title: Structural language, pragmatic communication, behavior, and social competence in children adopted internationally: A pilot study.
abstract: The objectives of this study were to examine the association of structural language and pragmatic communication with behavior problems and social competence in girls adopted internationally. Participants included girls between 6-12 years of age who were internationally adopted from China (n = 32) and Eastern-Europe (n = 25) and a control group of never-adopted girls (n = 25). Children completed the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Parents completed the Child Communication Checklist- second edition, the Child Behavior Checklist, and the Home and Community Social Behavior Scales. Compared to the controls, parents in the Eastern European group reported more problems with social competence, externalizing behaviors, structural language, and pragmatic communication. The Chinese group evidenced more internalizing problems. Using generalized linear regression, interaction terms were examined to determine if the associations of pragmatic communication and structural language with behavior problems and social competence varied across groups. Controlling for general intellectual functioning, poorer pragmatic communication was associated with more externalizing problems and poorer social competence. In the Chinese group, poorer pragmatic communication was associated with more internalizing problems. Post-adoption weaknesses in pragmatic communication are associated with behavior problems and social competence. Internationally adopted children may benefit from interventions that target pragmatic communication.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center , Albuquerque , New Mexico , USA.
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Petranovich
authors.affiliation: b Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology , Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , Cincinnati , Ohio , USA.
authors.forename: Nicolay Chertkoff
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.affiliation: c Division of Infectious Disease, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , The University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine , Cincinnati , Ohio , USA.
authors.forename: Mary Allen
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Staat
authors.affiliation: d Department of Psychology , The University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati , Ohio , USA.
authors.forename: Chung-Yiu Peter
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: e Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center , The University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine , Cincinnati , Ohio , USA.
authors.forename: Shari L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Wade
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000073922:Child, Adopted / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012919:Social Behavior; D066107:Social Skills
keywords: Communicative disorders-speech; international adoption; social competence