Human Nature (Hawthorne, N.y.) · 3 authors, 2 centres
This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.
This paper reviews global evidence on why children are raised by non-biological parents, examining potential benefits for caregivers, biological parents, and children. It concludes that outcomes for children depend on the caregiver's resources and the reason for the transfer, with relatives often providing better outcomes than non-kin.
This narrative review synthesizes anthropological and behavioral ecology literature on custodial alloparenting, including adoption and fostering. It discusses theoretical explanations for these practices, such as kin altruism, reciprocity, and demographic or economic factors like 'crisis fostering' or 'opportunity fostering'. The review examines potential outcomes for children, noting both risks like abuse and benefits like improved access to education. It highlights that outcomes are variable and depend on factors such as the kin relationship between caregiver and child, the caregiver's resources, and the circumstances of the transfer. The authors note limitations in the existing literature, including a need for more research on caregiver characteristics and children's own perspectives to understand causality.
