A comparative study of mental health and wellbeing in adopted children, children in foster and kinship care, and the general population
Researchers compared young people’s own questionnaire responses in a 2023 survey of Welsh mainstream secondary schools. Analyses included 335 young people in adoptive families, foster and kinship groups and a general-population comparison. The adopted group reported higher emotional and behavioural difficulties and depressive symptoms, and lower wellbeing, than the other groups.
Limitations: Cross-sectional, self-reported placement and symptoms; mainstream-school participants may not represent all young people. Group differences cannot establish an effect caused by adoption.
- Research type
- Cross-sectional population survey
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Adolescents
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Adolescents
Adoption context: Adoption from care
Programme: School Health Research Network 2023 Wales survey
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in indexed metadata reviewed. Affiliations, funding and conflicts have not been comprehensively audited; this does not confirm institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: adoptee voice, depression, education, mental health
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom
- Funding
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Commissioner
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Funder role
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Declared conflicts
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Recruitment
- Not yet checked for this entry
- Adoptee involvement
- Not yet checked for this entry
Entry: study_0a2d18a033f50acb