and experimental while others argue that the secrecy of confidential adoptions has been harmful to all parties involved. Who's right? In Openness in Adoption, this question is addressed via a nationwide study of 720 individuals (190 adoptive fathers, 190 adoptive mothers, 171 adopted children, and 169 birthmothers) that was conducted over a five-year period. The book begins by presenting the issues and debates surrounding open adoptions and then examines them from the perspective of the adopted children, adoptive parents, and birth mothers. The volume concludes with implications for adoption practice, public policy, and future research. A groundbreaking volume, Openness in Adoption provides a wealth of information to professionals and practitioners in the fields of family studies, sociology, developmental psychology, social work, clinical psychology, and social psychology. (Newbury Park, CA: Sage)

Grotevant focuses primarily on instruments that concern whole family functioning or the functioning of multiple family relationships, Family Assessment methodically covers measures involving the coding of family interaction, the global rating of family processes, and self-reports of perceptions of family functioning. With the continuity of an authored, rather than an edited text, this authoritative and up-to-date reference encompasses the best current measures in the broad field of family studies, presenting detailed descriptions as well as critical evaluations of selected measures. This innovative work will greatly assist clinicians, researchers, students, and other family scholars in the selection of appropriate measures for research questions or for clinical screening, diagnosis, and treatment evaluation. (New York: Guilford)