Relation problems in internationally adopted juvenile delinquents.
OBJECTIVE
Internationally adopted delinquents are overrepresented in juvenile Swedish institutions. With the purpose of investigating possible reasons for this overrepresentation, this study compared adopted delinquent adolescents and internationally adopted controls in the structure and functioning of their current relations, especially with their parents.


METHODS
Internationally adopted adolescents admitted to institutional care (N=20) and non-delinquent internationally adopted controls (N=21) were compared through: a questionnaire; "family relations", a subscale in I think I am; "Family climate" (from Karolinska Scale of Personality); Individual Schedule of Social Interaction; and an Attachment Test.


RESULTS
Bad relations with adoptive parents were more prevalent in internationally adopted delinquents compared to internationally adopted controls. Furthermore, the adopted delinquents and their parents blamed each other for the problems and the adopted delinquents reported physical and emotional abuse.


CONCLUSIONS
Internationally adopted delinquents reported more problems in their relationships to their parents than adopted controls did.
Elmund
Anna
A
Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. anna.elmund@kbh.uu.se
Melin
Lennart
L
von Knorring
Anne-Liis
AL
Proos
Lemm
L
Tuvemo
Torsten
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000300:Adoption; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D010287:Parent-Child Relations