Does reunification matter? Differences in the social connection to tribe and tribal enrollment of American Indian fostered and adopted adults

Abstract Studies of American Indian adults who were separated from their families of origin during childhood by foster care and/or adoption are emerging. This study fills a gap within the literature by exploring differences in social connection to tribe and tribal enrollment among reunified and non-reunified American Indian adults ( n  = 129). Grounded in identity theory, this study utilized data from the Experiences of Adopted and Fostered Individuals Project . Social connection to tribe was significantly higher for those who reunified ( M  = 70.0) than for those who had not ( M  = 42.0) ( U  = 689.50, p R 2  = 0.150, F (7,121) = 3.05, p β  = 0.28, p χ 2 (1, n  = 129) = 14.01, p χ 2 (7) = 19.97, p OR  = 8.73, 95% CI = 2.51, 30.35). Reunification remains a pressing priority, as fostered and adopted individuals are “welcomed home” across tribal communities.