title: Intelligence, Attention, and Behavioral Outcomes in Internationally Adopted Girls with a History of Institutionalization.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the association of neurocognitive functioning with internalizing and externalizing problems and school and social competence in children adopted internationally.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants included girls between the ages of 6-12 years who were internationally adopted from China (n = 32) or Eastern Europe (n = 25) and a control group of never-adopted girls (n = 25). Children completed the Vocabulary and Matrix Reasoning subtests from the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence and the Score! and Sky Search subtests from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist and the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the controls, the Eastern European group evidenced significantly more problems with externalizing behaviors and school and social competence and poorer performance on measures of verbal intelligence, perceptual reasoning, and auditory attention. More internalizing problems were reported in the Chinese group compared to the controls. Using generalized linear regression, interaction terms were examined to determine whether the associations of neurocognitive functioning with behavior varied across groups. Eastern European group status was associated with more externalizing problems and poorer school and social competence, irrespective of neurocognitive test performance. In the Chinese group, poorer auditory attention was associated with more problems with social competence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neurocognitive functioning may be related to behavior in children adopted internationally. Knowledge about neurocognitive functioning may further our understanding of the impact of early institutionalization on post-adoption behavior.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , The University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , OH , USA.|b Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Petranovich
authors.affiliation: c Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology , Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Nicolay Chertkoff
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.affiliation: d Division of Infectious Disease , Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati , OH , USA.|e University of Cincinnati , College of Medicine , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Mary Allen
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Staat
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , The University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Chung-Yiu Peter
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: b Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation , Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati , OH , USA.|e University of Cincinnati , College of Medicine , Cincinnati , OH , USA.
authors.forename: Shari L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wade
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D007360:Intelligence; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012919:Social Behavior; D066107:Social Skills
keywords: Attention; Childhood behavior problems.; Social competence