Psychological Adjustment of Adoptees: A Meta-Analysis

Wierzbicki, Michael

doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp2204_5

Cited by 144 publications

(113 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Though adopted children are generally overrepresented in special education classes and show lowered general school adjustment (Brodzinsky & Steiger, 1991 ;Verhulst et al, 1990 ;Wierzbicki, 1993), some of our discrepant findings may be explained by differences in the age at placement (Tizard, 1991). In a Dutch study by Hoksbergen, Juffer, and Waardenburg (1987), a group of mostly infant-placed 9-year-old internationally adopted children were shown to have favorable school adjustment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

“…Here, adoption functions as a protective factor, as adoptive parents offer children the essential resources to overcome serious developmental retardation. Nevertheless, there is cause for concern too, as recent studies report rather high adoption disruption rates, and show that adoptees have elevated rates of behavior problems compared to their nonadopted peers, and are overrepresented in mental health settings (for reviews see Berry, 1992 ;Festinger, 1990 ;Haugaard, 1998 ; for a meta-analysis see Wierzbicki, 1993). Haugaard (1998), however, cautions that the risk associated with adoption should not be overestimated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Development and Adjustment of 7‐year‐old Children Adopted in Infancy

Stams

Juffer

Rispens

et al. 2000

Child Psychology Psychiatry

116

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The present study (N l 159) provides evidence of an increased risk for behavior problems of infant-placed 7-year-old internationally, transracially adopted children in the Netherlands. However, parents reported more behavior problems for adopted boys than for adopted girls. Notably, about 30 % of the adopted children were classified as clinical on the CBCL scale for total problems, which is a much larger percentage than the 10 % found in the normative population. It was suggested that these results could be explained by the operation of multiple risk factors before and after adoption placement, e.g. the child's genetic disposition, pre-natal and pre-adoption care, or the child's cognitive understanding of adoption in middle childhood. Also, results suggest that maternal sensitive responsiveness in adoptive families declines in the transition from early to middle childhood. In contrast to the home setting, the adopted children showed favorable behavioral and socioemotional adjustment at school, while their academic achievement and intelligence were in the normal range or above average. In particular Korean children had high IQs : 31 % of these children obtained an intelligence score above 120. It was suggested that adoptive parents seem to offer their children sufficient or even more than average cognitive stimulation. Furthermore, adopted girls scored higher in optimal ego-control, social competence, and peer group popularity than nonadopted girls from the general population : 30 % of the adopted girls were rated as popular by their classmates, which compares favorably to the 13 % found in the general school population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development and Adjustment of 7‐year‐old Children Adopted in Infancy

Stams

Juffer

Rispens

et al. 2000

Child Psychology Psychiatry

116

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Studies that compared the psychological adjustment of adoptees and non-adoptees indicated that adoptees had significantly higher levels of maladjustment (Miller, Fan, Christensen, Grotevant, & Van Dulmen, 2000;Wierzbicki, 1993) and that children adopted from institutions are at dramatically increased risk for disturbances Peters, Atkins & McKernan McKay, 1999;Zeanah, 2000, p. 230). As expected, a part of the Romanian adopted children (13 out of 80) showed symptoms of autism.…”

Section: Discussion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Institutional Autistic Syndrome in Romanian Adoptees

Hoksbergen

Laak

Rijk

et al. 2005

J Autism Dev Disord

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“…On the basis of a meta-analysis that involved 66 studies on the psychological adjustment of adopted children and adolescents, Wierzbicki (1993) concludes that: (1) adoptees are over-represented in clinical populations; (2) adopted adolescents have more externalising problems than nonadoptees; and (3) adopted children have more academic problems than nonadopted children. Because many studies in this meta-analysis concern locally adopted children of the same race, we do not know whether these conclusions can be generalised to internationally, inter-racially adopted children.…”

Section: Effects Of the Adoption Experiencementioning

confidence: 99%

Infant-Mother Attachment of Internationally Adopted Children in the Netherlands

Juffer

Rosenboom

1997

International Journal of Behavioral Development

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In the Netherlands, 80 mothers and their infants, adopted from Sri Lanka, South Korea and Colombia, were observed at home at 6 and 12 months to rate the adoptive mother's sensitivity, and in the Strange Situation at 12 and 18 months to assess the infant-mother attachment relationship. All inter-racially adopted infants were placed before the age of 6 months, with a mean age of 11 weeks, in adoptive families with or without biological children. Coded with Ainsworth's classi cation scheme the results reveal 74% secure attachment relationships, a percentage comparable to that of normative studies. The results indicate no differences regarding the child's country of origin, or the (non)presence of biological children. The results contradict ndings from a study that revealed an over-representation of insecure infant-mother attachment relationships in a sample of American mothers with an interracially adopted infant. In the current study the adoptive mother's sensitivity seems comparable to the sensitivity of nonadoptive mothers, a nding that concurs with the attachment results. It is suggested that the outcomes in this study may be partly explained by the fact that these infants were placed for adoption at a rather young age, with relatively favourable circumstances prior to the placement. This may well indicate that adoption placement per se, without the cumulative effects of understimulation and lack of personal affection that older placed children often experience in institutions, does not inevitably lead to a disturbed parent-infant relationship.In the Netherlands 21,000 children have been adopted internationally since the phenomenon of inter-country adoption came into being in the 1970s. It concerns predominantly inter-racial adoptions, with children from Asia, JUFFER AND ROSENBOOMAfrica, or South America placed in white Dutch families. Children are adopted from birth until 6 years of age (an exception is made for older siblings accompanying younger children). Effects of the Adoption ExperienceThe development of adoptees has been the focus of several studies. On the basis of a meta-analysis that involved 66 studies on the psychological adjustment of adopted children and adolescents, Wierzbicki (1993) concludes that: (1) adoptees are over-represented in clinical populations; (2) adopted adolescents have more externalising problems than nonadoptees; and (3) adopted children have more academic problems than nonadopted children. Because many studies in this meta-analysis concern locally adopted children of the same race, we do not know whether these conclusions can be generalised to internationally, inter-racially adopted children. In this case, children not only have to deal with their adoption status, but also with their racially different appearance, and with the fact that they came from a country that is culturally different from the country they live in. Studies that involve international adoptees (Hoksbergen, Juffer, & Waardenburg, 1987;Verhulst, Althus, & Versluis-den Bieman, 1990; for overviews, see: Silver...

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Psychological Adjustment of Adoptees: A Meta-Analysis

Cited by 144 publications

References 14 publications

The Development and Adjustment of 7‐year‐old Children Adopted in Infancy

The Development and Adjustment of 7‐year‐old Children Adopted in Infancy

Post-Institutional Autistic Syndrome in Romanian Adoptees

Infant-Mother Attachment of Internationally Adopted Children in the Netherlands

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