Adopted children's internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems 8 years post-placement: Developmental trajectories and transitions

Adopted children's internalizing symptoms and externalizing problems 8 years post-placement: Developmental trajectories and transitions

Paine AL, Perra O, Shelton KH · Development and psychopathology

Researchers followed ninety-two UK children adopted from care and their families at six time points over eight years, spanning ages two to fifteen. Emotional symptoms increased over time, while behavioural problems rose earlier and then slowed or levelled off. Both increased around school entry, and children adopted close to school entry showed more difficulties at that transition.

Limitations: Modest cohort with repeated family-based measures. Changes around school entry are associations and do not establish that starting school caused the difficulties. Participants overlap with other Wales Adoption Cohort Study publications. No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified in the bibliographic material screened. This is not confirmation of institutional independence; affiliations, funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited. The Wales Adoption Cohort Study received funding from Health and Care Research Wales, a Welsh Government body. Funding does not by itself establish government commissioning or an adoption-service affiliation. Evidence-provider note: adoptive parents supplied some or all questionnaire/interview assessments of the adoptee’s outcomes. These proxy reports are not the adoptee’s own account; other evidence sources, where present, are described in the summary.

Research type

Longitudinal comparative cohort study

Source reviewed

Abstract

Peer reviewed

Yes

Age group

Children / Adolescents