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PubMed1993

Cognitive abilities of children at 7 and 12 years of age in the Colorado adoption project.

To test the hypothesis that adopted children are at an elevated risk for learning disabilities, the achievement and WISC-R test scores of a nonclinical sample of adopted and nonadopted (control) children were compared at 7 years of age (n = 108 adopted males, 91 adopted females, 116 control males, 100 control females) and 12 years of age (n = 69 adopted males, 61 adopted females, 56 control males, 44 control females). Although the average Verbal IQ of the adopted children was significantly lower than that of the nonadopted children at both ages, these differences accounted for only about 2% to 4% of the variance. When scores on the individual subtests of the WISC-R were compared, the group difference was significant only for Similarities at age 7, and for Comprehension at age 12. Moreover, with regard to the achievement tests, the proportion of adopted children who scored more than 1.5 standard deviations below expected, based on IQ, was not significantly greater than that of controls. Also, the proportions of adopted and control children placed in special education classes were not significantly different. Thus, the results of this study provide little or no evidence for an increased risk of learning disabilities in "easily placed" adopted children.

Achievement↗

PubMed1996

Parent and sibling influences on adolescent alcohol use and misuse: evidence from a U.S. adoption cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Although adolescent alcohol use has been consistently associated with parental drinking behavior, sibling drinking behavior and family functioning, the extent to which these associations owe to genetic or shared environmental influences has not been previously investigated. Using an adoption study design, we sought to determine whether the familial correlates of adolescent alcohol involvement were due to common genetic or common environmental effects. METHOD: The sample consisted of 653 adopted families ascertained through adoption agencies in four U.S. states. Each family consisted of a target adopted adolescent, an adoptive mother and an adoptive father. In addition, 68 birth adolescents (i.e., biological offspring of the adoptive parents) and 187 second adopted adolescents from these families participated in the study. All participants completed a mail survey that included assessment of drinking behavior and family functioning. RESULTS: The relationship between parental problem drinking and adolescent alcohol involvement was moderate and significant among birth offspring (corrected multiple correlation, Rc = .30), but small and non-significant among adoptive offspring (Rc = .00). The relationship between adolescent alcohol involvement and family functioning was substantial for birth offspring (Rc = .39), but only modest for adoptive offspring (Rc = .16). The nonbiological sibling correlation for involvement with alcohol was significant (r = .24) and moderated by sibling pair demographic similarity, such that same-sex, similar-age siblings were substantially more similar (r = .45) than opposite-sex, dissimilar-aged siblings (r = .01). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that adolescent alcohol use is affected minimally by the environmental consequences of parent problem drinking and family functioning, but substantially by sibling environmental effects.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1999

Behavior problems and mental health contacts in adopted, foster, and nonadopted children.

The implications of adoption for the emotional and behavioral adjustment of children have been an issue in child welfare for many years. Past research has suggested that adopted children are over-represented in mental health settings. In addition, some studies have suggested that adopted and nonadopted children differ on measures of social, emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning. The current study used data from a large, representative sample in the United States to examine whether adopted children are more likely to have had mental health contacts or emotional or behavioral problems than nonadopted children. Age of placement in the adoptive home was examined as a variable contributing to the adjustment of adopted children. Results suggest that adopted and foster children are more likely to have mental health contacts than nonadopted children. Results are mixed regarding whether adopted and foster children have more behavior problems than nonadopted children. However, significant differences between adopted, foster, and nonadopted children disappeared when a small group of influential cases were removed. This suggests that the differences seen between the groups reflect a small number of cases and are not representative of the groups of adoptees and foster children as a whole. The vast majority of adopted children showed patterns of behavior problems similar to those of nonadopted children. These results are discussed in relation to the past literature and areas for future research.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The economics of adoption of children from foster care.

Federal initiatives since 1996 have intensified the efforts of states to achieve adoption for children in foster care. For many waiting children, the path to adoption is long. The authors offer an economic analysis of adoption from foster care, with an emphasis on the reasons why achieving the goal of adoption for all waiting children may be so difficult. The authors then estimate the determinants of adoptions from foster care across the states using data for fiscal years 1996 and 1997. Adoption assistance subsidy rates stand out as the most important determinant of adoptions from foster care, followed by use of alternatives (e.g., intercountry adoption). Adoptive matching on the basis of race does not appear to prevent adoptions from foster care in the aggregate, leaving flaws in the matching process, such as a lack of information and difficulty using the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC), as a primary reason why children wait.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1989

[The adoption of foreign children].

Over the last twenty years, adoptions of foreign children have increased considerably, even as the number of French children eligible for adoption has fallen. Most adopted foreign children come from South America, India and the Far East, which are all socioeconomically underprivileged areas. Private Agencies for Adoption in foreign countries and Adoptive Family Organizations play a beneficial role. The adoption process is complex and varies from country to country, raising considerable difficulties for the adoptive parents. The child's foreign origin may compound the relational problems that can arise in any adoption. Considerable efforts have been made to provide adoptive parents with the necessary information and support. The outcome of foreign adoptions depends largely on these efforts, that must therefore be intensified.

Adoption↗

PubMed1995

The Uniform Adoption Act.

The Spring 1993 issue of The Future of Children focused on adoption. Guest Editor Dr. Irving Schulman and the Center staff emphasized the significant societal as well as private benefits of adoption, especially for children in need of permanent families, and called for careful consideration of policies intended to remove persistent and unreasonable barriers to adoption. In an article which appeared in that issue, Joan Hollinger discussed how a complex regulatory system, as well as the lack of consensus about the functions served by adoption, produces uncertainty on issues as basic as determining who are the "parents" whose consent is required for adoption, evaluating the suitability of prospective adoptive parents for different kinds of children, deciding how much information must or may be shared between birth and adoptive families, and distinguishing between lawful placement activities and illegal "baby-selling." Hollinger and the Center staff recommended passage of more uniform state adoption laws to facilitate adoption while adequately protecting the interests of all parties. This article describes the proposed Uniform Adoption Act (UAA) promulgated in 1994 by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) and discusses the likelihood of its enactment by the states.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

[Parent child relations problems in adoption].

Adoption always represents for the child a loss of emotional ties with birthparents and a development of new attachments with adoptive parents. Adoption can be considered as a life-time process of the members involved in the adoption triangle, that is birth parents, adoptive parents and the child. The article discusses the loss of emotional bonds from primary caretakers as a psychological trauma and addresses mournings difficulties in adoptees. Problems with the development of new attachments with adoptive parents such as loyalty conflicts and the revelation of the adoption are described. Family romance phantasy in adoption and the search for their origin by young adoptees are also explored. Aspects of family dynamics in the adoptive process and the specific difficulties adoptive parents encounter are reviewed. Preventive and therapeutic measures are presented.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Proximate and ultimate causes of adoption in ring-billed gulls.

From 1987 to 1994, the annual frequency of adoption by breeding pairs at a Lake Erie ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis, colony ranged from 3 to 37% (average 8%/year, N=7 years) and, on average, foster parents raised 0.5 fewer of their own chicks to fledging than pairs that did not adopt. The key evolutionary question is: why do some individuals apparently suffer the costs associated with a behaviour that appears to enhance the fitness of others? From 1992 to 1995, I investigated the proximate and ultimate causes of adoption in ring-billed gulls from the perspectives of both the foster parents and adopted chicks, and tested predictions that differentiated between various competing adaptive and nonadaptive hypotheses that have been proposed to explain it. While I was able to demonstrate a breeding cost, I failed to identify any benefits to foster parents. Thus, the adaptive hypotheses that rely on the foster parents benefiting were not supported (e.g. kin selection, reciprocal altruism, acquisition of parenting experience). From the foster parent's perspective, adoption was mediated through errors in parent-offspring recognition. Under natural conditions, most fostering pairs were tending small chicks (<6 days old) at the time of adoptions; in chick-transfer experiments, resident parents did not discriminate against foreign chicks until their own chicks were 7-9 days old. Chicks (N=25) that subsequently abandoned their natal nests were lighter, and grew at a slower rate, than chicks that survived to fledging in their home broods. Thus, departing chicks were at a survival disadvantage in their home broods. Chicks that gained acceptance into foreign broods where they were older/larger than the resident chicks realized high survival at the expense of their foster siblings and parents. Based upon individual growth rates and the corresponding survival probabilities, disadvantaged chicks approximately doubled their survival chances through foster care. Why has selection not eliminated adoption? I argue that adoption is an evolutionary arms race between the two principle actor groups; disadvantaged chicks, which benefit through foster care, and host parents, which avoid providing foster care (e.g. infanticide). In ring-billed gulls, selection has failed to eliminate adoption because the long-term reproductive cost (estimated at 4%, this study) of an occasional adoption is probably offset by the relatively higher costs associated with stricter kin discrimination mechanisms (e.g. parental infanticide). (c) 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2001

Influences on oncologists' adoption of new agents in adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Little is known about how oncologists' adopt new treatments for breast cancer. This study investigated influences on oncologists' adoption of paclitaxel as adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer, 9 months after presentation of phase III data suggesting improved disease-free and overall survival when paclitaxel was added to doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide for such patients. METHODS: Self-reported data were collected with a mail survey of a random sample of 1,200 oncologists practicing in the United States. Using Rogers' model, we measured four types of influences on adoption of innovation: (1) communication channels, (2) innovation characteristics, (3) a practitioner's social system, and (4) physician characteristics. Multiple regression analysis assessed the associations between oncologist adoption of paclitaxel for early-stage breast cancer patients and variables representing the modeled influences on adoption. RESULTS: On average, respondents (n = 181) reported having adopted paclitaxel for 37% of their early-stage breast cancer patients. The overall model was significant, with seven variables associated (P < or = .05) with adoption of paclitaxel. Significant influences on adoption included use of symposia as a therapy information source, physician experience with paclitaxel to treat late-stage breast cancer, and perceived advantage in efficacy of paclitaxel. CONCLUSION: As new modalities become available to treat cancer, it is vital to understand what factors influence oncologists and patients when choosing to use them. Those parties interested in fostering the adoption of new breast cancer treatments should address features of communication channels (eg, use of symposia), characteristics of new treatments (eg, perceived advantage in efficacy), physicians' social systems (eg, patient requests), and characteristics of potential adopters (eg, previous experience with the treatment).

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2004

The bond that never developed: adoption and relinquishment of dogs in a rescue shelter.

This study carried out a survey in an Italian shelter to analyze adoptions resulting in the rejection of the newly adopted dog. The results of this study show that the number of dogs adopted and returned was stable during the study, that more females than males were adopted, and that males were more likely to be returned. Almost all the dogs were returned because of behavioral problems, and most were more than 6 months of age. Some dogs were returned more than once, with 20% of the people who adopted the same dog at different times reporting the same behavioral problem. Having a house with a yard, a garden, or a terrace appeared to be important for better management of the dog and influenced the length of adoption. Half of the adopters had previous experience as caregiver for a dog; compared to adopters who had no previous experience, however, they returned their companion animal after a shorter period and because of behavioral reasons. Understanding why adopters return their dogs to shelters is an important step toward attempting to minimize relinquishments and, thus, optimize adoptions.

Animal Husbandry↗

PubMed1996

Pediatrician and family physician agreement with and adoption of universal hepatitis B immunization.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess (1) rates of agreement with and adoption of the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation among practicing pediatricians and family physicians in nine selected states; (2) physicians' attitudes related to hepatitis B immunization; and (3) physicians' perceptions of parental attitudes regarding the hepatitis B vaccine series. METHODS: Self-administered questionnaires were mailed to 3014 pediatricians and family physicians in selected metropolitan areas and non-metropolitan areas of nine states. Outcome variables were agreement with and adoption of the hepatitis B vaccine recommendation. Predictor variables included physicians' characteristics, practice type and location, and proportion of managed care and Medicaid patients. Other variables that were studied include physicians' attitudes related to hepatitis B immunization, sources of immunization recommendation information, personal completion of the hepatitis B immunization series, and physicians' impressions of parental attitudes about the vaccine. RESULTS: Pediatricians were more likely than family physicians to report that they knew "a lot" about the recommendation (95% vs 84%), agreed with it (83% vs 57%), and have adopted it into practice (90% vs 64%). More physicians in both specialties had adopted the recommendation than actually agreed with it. Doubt about long-term protection from the vaccine was a strong predictor of not agreeing with or adopting the recommendation. Parental resistance to or request for hepatitis B vaccine affected the likelihood of physicians adopting it. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatricians and family physicians continue to differ in both agreement with and adoption of universal hepatitis B immunization. Two years after the recommendation was made, less than two thirds of all family physicians have adopted this recommendation. Adoption is likely influenced by practice policy, physician attitudes, and perceived parental opinions. We recommend that as new vaccines are approved and recommended, research be conducted to explore and address issues germane to physician agreement and adoption.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Perceived and actual similarities in biological and adoptive families: does perceived similarity bias genetic inferences?

Critics of the adoption method to estimate the relative effects of genetic and environmental differences on behavioral development claim that important biases are created by the knowledge of biological relatedness or adoptive status. Since the 1950s, agency policy has led to nearly all adopted children knowing that they are adopted. To test the hypothesis that knowledge of biological or adoptive status influences actual similarity, we correlated absolute differences in objective test scores with ratings of similarity by adolescents and their parents in adoptive and biological families. Although biological family members see themselves as more similar than adoptive family members, there are also important generational and gender differences in perceived similarity that cut across family type. There is moderate agreement among family members on the degree of perceived similarity, but there is no correlation between perceived and actual similarity in intelligence or temperament. However, family members are more accurate about shared social attitudes. Knowledge of adoptive or biological relatedness is related to the degree of perceived similarity, but perceptions of similarity are not related to objective similarities and thus do not constitute a bias in comparisons of measured differences in intelligence or temperament in adoptive and biological families.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1982

Abuse and deprivation in failing adoptions.

Twelve children seen in psychiatric consultation by the authors over a 3-year period were failing in their adoptive placements. All twelve had been adopted as older children (average age at adoption 5 1/2 years). Ten out of the 12 were males. A retrospective case review demonstrated that all the children shared several common characteristics: (1) a history of both neglect and abusive treatment during at least the first two years of life, (2) a behavioral pattern that was intermittently provocative and punishment seeking, and (3) an ability to elicit a sense of bewilderment and betrayal in the adoptive parents. Twenty-one months was the average duration of the adoption before the families sought the consultation. These adoptive families were all considered competent by the agencies involved. All had raised other natural and adoptive children successfully. Treatment offered by the authors seemed to be helpful in salvaging 4 of the 12 adoptive placements. The authors present these cases as a way of drawing attention to much needed research, both in better understanding the early attachment process in "older child" adoptions, and in better understanding the relative impact of abuse in influencing the child's subsequent attachment capacities.

Adoption↗

PubMed1983

Adoptions: follow-up from an orphanage in Bombay.

The practice of adoption, though long accepted as a social phenomenon, is only recently gaining popularity in India. Due to the paucity of adequate follow-ups, evaluation of these adopted children is incomplete. For the purpose of studying the well-being of these children after adoption, they were followed-up at the various places, i.e., orphanages, institutions, juvenile courts and adoption agencies, responsible for their care. One hundred sixty children, 63 boys and 97 girls, adopted from an orphanage in the vicinity of our hospital over a period of 13 years are included in this study. There were 104 local and 56 foreign adoptions. Due to sociocultural background in Indian adoptions, males were preferred; whereas the international adoptions mostly depended on human considerations without any specific preference for the sex of the child. On follow-up, all children except three were reported to be physically healthy and well-adjusted emotionally in the new family, and well accepted by the society. Although adoption is not the only solution for an abandoned child, it may open some avenues for the betterment of socially deserted and deprived children.

Adoption↗

PubMed2005

Special topics in international adoption.

As international adoption has become more "mainstream," the issues recently addressed in domestic adoption have become more important in adoptions involving children originating in other countries. Certain groups of prospective adoptive parents, such as gay or lesbian couples, single parents, and parents with disabilities, have begun to apply to adopt in ever increasing numbers. Children who may have been considered unadoptable in the past are now routinely being offered to prospective adoptive parents. The numbers and ages of the children placed and the spacing between adoptions have come under scrutiny. The rates of adoption dissolutions and disruptions are being examined carefully by the receiving and sending countries. There is a pressing need for research into numerous social aspects of adoption.

Adoption↗

PubMed1976

Growth, behavioral, and psychologic measurements of adopted children: the influences of genetic and socioeconomic factors in a prospective study.

Perinatal, growth, social, and psychologic data, collected through seven years of age on 144 adopted children and on 288 matched controls as part of a prospective study of 3,120 children, were subjected to statistical analysis. Only single births and healthy children were included. The adopted subjects were divided into two groups: 94 children who were adopted by nonrelatives (77 prior to one year of age and 17 after one year of age); and 50 children who remained with their biologic mothers and were subsequently adopted by stepfathers. Children who were adopted prior to one year of age had significantly higher IQs at four years of age then did their controls; at seven years of age, however, their IQs were similar even though the adopted children were raised in a higher socioeconomic environment. The adopted children had better academic achievement and were taller at four and seven years of age than were the controls. The performance of the children adopted after one year of age, even though they were raised in a higher socioeconomic environment, were, were like those of their controls at both four and seven years of age. The performance of the children who remained with their biologic mothers was similar to that of their controls. Maternal intelligence generally did not correlate well with adopted children's intelligence; however, a specific significant positive correlation could be shown between maternal intelligence and the intelligence of children who remained with their biologic mothers.

Adoption↗

PubMed2001

Homosexuality and adoption in Brazil.

Western societies are undergoing legal and policy changes in relation to laws governing the family, marital status, sexual orientation and the welfare of children, including in Brazil where, in the 1990s, the rights of homosexuals were incorporated into ongoing debates about what constitutes a family. This paper discusses the issue of adoption of children by homosexual men in Brazil, using information from court records from 1995-2000 in Rio de Janeiro, and from interviews with two judges, five psychologists and four social workers who evaluate those wishing to adopt. It uses the case records of one man's application to adopt, in which homosexuality became a central issue. Both the construction of masculinity in relation to parenting and concepts of the family were the parameters upon which the decision to allow him to adopt or not depended. Because the legislation does not specify what the sexual orientation of would-be adoptive parents should be, it is possible for single persons to adopt if they show they can be good parents. As more single people, alone or in couples, seek to adopt, it is important to clarify the criteria for judicial decisions on adoption applications. A dialogue is therefore needed on the meaning of family and whether and how it relates to sexual orientation. It is only on this basis that the courts can take a clear decision as to whether being homosexual is a relevant issue in regard to applications to adopt or not.

Adoption↗

PubMed2003

Serologic prevalence of antibodies to Helicobacter pylori in internationally adopted children.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection has been linked to gastritis, diarrhea, peptic ulcers, failure-to-thrive, anemia, as well as predisposition to gastric malignancies. Because many internationally adopted children have diarrhea, failure-to-thrive, and anemia on arrival to the US, we determined the prevalence of HP antibodies among these children. METHODS: Serum samples from 226 unselected children from 18 countries who were evaluated in the International Adoption Clinic at New England Medical Center were tested for antibodies to H. pylori. The results of serologic screening were analyzed in relation to age at adoption, site of residence prior to adoption, weight and height, and the presence or absence of anemia, diarrhea, or intestinal parasites. RESULTS: 31% of internationally adopted children had antibodies to H. pylori. The presence of H. pylori-antibodies was associated with residence in an orphanage (vs. foster care) prior to adoption, older age at adoption, and coinfection with intestinal parasites. No direct effects on height or weight were identified; no associations with diarrhea or anemia were found. CONCLUSIONS: Internationally adopted children have a high incidence of exposure to H. pylori, as diagnosed serologically. Residence in an orphanage (compared with foster care), older age at adoption, and coinfection with intestinal parasites were more common among children seropositive for anti-H. pylori antibodies.

Adolescent↗