Internationally adopted children in Finland: parental evaluations of symptoms of reactive attachment disorder and learning difficulties – FINADO study

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

Lapinleimu

Sinkkonen

et al. 2012

This study investigated the prevalence of and factors associated with school bullying and victimization among Finnish international adoptees. The Olweus bully/victim questionnaire was sent to all 9-15-year-old children adopted in Finland between 1985 and 2007 through the mediating organizations officially approved by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. The children were identified through official adoption organizations. The response rate in the target sample was 49.4%: the study sample consisted of 364 children (190 girls, 52.2%). The children's background factors and symptoms of reactive attachment disorder (RAD) were evaluated using a FINADO questionnaire. Their learning difficulties and social and language skills were assessed using a standardized parental questionnaire (Five to Fifteen). Of the participants, 19.8% reported victimization by peers while 8% had bullied others. Both victimization and bullying were associated with severe symptoms of RAD at the time of adoption (RR 2.68, 95%CI 1.50-4.77 and RR 2.08, 95%CI 1.17-3.69 for victimization and bullying, respectively). Lack of social skills was associated with victimization (RR 1.74, 95%CI 1.06-2.85) but not independently with being a bully (RR 1.50, 95%CI 0.91-2.45). In a multivariate analysis the child's learning difficulties and language difficulties were not associated with either bullying others or victimization.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of School Bullying Among Internationally Adopted Children: Results from the Finnish Adoption (FINADO) Study

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev

Lapinleimu

Sinkkonen

et al. 2012

“…2012; 2014; Eriksson et al, 2014;Högbacka, 2008;Juffer & van Ijzendoorn, 2005;Raaska et al, 2012;Raaska, Elovainio, Lapinleimu, Matomäki, & Sinkkonen, 2014;Rosnati, Montirosso, Barni, 2008).…”

unclassified

Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and psychological outcomes among adult international adoptees in Finland: Moderating effects of social support and sense of coherence.

Koskinen

Elovainio

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

et al. 2015

Quantitative literature on international adoptees and racial/ethnic discrimination is lacking despite results in qualitative studies from Europe and the United States that have consistently indicated how racism constantly complicates adoptees' everyday lives. To advance the literature, the present study examined the prevalence of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination among 213 adult international adoptees in Finland (59.6% women and 40.4% men, mean age 24.1 years), and the association between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and psychological well-being indicators, including psychological distress and sleeping problems.In addition, we examined social support and sense of coherence as moderators of the association between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and psychological well-being. Our results showed that on average adult international adoptees perceived racial/ethnic discrimination occasionally. Hierarchical linear regression analyses indicated a significant association between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and psychological distress and sleeping problems. Additionally, a significant two-way interaction of perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and social support indicated that the availability of social support may moderate the association between perceived racial/ethnic discrimination and psychological distress such that adoptees with high levels of social support may be protected from the Running head: PERCEIVED RACIAL/ETHNIC DISCRIMINATION 3 harmful effects of discrimination. These results highlight the meaning of social support in reducing the harmful effects of racial/ethnic discrimination on international adoptees.Finland is a Scandinavian state with one of the world's most comprehensive welfare systems, a high-quality education system, gender equality and human rights. Compared with other Nordic and most European countries, the number of people with a foreign background is still small in Finland. In 2011, the number of people of foreign origin was 257,000, about 5% of the total population of 5.4 million. By continent, 59% of all people with a foreign background were of European origin, 23% were of Asian origin, and 12% were of African

“…The symptoms of attachment disorder are typically manifested with the closest attachment figures such as the parents (Boris, Zeanah, & Work group on Quality Issues, 2005;Rutter, Kreppner, & Sonuga-Parke, 2009). The symptoms of RAD have been found to be associated with other psychiatric and developmental symptoms such as learning difficulties (Gleason et al, 2011;Raaska, Elovainio, et al, 2012) as well as with later social difficulties manifested as school victimization and bullying behaviour ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Adopted children's language difficulties and their relation to symptoms of reactive attachment disorder: FinAdo study

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Elovainio

Sinkkonen

et al. 2013

This study investigated the potential association between symptoms of reactive attachment disorder and language difficulties among internationally adopted children in Finland (the FinAdo study). The language difficulties were assessed using a standardised Five to Fifteen (FTF) parental questionnaire and the symptoms of reactive attachment disorder using a FinAdo questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 689 6-15 year old children (49.2% boys, response rate 48%). Twenty-nine percent of the children were reported to have language difficulties and 8% severe language difficulties (10% and 2%, respectively, in the general population). A child's symptoms of reactive attachment disorder were associated with language difficulties and severe language difficulties, OR 2.15, 95% CI [1.39, 3.31] and OR 4.33, 95% CI [1.57, 11.98], respectively, the associations being robust to adjustments for background factors.