Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T07:04:07.325Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

International Adoption: Assessment of Adaptive and Maladaptive Behavior of Adopted Minors in Spain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Natalia Barcons-Castel ,
Albert Fornieles-Deu  and
Carme Costas-Moragas
Natalia Barcons-Castel*
Affiliation:
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
Albert Fornieles-Deu
Affiliation:
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
Carme Costas-Moragas
Affiliation:
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Natalia Barcons-Castel. Departamento de Psicología Clínica y de la Salud. Facultad de Psicología. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. 08193- Bellaterra. (Spain). E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Research on adjustment of internationally adopted children indicates that, although they have adequate development, more emotional and behavioral problems are detected compared with nonadopted children. In this research, emotional and behavioral characteristics of a sample of 52 internationally adopted minors were examined with the BASC (Parent Rating Scales and Self-Report of Personality), comparing the outcomes with 44 nonadopted minors, all of them of ages between 6 and 11 years (mean age = 8.01 years). Results indicate differences between adopted and nonadopted children related to somatization, adopted minors are those that obtain lower scores in the scale, and in the adaptability scale, where nonadopted minors obtain higher scores. Significant differences were found in the adaptive abilities scales, suggesting that nonadopted boys show better abilities than adopted ones, and no differences were found among girls. In general, boys present higher scores in externalizing symptomatology and depression than girls. Among adopted children, time spent in an institution is a variable that has negative impact on the onset of externalizing and internalizing problems. Minors coming from Eastern Europe display more attentional problems, poorer adaptive abilities and poorer interpersonal relations than the rest of the minors. According to the age at placement, attentional problems appear in minors adopted after the age of 3 years.

Las investigaciones sobre la adaptación de menores procedentes de adopción internacional señalan que, aunque estos niños tienen un desarrollo correcto, se detectan más problemas emocionales y conductuales que en niños no adoptados. Esta investigación ha examinado con el BASC (cuestionario para padres y autoinforme) tanto los trastornos de adaptación como los rasgos adaptativos de una muestra de 52 menores procedentes de adopción internacional, comparando los resultados con 44 menores no adoptados de edades comprendidas entre los 6 y los 11 años (media = 8.01 años). Los resultados indican diferencias entre los menores adoptados y los no adoptados relativas a somatización, siendo los menores adoptados quienes obtienen mejores puntuaciones en la escala, y en la escala de adaptabilidad, siendo los menores no adoptados los que obtienen mejores puntuaciones. Se han encontrado diferencias significativas en la escala de habilidades adaptativas, sugiriendo que los varones no adoptados muestran mejores habilidades que los adoptados, no encontrándose diferencias en las niñas. En cuanto al sexo de los menores, en los varones se detecta una mayor sintomatología externalizada y depresión que en las mujeres. Entre el grupo de menores adoptados, el tiempo de institucionalización influye negativamente en la aparición de trastornos, tanto externalizados como internalizados. Según el país de procedencia, los menores procedentes de Europa del Este presentan más problemas de atención, y peores habilidades adaptativas y relaciones interpersonales que el resto de menores. Destaca la aparición de más problemas de atención en los menores adoptados a partir de los tres años.

Keywords

international adoptionadaptationinstitutionalizationBASCadopción internacionaladaptacióninstitucionalizaciónBASC
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 14 , Issue 1 , May 2011 , pp. 123 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amorós, P. (1987) La adopción y el acogimiento familiar. Una perspectiva socio-educativa [Adoption and foster care. A socio-educational perspective]. Madrid: Narcea.Google Scholar
Andresen, I. L. K. (1992). Behavioral and school adjustment of 12-13 year old internationally adopted children in Norway: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 33, 427–439. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1992.tb00877.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barth, R., Berry, M., Yoshikami, R., Goodfield, R., & Carson, . (1988): Predicting adoption disruption. Social Work, 33, 227–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beckett, C., Maughan, B., Rutter, M., Castle, J., Colvert, E., Groothues, C., … Sonuga-Barke, E. J. S. (2006). Do the effects of early severe deprivation on cognition persist into early adolescence? Findings from the English and Romanian Adoptees Study. Child Development, 77, 696–711. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00898.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berástegui, A. (2005). La adaptación familiar en adopción internacional [Family adaptation in international adoption]. Madrid: Consejo Económico y Social.Google Scholar
Bernedo, I. M., Fuentes, M. J., & Fernández, M. (2005). Percepción del grado de conflicto en familias adoptivas y no adoptivas [Conflict grade perception within adoptive and non-adoptive families]. Psicothema, 17, 370–374.Google Scholar
Bernedo, I. M., Fuentes, M. J., Fernández, M., & Bersabé, R. (2007). Percepción de las estrategias de socialización parentales en familias adoptivas y no adoptivas [Perception of parental socialization strategies in adoptive and non-adoptive families]. Psicothema, 19, 597–602.Google Scholar
Berry, M., & Barth, R. (1989). Behavioral problems of children adopted when older. Children and Youth Services Review, 11, 221–238. doi:10.1016/0190-7409(89)90022-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bimmel, N., Juffer, F., Van IJzendoorn, M. H., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2003). Problem behavior of internationally adopted adolescents: A review and meta-analysis. Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 11, 64–78. doi:10.1080/10673220303955Google ScholarPubMed
Brodzinsky, D. M. (1990). A stress and coping model of adoption adjustment. In Brodzinsky, D. M., & Schechter, M. D. (Eds.), The psychology of adoption (pp. 3–24). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brodzinsky, D. M. (1993). Long-term outcomes in adoption. Future of Children, 3, 153–166. doi:10.2307/1602410CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brodzinsky, D. M., Radice, C., Huffman, L., & Merkler, K. (1987). Prevalence of clinically significant symptomatology in a nonclinical sample of adopted and nonadopted children. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 16, 350–356. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp1604_9CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brodzinsky, D. M., Singer, L. M., & Braff, A. M. (1984). Children's understanding of adoption. Child Development, 55, 869–878. doi:10.2307/1130138CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chisholm, K. (1998). A three year follow-up of attachment and indiscriminate friendliness in children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Child Development, 69, 1092–1106. doi:10.2307/1132364Google ScholarPubMed
Erich, S., & Leung, P. (2002). The impact of previous type of abuse and sibling adoption upon adoptive families. Child Abuse and Neglect, 26, 1045–1058. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(02)00374-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernández, M. (2004). La investigación internacional sobre adopción. Análisis, conclusiones y perspectivas de futuro [International research on adoption. Analysis, conclusions and perspectives]. Anuario de Psicología Jurídica, 14, 39–66.Google Scholar
Giménez-Salinas, S., Luque, M. E., Muzelle, S., Rossell, M., & Tamayo, N. (1998). L'adopció: un estudi comparat [Adoption: a comparative study]. Barcelona: Generalitat de Catalunya.Google Scholar
González-Marqués, J., Fernández-Guinea, S., Pérez-Hernández, E., Pereña, J., & Santamaría, P. (2004). Sistema de evaluación de la conducta en niños y adolescentes: BASC [Behavior Assessment System for Children: BASC]. Madrid: TEA.Google Scholar
Hjern, A., Lindblad, F., & Vinnerljung, B. (2002). Suicide, psychiatric illness, and social maladjustment in intercountry adoptees in Sweden: A cohort study. Lancet, 360, 443–448. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09674-5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Juffer, F., & Van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2005). Behavior problems and mental health referrals of international adoptees: A meta-analysis. Journal of the American Medical Association, 293, 2501–2515. doi:10.1001/jama.293.20.2501CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Juffer, F., & Van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2007). Adoptees do not lack self-esteem: A meta-analysis of studies on self-esteem of transracial, internacional, and domestic adoptees. Psychological Bulletin, 133, 1067–1083. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.133.6.1067CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kirschner, D., & Nagle, L. S. (1995). Antisocial behaviour in adoptees: Patterns and dynamics. Child and Adolescent Social Work, 5, 300–314. doi:10.1007/BF00755393CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marcovitch, S., Goldberg, S., Gold, A., Washington, J., Wasson, C., Krekewich, K., & Handley-Derry, M. (1997). Determinants of behavioral problems in Romanian children adopted in Ontario. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 20, 17–31. doi:10.1080/016502597385397CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, L., Chan, W., Tirella, L., & Perrin, E. (2009). Outcomes of children adopted from Eastern Europe. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33, 289–298. doi:10.1177/0165025408098026CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ministerio de Educación, Política Social y Deporte. (2008). Estadísticas de adopción internacional [International adoption statistics]. Retrieved from http://www.mepsyd.es/Google Scholar
Moliner, M., & Gil, J. M. (2002). Estudios sobre la adaptación de los menores en la adopción internacional [Studies on the adaptation of children in intercountry adoption]. Revista de Psicología General y Aplicada, 55, 603–623.Google Scholar
Morison, S. J., Ames, E. W., & Chisholm, K. (1995). The development of children adopted from Romanian orphanages. Merrill—Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, 41, 411–430.Google Scholar
Navarro, J. B., & Domènech, J. M. (2008). Modelos de regresión lineal [Linear regression models]. Bellaterra: Laboratori d'Estadística Aplicada.Google Scholar
Orjales, I. (1997). Adaptación familiar, desarrollo intelectual y trastornos psicopatológicos en los niños de adopción internacional [Family adaptation, cognitive development and psychopathology in children from international adoption]. Psicología Educativa, 3, 189–201.Google Scholar
Reynolds, C. R., & Kamphaus, R. W. (1992). Behavior Assessment System for Children manual. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service [Spanish adaptation: TEA, 2004].Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1985). Family and school influences on cognitive development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26, 683–704. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1985.tb00584.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutter, M. (1987). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 57, 316–331. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.1987.tb03541.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rutter, M. (1990). Psychosocial resilience and protective mechanisms. In Rolf, J., Masten, A. S., Cicchetti, D., Nuechterlein, K. H., & Weintraub, S. (Eds.), Risk and protective factors in the development of psychopathology (pp. 181–214). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rutter, M., Andersen-Wood, L., Becket, C., Bredenkamp, D., Castle, J., Dunn, J., … White, A. (1998). Developmental catch-up and deficit, following adoption after severe global early privation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39, 465–476. doi:10.1017/S0021963098002236Google ScholarPubMed
Scroggs, P. H., & Heitfield, H. (2001). International adopters and their children: Birth culture ties. Gender Issues, 19, 3–30. doi:10.1007/s12147-001-1005-6CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Selman, P. (2002). Intercountry adoption in the new millennium: The ‘quiet migration’ revisited. Population Research and Policy Review 21, 205–225. doi:10.1023/A:1019583625626CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stams, G. J. J. M., Juffer, F., Rispens, J., & Hoksbergen, R. A. C. (2000). The development and adjustment of 7-year-old children adopted in infancy. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41, 1025–1037. doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00690CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tieman, W., Van der Ende, J., & Verhulst, F. C. (2005). Psychiatric disorders in young adult intercountry adoptees: An epidemiological study. American Journal of Psychiatry, 162, 592–598. doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.162.3.592CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Verhulst, F. C., Althaus, M., & Versluis-den Bieman, H. J. (1990). Problem behavior in international adoptees: I. An epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 94–103. doi:10.1097/00004583-199001000-00015CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welsh, J. A., Viana, A. G., Petrill, S. A., & Mathias, M. D. (2007). Interventions for internationally adopted children and families: A review of the literature. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 24, 285–311. doi:10.1007/s10560-007-0085-xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Werner, E. E. (1993). Risk, resilience, and recovery: Perspectives from the Kauai longitudinal study. Development and Psychopathology, 5, 503–515. doi:10.1017/S095457940000612XCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Werner, E. E. (2000). Protective factors and individual resilience. In Shonkoff, J. P, & Meisels, S. J. (Eds.), Handbook of early childhood intervention (pp. 115–132). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wierzbicki, M. (1993). Psychological adjustment of adoptees: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 22, 447–454. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2204_5CrossRefGoogle Scholar