Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands.
J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2010 Feb-Mar;31(2):144-50. doi: 10.1097/DBP.0b013e3181cdaa3a.
To compare the physical, cognitive, and motor development of infants adopted from foster care with infants adopted from institutions.
Forty-two formerly fostered and 50 post-institutionalized girls adopted from China, aged between 11 and 16 months on arrival, were visited 2 and 6 months after adoption. Children's height, weight, and head circumference were measured. Stress regulation was assessed by diurnal salivary cortisol levels, and cognitive and motor development were assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development-second edition.
At both assessments, the (modest) physical growth delays were similar for formerly fostered and post-institutionalized children. For weight and head circumference (but not for height) a catch-up over time was found, with a significant interaction between time and age at arrival, showing a more rapid catch-up for earlier adopted children. The daily cortisol curves of the formerly fostered and post-institutionalized children were similar and did not change over time. At both assessments, the former foster children outperformed the post-institutionalized children on mental and motor skills. Both groups showed a similar catch-up for mental development. For motor development, no catch-up was found.
The influence of pre-adoption foster versus institutional rearing seems more pronounced for cognitive and motor development than for physical development and hormonal stress regulation. Our outcomes suggest that pre-adoption foster care is less detrimental to children's cognitive and motor development than institutional rearing.
比较从寄养家庭收养的婴儿和从机构收养的婴儿的身体、认知和运动发育情况。
42 名曾被寄养和 50 名曾被机构收养的女孩从中国被收养，到达时年龄在 11 至 16 个月之间，在收养后 2 个月和 6 个月进行了随访。测量儿童的身高、体重和头围。通过日间唾液皮质醇水平评估应激调节，使用贝利婴幼儿发展量表第二版评估认知和运动发育。
在两次评估中，曾被寄养和曾被机构收养的儿童的（适度）身体生长迟缓情况相似。对于体重和头围（但不是身高），随着时间的推移出现了追赶性增长，到达时的年龄与时间之间存在显著的交互作用，表明更早被收养的儿童追赶速度更快。曾被寄养和曾被机构收养的儿童的每日皮质醇曲线相似，且随着时间的推移没有变化。在两次评估中，曾被寄养的儿童在心理和运动技能方面的表现均优于曾被机构收养的儿童。两组儿童的心理发育均表现出追赶性增长。在运动发育方面，没有发现追赶性增长。
与机构养育相比，领养前的寄养对认知和运动发育的影响似乎大于身体发育和激素应激调节。我们的研究结果表明，领养前的寄养对儿童的认知和运动发育的不利影响小于机构养育。
