title: Emotional difficulties in early adolescence following severe early deprivation: findings from the English and Romanian adoptees study.
abstract: The study assessed conduct and emotional difficulties in a group of Romanian adoptees at age 11, and serves as a follow-up to assessments made when the children were 6 years old. It was found that there was a significant increase in emotional difficulties, but not conduct problems, for the Romanian sample since age 6. It was also found that emotional difficulty was significantly more prevalent at age 11 in the Romanian group than in a within-UK adoptee group. Emotional difficulties in the Romanian adoptee group were found to be significantly and strongly related to previous deprivation-specific problems (disinhibited attachment, cognitive impairment, inattention/overactivity and quasi-autism); however, the presence of such early problems did not account fully for the onset of later emotional problems. Five contrasting hypotheses concerning possible mediators for later onset of emotional difficulties for the Romanian group were examined. No links were found to duration of deprivation or other deprivation-related indices, stresses/difficulties in the postadoption family environment, or educational attainment and self-esteem. There was some evidence that emotion recognition might play a role in the emergence of these problems, but other measures of social competence and theory of mind showed no associations with the onset of emotional problems.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, University of London, Denmark Hill, London, SE58AF UK. e.colvert@iop.kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Colvert
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rutter
authors.forename: Celia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beckett
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castle
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Groothues
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hawkins
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kreppner
authors.forename: Thomas G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: O'connor
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: Edmund J S
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sonuga-Barke
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D000293:Adolescent; D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D000342:Affective Symptoms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D012307:Risk Factors; D012383:Romania / Q000208:ethnology; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment; D006113:United Kingdom