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Background: Adoption research has tended to focus on associated emotional and developmental challenges. There is little research on how adoptees experience counselling training and its personal and professional impact on adoptees. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the counselling training experiences of four counsellors who were adopted as babies (under 1 year of age). Methods: One‐to‐one semi‐structured interviews were conducted with two psychodynamically trained counsellors and two integratively trained counsellors. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse the training experiences of adoptees, and the personal and professional impact of training. Findings: Four group experiential themes were identified: disclosure; place in world; relationships; and reflexivity. Implications for Practice: The findings contribute to the growing body of research on counsellor training and provide insights into adoptees' experiences of counselling training. These insights enable improvements in the provision of such training by counselling training providers to adoptees, and in the provision of the specialist training either required or recommended to provide adoption support. The research also furthers the understanding of adoptees' experiences more generally and may also help noncounsellor adoptees deal with issues perceived as related to their adoption as well as others who face similar issues, due to their own lived experiences. Conclusion: Both modalities of counselling training helped participants deal with difficulties presented by their adoptions, in particular regarding identity and relationships, affording opportunities for growth and healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilised the Early Growth and Development Study (N = 561 adoptive children; 57.2% male, 55.3% White), a study of children adopted at birth, to examine heritable (birth parent psychopathology) and prenatal risk (prenatal maternal distress and smoking during pregnancy), infant negative affectivity, adoptive parent over‐reactivity and warmth as independent predictors of childhood externalising symptoms. The current study evaluated if: (1) infant negative affectivity and over‐reactive parenting are candidate mediators for the effects of heritable and prenatal risk on externalising symptoms and (2) parental warmth weakens the influence of heritable risk, prenatal risk, negative affectivity and over‐reactive parenting on externalising symptoms. There were main effects of heritable risk, infant negative affectivity and over‐reactive parenting on child externalising symptoms. The study found no support for the hypothesised mediation and moderation effects, suggesting that targeting parental over‐reactivity rather than warmth would be more effective in reducing the risk for childhood externalising symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children who feel unaccepted by their mothers tend to have poor mental health. Although school factors (social support from homeroom or from teachers and friends, as well as classroom satisfaction) can protect students, few studies have examined these factors at the classroom level. Understanding the relationships between sense of acceptance, school factors and mental health may help students. This study, conducted in Japan, examines how sense of acceptance at the student level and school factors at the student and classroom levels affect the mental health variables of depression, loneliness, subjective happiness and emotional wellbeing. In total, 1470 Japanese school students (8–15 years old) from 68 classes participated. Multilevel analysis was conducted at the student and classroom levels. At the classroom level, social support from friends was associated with lower depression and loneliness and higher emotional wellbeing (p < 0.01). A positive classroom climate moderated the relationships of sense of acceptance with depression, loneliness, subjective happiness and emotional wellbeing (p < 0.05). Social support from friends at the classroom level and positive classroom climate at the student level serve as protective factors for students who feel unaccepted by their mothers. More activities boosting classroom student interactions would benefit such students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rutter and colleagues' seminal observation that extended early life exposure to extreme institutional deprivation can result in what he termed quasi‐autism (QA), informed both our understanding of the effects of adversity on development and the nature of autism. Here we provide the first detailed analysis of the adult outcomes of the group of institutionally deprived‐then‐adopted children identified as displaying QA. Methods: Twenty‐six adult adoptees identified with QA in childhood (Childhood QA+) were compared to 75 adoptees who experienced extended institutional deprivation (>6 months) but no QA (Childhood QA−), and 116 adoptees exposed to Low/No institutional deprivation. The outcomes were child‐to‐adult developmental trajectories of neuro‐developmental symptoms (autism, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), disinhibited social engagement (DSE) and cognitive impairment), adult functioning, life satisfaction and mental health. Results: Childhood QA+ was associated with elevated and persistent trajectories of broad‐based autism‐related difficulties, ADHD and DSE symptoms and low IQ, as well as adult mental health difficulties and functional impairment, including high rates of low educational attainment and unemployment. Life satisfaction and self‐esteem were unaffected. Autism‐related communication problems, in particular, predicted negative adult outcomes. Childhood QA+ was still associated with poor outcomes even when ADHD, DSE and IQ were controlled. Conclusions: Early and time‐limited institutional deprivation has a critical impact on adult functioning, in part via its association with an early established and persistent variant of autism, especially related to communication difficulties. Apparent similarities and differences to non‐deprivation related autism are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study leveraged data from a longitudinal adoption study of 361 families recruited between 2003 and 2010 in the United States. We investigated how psychopathology symptoms in birth parents (BP; Mage = 24.1 years; 50.5–62.9% completed high school) and adoptive parents (AP; Mage = 37.8 years; 80.9% completed college; 94% mother–father couples) influenced children's behavioral inhibition (BI) trajectories. We used latent growth models of observed BI at 18 and 27 months, and 4.5 and 7 years in a sample of adopted children (Female = 42%, White = 57%, Black = 11%, Multi‐racial = 21%, Latinx = 9%). BI generally decreased over time, yet there was substantial variability in these trajectories. Neither BP nor AP psychopathology symptoms independently predicted systematic differences in BI trajectories. Instead, we found that AP internalizing symptoms moderated the effects of BP psychopathology on trajectories of BI, indicating a gene by environment interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopted children are a vulnerable group that have often experienced multiple traumatic events such as maltreatment, neglect and the perpetuation of abuse. These early traumatic experiences can result in compromised resilience which impacts both psychological and biological development (Cicchetti & Banny, 2014). This study used the systemic model approach, method and technique to gain an understanding of the complexity of presentation and formulation being made (Harris & Burnham, 1985). It also expanded on an early intervention sports protocol, named fast feet forward, that was previously used with unaccompanied asylum‐seeking minors with significant results. The use of running as a bilateral stimulus resulted in a rise in VOC (validity of cognition) and a reduction in SUD (subjective units of distress) scores, both after a single session and after 12 sessions. The data reported from this study replicated the previous findings of Draper et al., 2020) and showed the benefits of using fast feet forward with adopted children. The results further evidence the potential efficacy of this protocol for adopted children displaying complex trauma and show promising results for future enquiry. Future research should aim to replicate these findings with a larger sample size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the views and experiences of young people, adopted and in the care of a local authority who had received a therapeutic intervention from an NHS Attachment and Trauma Specialist Agency. Three children were interviewed, aged between 10 and 14 years, using semi‐structured interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The analysis of the results met with the findings in the literature that young people want to have access to non‐judgmental therapy which both meets their needs and is creative. Recommendations for clinicians include giving adequate preparatory information and ensuring on‐going collaboration with young people receiving therapeutic interventions through the use of on‐going feedback about what works for them. Practitioner points: Practitioners should consider carefully how young people in public care are 'invited' to therapy, and give adequate pre‐session information to help to reduce anxiety.Children and young people in public care engaging in therapy prefer a practitioner style which is creative, playful and enjoyable.A systemic framework can be integrated with attachment and trauma focused models of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined how discrimination relates to adjustment outcomes in a sample of internationally, transracially adopted Korean Americans from the Minnesota Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study (N = 456 adoptees; Mage at T1 = 14.9, Mage at T2 = 18.3, Mage at T3 = 22.3). The moderating roles of ethnic socialization and preparation for bias by parents (i.e., ethnic-racial socialization) were also examined. Results indicated that discrimination predicted higher levels of depressive and externalizing symptoms in youth who reported less preparation for bias. In those experiencing more preparation for bias, associations were not significantly different from zero. Ethnic socialization did not moderate these associations. Such findings provide important information for adoptive parents regarding how to prepare their children to cope with discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents raising children adopted from a different racial/ethnic group usually engage in cultural socialization—providing activities in adoptees' birth culture—hoping to instill pride and help adoptees develop a positive identity. Adoptive parents engage in a wide variety of socialization activities, yet adult adoptees have reported not having deep enough exposure from their parents. The present study explored the depth of cultural socialization in transracial adoptive families. Informed by Pinderhughes' Ethnic‐Racial Socialization model, this study developed a continuum examining the depth in cultural socialization with three indicators: (1) the depth of cultural activities, (2) parents' motivation for cultural socialization, and (3) parental cultural attitudes. Qualitative analyses of 41 White parents raising children adopted from China found that parents' motivation and acknowledgement of cultural differences reflected deep appreciation of adoptees' birth culture, however, activities they provided were not as deep. Activities that facilitated close relationships with people who shared adoptees' background in a natural context appeared to provide the deepest cultural connection. Despite limitations, the study demonstrated that the depth continuum was able to capture variations and nuances in cultural socialization. Suggestions for future research and recommendation for practice were also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has consistently shown that discrimination based on ethnic group membership affects the psychological well-being of ethnic minorities. Recent studies revealed that discrimination is also a relevant experience for international transracial adoptees, who have experienced a unique migration process. Yet, there is still a paucity of studies focused on similarities and differences between how immigrants and international transracial adoptees perceive discrimination and on how perceived discrimination impacts psychological well-being, also depending on ethnic identity. Our study aimed to fill these gaps by investigating the moderating role of ethnic identity affirmation in the association between perceived discrimination and psychological well-being, measured in terms of self-esteem. A comparison between international transracial adoptees and immigrants was carried out in the Italian context. Participants were 119 international transracial adoptees and 90 immigrants, aged between 15 and 24, all categorizing themselves as Latinos. Findings revealed that immigrants perceived more discrimination and showed higher levels of ethnic identity affirmation than did adoptees, but no difference emerged with respect to self-esteem. Ethnic identity affirmation buffered the detrimental effects of perceived discrimination on self-esteem among international transracial adoptees but not among immigrants. Results are discussed in relation to practical implications for preventive interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 2 million children are cared for in kinship care in Kenya, and approximately 100,000 are believed to be living in residential care centres. Under leading international policy instruments ratified and domesticated by Kenya, domestic adoption is considered an option to be promoted and regulated in ensuring children's right to family-based care. In this qualitative study, the authors interviewed 21 participants regarding the cultural and social contexts of domestic adoption in Kenya. Common beliefs and attitudes reflect a misunderstanding of the legal implications of adoption, the centrality of lineage as a vehicle for defining family membership and inheritance, and strong stigma regarding infertility. Main barriers to adoption include fear of exposing infertility, worry about corrupt practices, and reluctance to grant full inheritance rights to a child unrelated by blood. Despite these challenges, some couples are adopting to fulfil their desire for a child, as an expression of charity, and in some cases for practical reasons such as obtaining insurance for a kin child. The authors recommend placing children in adoption only with proper preparation and ethical procedures and suggest long-term approaches to promoting adoptions that will ensure full rights of family membership for the child. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International adoptees need to cope with stressful transitions and to develop secure attachment with their caregivers at the same time. Although most children adopted from abroad adjust fine, they are at increased risk of psychological problems. We investigated whether both child and family-related factors are associated with later psychological problems and whether the length of time spent at home after adoption before daycare moderates these associations among internationally adopted children in Finland (FinAdo, Finnish Adoption Study). The sample consisted of 1,265 children (708 girls, 557 boys) who arrived in Finland before they started school (mean age 2 years at arrival). Later behavioral problems were measured using the Child Behavior Check List ( CBCL). According to our results, male gender, older age, child's early clinical symptoms (problems of sensory processing) and single parenthood were associated with later behavioral problems measured by CBCL scores. Longer stay at home before the start of daycare or school modified these results. Longer stay at home was associated with less later behavioral externalizing problems in girls but not in boys compared to those who spent a shorter time at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated whether Headsprout©, an internet-based phonics program designed on behavioral principles, is an effective supplementary tool to improve literacy skills of children who have spent time in care and are at risk of reading failure. Participants were 8 children (aged 5 to 10) who had spent over 3 years in care and were fully adopted at the time of the study. Participants' literacy skills were assessed prior to intervention using 2 standardized reading attainment tests. Participants were then randomly assigned to either treatment or a waiting list comparison group. There were 2 Headsprout© treatments, but all participants in the treatment group completed 1 HeadsproutStartCopTextStartCopText© lesson 4 times per week, under the supervision of the first author, while participants in the comparison group interacted with the first author 4 times per week engaging in nonliteracy-based computer activities. Results from 2 standardized reading attainment tests showed an improvement in word recognition age and oral reading fluency for the HeadsproutStartCopTextStartCopText© learners but scores either remained the same or decreased over a 4-month period for participants in the comparison group. The findings support the wider use of HeadsproutStartCopTextStartCopText© with at-risk children though more research is clearly warranted at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the trajectory of problem behaviours in domestically adopted children in South Korea as they aged. This study used the Panel Study on Korean Adopted Children's longitudinal, three‐wave data (2006, 2008 and 2010). Although data were collected at three time points, our data consisted of six time points, which covered the 5–10 years age range of the adopted children at the time of survey. One hundred sixty‐four children were included in the analysis, 75 of whom contributed to one time point, 74 to two time points and 15 to three time points. The trajectory of the problem behaviours of adopted children was examined using a piecewise hierarchical linear growth model. Because the initial exploration of the data suggested non‐linear changes in behaviour problems over time, we split the growth trajectory into two time periods: Time 1 (5–7 years) and Time 2 (7–10 years). A two‐rate model was used to estimate separate slopes for the two time periods. Results showed that the externalizing and internalizing problems of adopted children have different trajectories. Internalizing problems did not show significant changes after 5 years of age, while externalizing problems increased until 7 years of age and decreased significantly thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how ideas about forming emotional attachments with internationally adopted children are communicated to parents via adoption agencies, parenting courses, magazines, books and websites. In adoptive parent education, attachment is often presented as an elusive goal that requires concerted effort to achieve, without which the child may suffer from an attachment disorder with lifelong psychological and behavioural consequences. The result is the promotion of intensive parenting practices derived from, but also exceeding, those advocated by the ‘attachment parenting’ philosophy, practices that are often demanding, inflexible and proscriptive, yet only tenuously connected to their supposed evidence base in psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Approximately 20% of post-institutionalized (PI) children exhibit disinhibited social engagement (DSE) or the propensity to approach and engage strangers. There is little longitudinal research examining changes in DSE after adoption, or methods of identifying children with persistent behaviors. Methods: DSE was assessed observationally four times during the first 2 years postadoption in PI children 16–36 months at adoption (n = 68) relative to same-age nonadopted children (n = 52). At age 5, a validated interview determined which PI children met criteria for Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED). Results: DSE trajectories initially increased and then stabilized. PIs had higher DSE levels initially and a steeper increase rate than NAs. When separated into physical and nonphysical DSE components, group differences arose in initial physical DSE and the rate of change of nonphysical DSE. DSE rate of increase predicted DSED diagnosis, as did longer institutional duration and poorer institutional care. Conclusions: The rate of increase in DSE postadoption, rather than the level observed at adoption, is predictive of disordered social engagement by age 5 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early-life institutional deprivation is associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) later in childhood and adolescence. In this article, we examine, for the first time, the persistence of deprivationrelated ADHD into young adulthood in a sample of individuals adopted as young children by UK families after periods in extremely depriving Romanian orphanages. Methods: We estimated rates of ADHD at age 15 years and in young adulthood (ages 22–25 years) in individuals at low (LoDep; nondeprived UK adoptees and Romanian adoptees with less than 6-month institutional exposure) and high deprivation-related risk (HiDep; Romanian adoptees with more than 6-month exposure). Estimates were based on parent report using DSM-5 childhood symptom and impairment criteria. At age 15, data were available for 108 LoDep and 86 HiDep cases, while in young adulthood, the numbers were 83 and 60, respectively. Data on education and employment status, IQ, co-occurring symptoms of young adult disinhibited social engagement (DSE), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cognitive impairment, conduct disorder (CD), callous-unemotional (CU) traits, anxiety, depression and quality of life (QoL) were also collected. Results: ADHD rates in the LoDep group were similar to the general population in adolescence (5.6%) and adulthood (3.8%). HiDep individuals were, respectively, nearly four (19%) and over seven (29.3%) times more likely to meet criteria, than LoDep. Nine ‘onset’ young adult cases emerged, but these had a prior childhood history of elevated ADHD behaviours at ages 6, 11 and 15 years. Young adult ADHD was equally common in males and females, was predominantly inattentive in presentation and co-occurred with high levels of ASD, DSE and CU features. ADHD was associated with high unemployment and low educational attainment. Conclusion: We provide the first evidence of a strong persistence into adulthood of a distinctively complex and impairing deprivation-related variant of ADHD. Our results confirm the powerful association of early experience with later development in a way that suggests a role for deepseated alterations to brain structure and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a review of the international research literature published since 2005 focusing specifically on sibling relationships in fostering and adoptive families. It presents an overview of the current state of knowledge regarding sibling relationships of fostered and adopted children as well as gaps and limitations. The review concludes that while methodological advances are apparent in this body of work siblinghood is poorly conceptualised and there has been inadequate attention to the perspectives of children. The paper goes on to suggest that one possible source of insight comes from recent work undertaken within social anthropology and sociology and the application of this theoretical and methodological approach to the study of siblinghood in out‐of‐home care is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Aotearoa/New Zealand Adoption Act 1955 legislated and governed adoption practices from 1955 to 1985. Through an exploration of the historical, cultural and social assumptions underlying the Adoption Act 1955, this article questions how the social power relations complicit with adoption legislation and policy produce and reproduce subject positions for adoptees. In-depth narrative interviews were conducted with 12 adoptees from throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand. The researchers found the legal constitution of adoptees produces them as legitimate; however, they remain 'other' through dominant discourses of heteronormative blood kinship that reiterates their illegitimacy. The legal fiction of their legitimacy as if born to failed to secure them space within normative narratives of kinship and compromised adoptees' ability to take up responsibility as neoliberal citizens. Current New Zealand debate on adoption fails to take account of the experience of adoptees, focusing instead on the rights of married couples, including same-sex couples, to continue practices of adoption. Our analysis informs the critical importance of listening to how adoptees experience repeated exclusions and enduring loss represented by the metaphor of no-man's land. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The purpose of this article is to report the results of behavioral assessments collected at three time points of a cohort of children adopted from the former Soviet Union with particular emphasis on the impact of the adoptive family on problem behaviors. Problem Families adopting from the former USSR are concerned about the influence of pre-adoptive circumstances on their child's future health. Methods The study utilized data gathered in 1998 when the children's mean age was close to 8 years, in 2001 when the children were entering early adolescence, and in 2006 when the average age of the children was just over 15 years. The authors hypothesized that the negative impact of risk factors decreases over time, and that a family environment that is stable and supportive is inversely related to problem behaviors. The Child Behavior Checklist, the Family Environment Scale, and a parental report form were used for data collection. Findings Significant relationships between family environment and problem behaviors over time were found, with lower levels of conflict and higher levels of cohesion associated to lower problem behaviors. Being female does contribute to problem behavior with the passage of time. Conclusion Although the magnitude of these effects was small to moderate, a protective family environment may assist in decreasing problem behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Attachment representations of late-adopted children have usually been measured by attachment narratives or observational procedures. Recently an attachment-based coding system for family drawings was developed by attachment researchers and it was used both with clinical and nonclinical samples, but it has never been used with adoptees. Method This study examined the differences between attachment representations of 29 late-adopted children aged 5-7 years ( M = 6.35, 51.7% girls) and 12 non-adopted peers as assessed by family drawings, controlling for demographic variables and children's cognitive status. The attachment-based coding system of family drawings included three levels: (1) 24 individual markers, (2) eight global rating scales (1-7 points), and (3) four attachment categories (secure, avoidant, resistant, and disorganized). Results Late-adopted children assessed with the family drawings were more insecure on the attachment categories and achieved lower scores on positive global ratings such as the Vitality/Creativity and Family Pride/Happiness scales, higher scores on the Role Reversal scale, and a tendency toward higher scores on the Bizarreness/Dissociation scale. No difference emerged between the two groups regarding the individual markers. Conclusions Family drawing seemed to be a useful tool for classifying attachment representations, and able to capture underlying mental states that it was hard for late-adopted children to express in words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looked after children are significantly more likely than other children to go missing. They face significant risk of harm through, for example, exposure to alcohol, drugs and sexual victimisation. While research identifies some factors which may reduce the likelihood of looked after children going missing, it is recognised that a greater understanding of effective practice is needed. The aim of the study was to investigate young people's experiences of going missing from care and to identify the issues that contributed to them running away; trigger factors that prompted episodes of going missing; support received during or following instances where they went missing; and factors that might prevent future absconding. Research on children's experiences is often reported from the adult's perspective rather than allowing children to have a voice. We therefore recruited two young people to collaborate with the researchers as peer researchers. A qualitative study was undertaken using the Critical Incident Technique. Twenty-eight young people with a history of running away were recruited from different locations in Scotland. They took part in six focus groups, which were held during May 2012. Data were analysed using a framework approach. Four themes were identified regarding reasons for running away: authority and power; friction; isolation; and environmental issues. Commonly cited consequences were being 'grounded' and having shoes removed (to prevent further running away). Young people were critical of a lack of support on return and a lack of boundaries. They stressed the importance of being heard, being treated with respect, being able to exercise autonomy and feeling that someone cares. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Messages Looked after children are significantly more likely than other children to go missing., When missing, young people are exposed to significant risk of harm., Reasons for running away are: authority and power; friction; isolation; and environmental issues., Approaches to responding to young people who go missing should be supportive and facilitative rather than punitive., Being heard, being treated with respect, being able to exercise autonomy and feeling that someone cares are crucial preventative factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Positive family environments are crucial in promoting children's emotional and behavioural well-being, and may also buffer development of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD). ADHD is highly heritable, but psychosocial factors in the family environment, particularly family cohesion and communication, may mediate genetic predispositions. The purpose of the current study is to examine the mediating influence of the adoptive family environment between pre-adoptive risk factors and youths' ADHD symptomatology at 14 years post adoption. Methods The data used in this study were obtained from the fourth wave of the California Long-Range Adoption Study ( CLAS) ( n = 449). Using structural equation modelling ( SEM), family sense of coherence and family adaptability were tested as possible mediators between environmental and biological predictors and ADHD symptomatology. Predictors included birthweight, gender, age at adoption, adoption from foster care, transracial adoption status, ethnicity and having a previous diagnosis of ADHD. Results Results show that, while adoption from foster care is negatively associated with family functioning, higher family cohesion and adaptability mediate this influence on children's ADHD symptomatology. Older age of adoption directly predicts greater ADHD symptoms with no mediating influence of the family environment. Conclusions The mediating influence of the family environment between children's risk factors and ADHD symptoms suggests that family intervention strategies may be helpful in improving adopted children's outcomes. Once children are adopted, targeting family communication patterns and dynamics may be an additional part of developing an evidence-based, post-adoption services toolkit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study examined the effectiveness of child parent relationship therapy (CPRT; Landreth & Bratton, ) with 61 adoptive families. Statistically significant findings and large treatment effects on all measures indicated the effectiveness of CPRT over the wait-list control condition on reducing child behavior problems and increasing parental empathy. The results provide preliminary support for CPRT as a responsive intervention for adoptive families with children presenting with attachment difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Early neglect is associated with increased risk of internalizing disorders in humans and with increased fear behavior in animals. When children are adopted out of orphanages in which they experienced institutional neglect, anxiety and depressive disorders often are not seen until adolescence. What has not been examined is whether even young children adopted from institutional care exhibit heightened fear or behavioral inhibition. Method Children adopted between 15 and 35 months from institutional care were examined twice during their first year postadoption and compared with children of the same age reared in their birth families. A modified version of the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery for Preschoolers was used with the children being exposed to two mechanical toys designed to be highly arousing and fear eliciting. Because children in institutions tend to exhibit low levels of positive affect, the children were also examined during exposure to two positive stimuli. Sessions were videotaped and coded by observers blind to the study purpose. Results Postinstitutionalized children froze more in fear vignettes and were less positive in both fear and positive vignettes than nonadopted children. Group differences did not diminish significantly from the first session to the next, 6 months later. Conclusions Children exposed to early institutional neglect exhibit emotional biases that are consistent with their previously demonstrated risk for the development of internalizing disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coparenting is associated with child behavior in families with heterosexual parents, but less is known about coparenting among lesbian- and gay-parent families. Associations were studied among self-reported divisions of labor, coparenting observations, and child adjustment ( Mage = 3 years) among 104 adoptive families headed by lesbian, gay, or heterosexual couples. Lesbian and gay couples reported sharing child care, whereas heterosexual couples reported specialization (i.e., mothers did more child care than fathers). Observations confirmed this pattern-lesbian and gay parents participated more equally than heterosexual parents during family interaction. Lesbian couples showed the most supportive and least undermining behavior, whereas gay couples showed the least supportive behavior, and heterosexual couples the most undermining behavior. Overall, supportive coparenting was associated with better child adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies have linked marital conflict, parenting, and externalizing problems in early childhood. However, these studies have not examined whether genes account for these links nor have they examined whether contextual factors such as parental personality or financial distress might account for links between marital conflict and parenting. We used an adoption design to allow for a clear examination of environmental impact rather than shared genes of parents and children, and assessments of parental personality and financial strain to assess the effects of context on relationships between marriage and parenting of both mothers and fathers. Method: Participants were 308 adoption-linked families comprised of an adopted child, her/his biological mother (BM), adoptive mother (AM) and adoptive father (AF). BMs were assessed 3-6 and 18 months postpartum and adoptive families were assessed when the child was 18 and 27 months old. Structural equations models were used to examine associations between marital hostility, fathers' and mothers' parenting hostility, and child aggressive behavior at 27 months of age. In addition, the contribution of financial strain and adoptive parent personality traits was examined to determine the associations with the spillover of marital hostility to hostile parenting. Results: A hostile marital relationship was significantly associated with hostile parenting in fathers and mothers, which were associated with aggressive behavior in toddlers. Subjective financial strain was uniquely associated with marital hostility and child aggression. Antisocial personality traits were related to a more hostile/conflicted marital relationship and to hostile parenting. Conclusions: Results clarify mechanisms that may account for the success of early parent-child prevention programs that include a focus on parental economic strain and personality in addition to parent training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have found that post-institutionalized (PI) children are particularly susceptible to attention problems and perform poorly on executive functioning (EF) lab tasks. Parent ratings of EF were examined in 288 school-age and 130 preschool-age children adopted from psychosocially depriving Russian institutions that provided adequate physical resources but not one-on-one interactions with a consistent set of responsive caregivers. Results revealed a step-like association between age at adoption and EF deficits; school-age children adopted after 18 months of age had greater EF difficulties than younger-adopted children and the never-institutionalized normative sample. The onset of adolescence was associated with a greater increase in EF deficits for children adopted after 18 months than for younger-adopted children. Preschool-age children were not found to have greater EF difficulties than the normative sample. These findings suggest that prolonged early psychosocial deprivation may increase children's risk of EF deficits and that the developmental stresses of adolescence may be particularly challenging for older-adopted PI children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the relation between three variables related to adoptive family relationships (post-adoption contact between adoptive and birth family members, adoption communicative openness, and satisfaction with contact) and adoptee externalizing behavior in adolescence and emerging adulthood. The study included 190 families of infant-placed, domestic adoptees during childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze predictors of externalizing behavior from contact (adoptive parents and adolescent reports), adoption communicative openness (adoptive mothers), and satisfaction with contact (adoptive parents and adolescent). Externalizing behavior showed moderate stability across childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. Contact and adoption communicative openness were related to each other, but not to externalizing behaviors in adolescence or emerging adulthood. Controlling for the effect of Childhood Externalizing, adoptive families most satisfied with contact reported relative declines in adoptee externalizing behavior during adolescence compared to those in less satisfied families. Satisfaction was also indirectly associated with Emerging Adult Externalizing, through its effect on Adolescent Externalizing. Although contact and adoption communicative openness were highly correlated with each other, neither was related to adoptees' externalizing behavior in adolescence or emerging adulthood. Family-level satisfaction with contact was more predictive of externalizing outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following initial adversity, internationally adopted children arrive with significant growth and developmental delays. Post-placement recovery has been widely documented, but little has been known about its extent and timing several years after placement and in children with diverse pre-adoptive experiences. A total of 289 children adopted from six countries into Spanish families were studied. Growth and psychological development were considered on arrival and after an average of over 3 years. Growth and developmental initial delays affected a substantial percentage of the children. Post-adoption recovery seemed quicker and more complete in weight and height than in head circumference and psychological development. Initial and later values were correlated, but growth-development relation on arrival subsequently lost significance. Most of the catch-up happened in the first three post-adoption years. Adoption offers an impressive opportunity for recovery after previous adversity, although continuity between past and present persists. The improvement is more marked in some areas than in others and more substantial in the first post-adoption years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the attachment patterns of late-adopted children (aged 4-7) and their adoptive mothers during the first 7- to 8-month period after adoption and aimed to evaluate the effect of adoptive mothers' attachment security on the revision of the attachment patterns of their late-adopted children. We assessed attachment patterns in 20 adoptive dyads and 12 genetically related dyads at two different times: T1 (time 1) within 2 months of adoption and T2 (time 2) 6 months after T1. The children's behavioural attachment patterns were assessed using the Separation-Reunion Procedure and the children's representational (verbal) attachment patterns using the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task. The attachment models of the adoptive mothers were classified using the Adult Attachment Interview. We found that there was a significant enhancement of the late-adopted children's attachment security across the time period considered ( P= 0.008). Moreover, all the late-adopted children who showed a change from insecurity to security had adoptive mothers with secure attachment models ( P= 0.044). However, the matching between maternal attachment models and late-adopted children's attachment patterns (behaviours and representations) was not significant. Our data suggest that revision of the attachment patterns in the late-adopted children is possible but gradual, and that the adoptive mothers' attachment security makes it more likely to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study carried out to examine the effects of early institutional deprivation on the development of adoptees, who were adopted from depriving institutions in Romania into families in Great Britain. It states that the study used systematic and standardized measurements of key behavioral patterns that appear to be precise to institutional deprivation. It discusses the residential institutions such as hospitals and orphanages that provide long-term care for children who were left by their parents. It also discusses the assessment of the children's state when they were taken to Great Britain from Romania. It presents the findings of the deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs) at the age of 11 years.

The article focuses the deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs) in children with institutional deprivation, as investigated during the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study. It discusses four patterns that are associated with institutional deprivation including quasi-autism (Q-A), disinhibited attachment (DA), cognitive impairment (CI) and inattention/overactivity (I/O). It describes the external validity of the patterns and states that it is not concerned with Q-A and DA due to their low incidence in the general population. It explains the associations among four DSPs, and concludes that there is an indication of the validity of all four DSPs and a coherence to the association of the four to develop an overall DSP syndrome.

The article focuses on the development of deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs) in children, as investigated during the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study done on the development of children adopted into Great Britain from Romania. It discusses the manifestations of DSPs in children at the time of leaving institutional care and their persistence after adoption up to the age of 15. It explains the development of four features of DSPs including quasi-autism (Q-A), disinhibited attachment (DA), cognitive impairment (CI) and inattention/overactivity (I/O). It mentions that improved social relationships such as friendship were observed in children being studied. It further discusses the continuance of DSP up to 15 years of age.

The article focuses on various methods and measures employed at the 15-year follow-up of the English and Romanian Adoptee (ERA) study done to investigate the development of children adopted into Great Britain families from Romania. It states that the study focused around the possibility of deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs), and involved obtaining DNA for genotyping. It discusses the interviews taken with parents and young people, and mentions that the functioning of children was examined at the time they were about to leave institutional care and travel with the adoptive parents. It discusses the initial measures for children's functioning used in the study including the Denver Developmental Scales, anthropometric measures and measures of physical health.

The article focuses on the development of conduct, emotional and peer problems in the wake of early institutional deprivation in children, as investigated during the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study done on the development of children adopted into the Great Britain families from Romania. It states that early institutional deprivation has effects on conduct and emotional problems, with greater effect on emotional problems. It discusses the emotional problems at 11 years of age related to the presence of deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs) such as disinhibited attachment (DA), cognitive impairment (CI), inattention/overactivity (I/O) and quasi-autism (Q-A) at 6 years. It concludes that the prior presence of DSPs was responsible for peer and emotional problems.

The article focuses on the findings of the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study carried out to investigate the effects of early institutional deprivation on cognitive functions and academic achievement of children adopted from Romania. It states that the degree of initial impairment and cognitive development could influence the academic attainment. It mentions the association of intelligent quotient (IQ) with genetic and environmental influences. It states that the study focused on determining the association of cognitive gains between 11 and 15 years with deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs). It concludes that cognitive gains with disabilities at 11 sustained up to the age of 15 years.

The article discusses the effects of early institutional deprivation on the physical growth and maturation of the adopted children. It focuses on the negative effects of psychosocial and cognitive deprivation in both patient populations. It explains the association of institutional deprivation with reduced metabolism in the left orbitrofrontal cortex and left medial temporal area with the use of positron emission tomography. It discusses the developmental plans for weight, height and head circumference in mid-adolescence. It further discusses the role of subnutrition in deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs) and non-DSP physical growth plans. It describes the relation between institutional deprivation and the early onset of puberty.

The article focuses on the findings of the English and Romanian Adoptee (ERA) study, which was conducted to detect the deprivation-specific psychological patterns (DSPs) in children upto age 15 years. It mentions the names of four presumed DSPs which are quasi-autistic (Q-A) patterns, disinhibited attachment (DA), inattenttion/overactivity (I/O) and cognitive impairment (CI). It further discusses the validity of the presumed DSPs. It suggests that the an investigation should be done to determine which phases of DSPs are precise to institutional deprivation. It concudes that the four DSPs are caused due to institutional deprivation.

We sought to determine the extent to which children's behavior problems would mediate the relationship between children's learning disorders and adoption satisfaction using nationally representative data from 1,865 adoptive parents. We found that high levels of behavior problems, operationalized as internalizing and externalizing behaviors, occurred more frequently in children with learning disorders, supporting our mediational model. We concluded that it was the behavior problems, not the learning disorders, that were most problematic for parents. Implications for both pre- and postadoption services are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The Inattention/Overactivity/Impulsiveness (I/OA) behavioural cluster diagnostic of ADHD is recognized as a characteristic outcome of early institutional care. Methods We compared the symptom and neuropsychological profiles of children with a history of I/OA and early severe deprivation (D-I/OA: n = 13) with standard clinical ADHD cases (S-ADHD; N = 20) and children who had experienced deprivation but were not pervasively I/OA (ERA-controls; n = 22). The mean age of testing was around 13 years. D-I/OA and ERA-controls were selected from the English and Romanian Adoptees (ERA) study and had spent their early lives in the extremely depriving Romanian institutions of the Ceausescu regime and were later adopted into UK families. Results ADHD symptoms for male D-I/OA and S-ADHD cases showed marked similarities across symptom domains. In contrast, girls with D-I/OA were more similar to ERA controls than to ADHD cases. Longitudinal data suggested that this was due to a remission of symptoms in D-I/OA girls. Neuropsychological profiles of males and females with D-I/OA, however, were similar: both were more impaired than S-ADHD and ERA controls. Discussion Children with D-I/OA were more neuropsychologically impaired than S-ADHD despite the fact that only boys showed a persistent pattern of ADHD symptoms. These results need replication in a larger sample with groups matched for gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TOPIC: Optimizing caregiving for newly adopted postinstitutionalized children. PURPOSE: To consider a template of care for postinstitutionalized children based on experiences that physiological measures suggest are expected by infants postbirth. SOURCES: Published literature and clinical experience. CONCLUSION: Based on an understanding of physiologically expected care postbirth, special care for postinstitutionalized adopted children might include: close physical contact via use of a sling and cosleeping; breastfeeding or nurturing through food; and responsive caregiving. In replicating earlier missed experiences, parents may assist emotional development in their child and promote attachment development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five adoption-reconstruction phases were identified in narratives of 100 adoptees ages 5 to 55 years. Phases ranged from no awareness of adoption issues (Phase 1) to acute awareness accompanied by anger, resentment, and sadness about adoption (Phase) to a sense of peace and acceptance (Phase 5). Consistent quantitative and qualitative differences were found among adoptees at the 5 phases on multiple measures of functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the core issues and challenges raised by adoption for the child and adoptive parents. Prevalence of adoption in the U.S.; Strategies that nurses and parents can use to enhance children's self-esteem and decrease their emotional vulnerability.

Presets a study which psychological compared adopted adolescents with their nonadopted siblings with reference to the United States. Methodology used to conduct the study; Characteristics of adolescents; Results of the study.

Focuses on the impact of openness in adoption to adopted children. Differences in child outcome according to openness levels; Development of a coding scheme to assess level of openness; Analysis of self-perception, curiosity, and satisfaction with openness.

Explores the specific environmental influences in the development of 24 adoptive infants living in middle-class families. Amount of maternal physical and verbal contact with the baby; How much the mother ignored the baby; Amount of opportunity given the baby to explore the house; Amount of experience with people other than the mother; Adoptive and natural mother's socioeconomic status.

The origins of top‐down self‐regulation are attributed to genetic and socialization factors as evidenced by high heritability estimates from twin studies and the influential role of parenting. However, recent evidence suggests that parenting behavior itself is affected by parents' own top‐down self‐regulation. Because children's top‐down self‐regulation is influenced by genetic factors and parenting is influenced by top‐down self‐regulation, the effects of parenting on children's top‐down self‐regulation identified in prior studies may partially reflect passive gene–environment correlation. The goal of this study was to examine parenting influences on children's top‐down self‐regulation using a longitudinal, adoption‐at‐birth design, a method of identifying parenting influences that are independent of the role of shared genetic influences on children's characteristics because adoptive parents are genetically unrelated to their adopted child. Participants (N = 361) included adoptive families and biological mothers of adopted children. Adoptive mothers' and fathers' harsh/negative parenting were assessed when children were 27 months of age and biological mothers' top‐down self‐regulation was assessed when children were 54 months of age. Adopted children's top‐down self‐regulation was assessed when they were 54 and 72 months of age. Results, accounting for child gender, biological mother top‐down self‐regulation, and the potential evocative effects of adopted child anger, provide evidence that inherited influences and socialization processes uniquely contribute to children's top‐down self‐regulation. Furthermore, findings demonstrate the importance of both mother's and father's parenting behavior as an influence on young children's top‐down self‐regulation. The implications of these findings for understanding the complex mechanisms that influence children's top‐down self‐regulation are discussed. Results emphasize the importance of socialization (i.e., maternal and paternal caregiving behavior) and genetic processes as contributors to children's top‐down self‐regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that not all adopted children have psychological problems. Problems reflecting the child's stage in development; Explanations for psychological problems in adopted children.

The author reflects on the developments in the adoption of children in the U.S. He mentions that practices and prejudices in adopting are changing. An overview of the study regarding the psychosocial adjustment of adoptees and factors driving risk of psychopathology in adopted children is discussed. He also suggested that as mental health professionals, they must accept their inability to magically fix problems on adoption and must acknowledge an impossible family situation.