School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK.
Department of Political and Cultural Studies, Swansea University, James Callaghan Building, Sketty, Swansea, SA2 8PZ, UK.
Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2021 May;30(5):721-732. doi: 10.1007/s00787-020-01553-0. Epub 2020 May 28.
Children adopted from the public care system are likely to experience a cluster of inter-related risk factors that may place them on a trajectory of mental health problems that persist across the life course. However, the specific effects of putative risk factors on children's mental health post-placement are not well understood. We conducted a prospective, longitudinal study of children placed for adoption between 2014 and 2015 (N = 96). Adoptive parents completed questionnaires at approximately 5, 21, 36, and 48 months post-placement. We used time series analysis to examine the impact of pre-adoptive risk factors [adverse childhood experiences [ACEs], number of moves, days with birth parents and in care] on children's internalizing and externalizing problems, and prosocial behavior over 4 years post-placement. Adoptees' internalizing and externalizing problems remained consistently high over the 4-year study period, but more ACEs predicted increases in internalizing and externalizing problems. Contrary to expectations, more pre-placement moves and time in care predicted fewer problems over time, but exploratory analyses of interactive effects revealed this was only the case in rare circumstances. We identify pre- and post-removal factors that may incur benefits or have a deleterious impact on adoptees' outcomes in post-adoptive family life. Our findings provide knowledge for front-line professionals in the support of adoptive families and underscore the vital need for effective early intervention.
从公共照料系统中收养的儿童可能会经历一系列相互关联的风险因素，这些因素可能使他们走上持续一生的心理健康问题的轨迹。然而，假设的风险因素对儿童安置后的心理健康的具体影响尚不清楚。我们对 2014 年至 2015 年期间被收养的儿童进行了一项前瞻性、纵向研究（N=96）。收养父母在安置后大约 5、21、36 和 48 个月时完成了问卷调查。我们使用时间序列分析来研究收养前风险因素（不良童年经历[ACEs]、搬家次数、与亲生父母和在照料中的天数）对儿童安置后 4 年内内化和外化问题以及亲社会行为的影响。被收养者的内化和外化问题在 4 年的研究期间一直保持较高水平，但更多的 ACEs 预示着内化和外化问题的增加。与预期相反，更多的前期搬家和在照料中的时间预测随着时间的推移问题会减少，但对交互效应的探索性分析表明，这种情况仅在极少数情况下出现。我们确定了在收养后家庭生活中可能对收养儿童的结果产生有利或有害影响的前期和后期移除因素。我们的研究结果为支持收养家庭的一线专业人员提供了知识，并强调了有效早期干预的迫切需要。
