A new study from the University of Minnesota found that about 14 percent of adopted adolescents are diagnosed with a behavioral disorder or have contact with a mental health professional. The rate for non-adopted teens is about half that.
Why the disparity? The study shows that it could be due to factors such as biological genes or the perinatal care the child’s birth mother received.
Well, that’s a no-brainer, isn’t it? Children who are placed for adoption are somewhat likely to have birth parents who have a mental illness or behavior disorder themselves. It seems reasonable that adopted children may inherit the same disorders—or at least the tendencies to have the same disorder.
Past studies have attributed the higher percentage of behavior disorders among adopted children to the fact that their adoptive parents are more proactive than the general population about recognizing the signs/symptoms, having their children tested, and seeking care psychiatric care for them.
The study also concluded that children adopted domestically (U.S.) are more likely to have behavioral disorders than those adopted internationally. Children of intercountry adoption are far more likely to internalize their problems (depression and separation anxiety disorders are common), whereas children adopted domestically tend to act out.
Seems to me that both domestically-adopted and internationally-adopted children are prone to behavior disorders, according to this study's results. What is different is the manner in which those disorders are manifested--either internally or externally.
Clinicians from the University of Minnesota interviewed (in person) nearly 700 adopted children and 540 non-adopted children, all ages 11 to 21. Participants had to have a non-adopted sibling within the same age range to help compare behaviors.
Source:
Kingsbury, Kathleen, “Adoptees More Likely to be Troubled,” TIME magazine, May 5, 2008
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