Early childhood deprivation and the impact of negative life events on mental health in later life: a test of the stress sensitization hypothesis
Using questionnaire and interview data from 170 ERA adoptees, researchers tested whether early deprivation changed the association between adolescent negative life events and emotional problems at ages 23–25. Peer-related events were associated with greater later emotional difficulties in the severely deprived group; the same interaction was not found for general independent or dependent life events.
Limitations: Observational associations do not establish causal sensitisation. Different kinds of life event had different results. Extreme early institutional deprivation; results do not represent adoptees generally. Participants overlap with other ERA publications.
- Research type
- Longitudinal cohort analysis
- Source reviewed
- Abstract
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Age group
- Adolescents / Adults
Study context and review
Age group as recorded: Adolescents; adults
Adoption context: Intercountry adoption after Romanian institutional care; UK comparison groups
Programme: English and Romanian Adoptees Study
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: anxiety, depression, mental health, peer relationships
Review scope: Source checked: Abstract. This does not imply full-text or independent human verification.
Country as recorded: United Kingdom; Romania (origin)
- 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_976ce0f04e86effb