Identification of risk factors for psychological disturbance in adopted children

✍ Scribed by Fiona A. Logan; Philly M. E. Morrall; Hilary Chambers

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 216 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0952-9136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0852(199805/06)7:3<154::aid-car333>3.0.co;2-1

✦ Synopsis

A postal survey explored the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems in 97 adopted children using Achenbach's Child Behaviour Checklist. Possible predictors of high problem scores were sought in the pre-placement history and in aspects of the adoptive placement. The adopted children studied had signi®cantly higher problem scores than a non-clinic population. Problem scores were signi®cantly higher in children with a history of pre-placement abuse. Abused children also had signi®cantly more placements prior to adoption and were older at adoption. Racial congruence of adopted family, sex of child and ethnicity did not aect problem scores. Sibling contact was positively associated with high problem scores. The ®ndings have important implications for adoption policy and the management of intractable child abuse and require further more detailed investigation. *