School-age adopted Chinese girls' behavioral adjustment, academic performance, and social skills: longitudinal results.
Longitudinal data on 177 school-age adopted Chinese girls (Time 1: mean age = 8.92 years, SD = 1.76; Time 2: mean age = 11.18 years, SD = 1.79) were analyzed to determine their long-term outcomes in behavioral adjustment, academic performance (measured with the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18), and social skills (measured with the Social Skills Rating System) and how these outcomes were related to preadoption adversity. More than 90% of the girls were adopted at 24 months or younger (M = 19.25, SD = 21.67). Results revealed that over a 2-year period, there was a moderate to strong stability in the children's behavioral adjustment and academic performance. However, there was a significant increase in the number of children with deviant internalizing problems. At both times, higher degrees of preadoption adversity were related to more internalizing problems and poorer academic performance. Children who were adopted at older ages had poorer academic performance. Children who were older had a lower level of assertion and a higher level of responsibility. Children's attention problems at Time 1 mediated the effect of preadoption adversity on academic performance at Time 2.
Tan
Tony Xing
TX
Department of Psychological, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA. tan@coedu.usf.edu
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000300:Adoption / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D000375:Aging; D002648:Child; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D012919:Social Behavior; D014481:United States