title: Rates and predictors of depression in adoptive mothers: moving toward theory.
abstract: There are approximately 1.8 million adopted children living in the United States. Adoptive parents may experience depressive symptoms and put their children at risk for negative outcomes. The results of this study describe the rates of depression in 300 adoptive mothers and associations with hypothesized explanatory variables, which predict approximately half of the variance in maternal depressive symptoms: expectations of themselves as mothers, the child, and family and friends; feeling of rest; past and present psychiatric difficulties (self-esteem, history of depression); and interpersonal variables (bonding, marital satisfaction, perceived support). These findings are useful in planning effective interventions to mitigate depressive symptoms.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, College of Health and Human Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA. kfoli@purdue.edu
authors.forename: Karen J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Foli
authors.forename: Susan C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: South
authors.forename: Eunjung
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States