title: Specific extreme behaviors of postinstitutionalized Russian adoptees.
abstract: Behavior problems reported by parents on the Child Behavior Checklist (Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001) were studied in 316 children adopted from social-emotionally depriving Russian institutions as a function of age at adoption (18-month cutoff), age at assessment (6-11 and 12-18 years), and gender. Children adopted after 18 months had higher problem scores predominately when assessed at 12-18 years. Although most children had no behavior problems, 59.0% of later adoptees assessed in adolescence had at least 1 subscale score and 48.7% had 2 or more subscale scores in the clinical/borderline range. A factor analysis of items that significantly related to age at adoption for older children revealed 1 broad factor, encompassing different antisocial behaviors, social difficulties, and withdrawal. These results may suggest a somewhat broader deficiency produced by orphanage experience beyond the first 18 months of life that underlies a range of behavioral problems displayed later.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Office of Child Development, 400 North Lexington Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208, USA. bnm6@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Brandi N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Hawk
authors.forename: Robert B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: McCall
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development; D002674:Child, Institutionalized / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D012426:Russia / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States; D044465:White People