Prevalence of disability among korean orphans raised in north america, western europe, and australia

Abstract

Background: Some 1 billion persons are living with a disability in the world, yet little is known about the disability status of international migrants. Objective: This study investigates the prevalence of disability among orphans born in South Korea who were placed in early life into families in North America, Western Europe, and Australia by international adoption agencies. Study group: This study draws upon 329 adults participating in the Worldwide Survey among Korean Adoptees in 2008 (WSOAK 2008), during which respondents were asked to indicate whether or not they have a disability. Methods: Disability rates were stratified by three categories: gender, age, and region. Chi square tests indicated no significant differences between disability status and categories, except for region (Chi square = 5.015, p < 0.10). Results: The average disability rate found in WSOAK 2008 (8%) was somewhat close to the world average (12%) at that time. However, the disability rates in WSOAK 2008 did not agree with official statistics, which state that 37% of all overseas adopted Koreans had a disability. Conclusions: Two possibilities are suggested to explain this discrepancy. Firstly, disabled individuals were less likely to participate in WSOAK 2008, as they might have had less social contact with adoption networks, which were in turn used to snowball-sample possible respondents. Secondly, authorities might have intentionally assigned a disability status to healthy orphans in South Korea, perhaps to politically justify their placement for international adoption. Indeed, previous studies have provided some evidence for overseas adoptions developing into a baby-exporting industry. © Nova Science Publishers, Inc.