Meeting the long-term needs of families who adopt children out of foster care: A three-year follow-up study

The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which agency and nonagency supportive resources contributed to the stability and well-being of 34 newly adoptive families over 3 years. Results revealed significant pre- to postadoption declines in families' contact and satisfaction with formal and informal helping resources. Greater preadoption contact with formal adoption agency staff predicted adoption stability and lower levels of family conflict at the 3-year assessment. The results highlight the importance of providing adoptive families with formal and informal support that meets their evolving needs.