International adoptees’ sexual health: to be seen or to be visible?

Linde, A and Sims, M (2025) 'International adoptees’ sexual health: to be seen or to be visible?' Genealogy, 9 (4). e125.

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Abstract

International adoptees share the experience of unwanted separations as well as exposure to racism. Previous research has a general focus on adoptees’ infancy, childhood, and adolescence rather than adoptees in adulthood, which makes their own contributions and voice in research insufficient. The purpose of this study is to address the gap in research around sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs) for adoptees in adulthood. By interviewing 35 international adoptees in Sweden and with the use of semi-structured interviews, the connection between Sexual Health and being adopted was explored. Anchored in a decolonial approach, this study draws on Hooks’ Critical Race Theory and Simon and Gagnon’s script theory when analysing the informants’ answers. Findings show that adoptees’ sexual health is partly shaped by structural racism, internalised norms, and the tension between expectations and adoption narratives. The knowledge gained from this study is expected to be of importance to people in the care sector as well as people working with adoptees because of its importance in understanding and exploring the lived experience of adoptees. Although the study is conducted in a Swedish context, it is relevant in a wider environment as it contributes to how colonial and historical contexts may inform and continue to impact adult adoptees’ sexual health, reflecting the complex interplay between societal expectations, personal identity, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	adoption, critical adoption studies, racial fetish, adoptees’ sexual and reproductive health, SRHR, adoption and reproductive justice, international adoptees
Divisions:	School of Education
Date Deposited:	15 Dec 2025 19:06
Last Modified:	15 Dec 2025 19:06
ISSN:	2313-5778
URN:	https://researchspace.bathspa.ac.uk/id/eprint/17453

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