Adoption and development from infancy to adulthood: A systematic review of longitudinal studies and future directions
A review of 16 longitudinal studies covering 3,073 adoptees examined development from adoption before age six into adolescence or adulthood. It includes English and Romanian Adoptees research. Early adversity and early developmental difficulties were associated with later emotional and behavioural outcomes, although developmental trajectories varied.
Limitations: Narrative synthesis because designs, measures and samples were too different for pooling. Includes historical institutional-deprivation cohorts and multiple countries; conclusions are not England/Wales-specific. Observational associations do not establish causes. Reuses cohorts represented separately in this database.
- Research type
- Systematic review of longitudinal studies
- Source reviewed
- Full text
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Mixed
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: mixed
Adoption context: Domestic and intercountry adoption; longitudinal childhood cohorts
Programme: Not recorded
Institutional context: No relationship identified in the material checked
No adoption-sector organisational relationship identified from metadata reviewed. Funding and conflicts were not comprehensively audited; this is not confirmation of institutional independence.
Bibliographic screening. Bibliographic relationships are not a bias or safety rating.
Topics: adult outcomes, longitudinal research, mental health, systematic review
Review scope: Source checked: Full text. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom; international
- 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_5dd461ca02e3d24d