Multiracial Families

Rebecca M. Redington & Madonna G. Constantine

As the numbers of both transracial adoptions and interracial relationships have increased, the notion of family has expanded in recent decades beyond the traditional monoracial nuclear family. Changes in both of these factors have influenced family compositions and resulted in a larger number of immediate families (i.e., parents and their children) comprising more than one race and, subsequently, individuals and families who identify with multiple races. As this population increases, it is critical for mental health professionals to develop greater knowledge of, and competence in, working with multiracial families. Multiracial families are those consisting of parents of different races and their biracial/multiracial offspring. Within the realm of the interracial family literature, however, there has been disagreement as to the meaning of the term multiracial . Some theorists assert that the term should be used only to describe a family composed of more than one race (e.g., a multiracial family), stating ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.