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Adversity and Adjustment in Children in Institutions, Family Foster Care, and Adoption

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2015

Jesús M. Jiménez-Morago ,
Esperanza León  and
Maite Román
Jesús M. Jiménez-Morago
Affiliation:
Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)
Esperanza León*
Affiliation:
Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)
Maite Román
Affiliation:
Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Esperanza León Manso. Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad de Sevilla.C/ Camilo José Cela, s/n. Sevilla (Spain).41018. Phone: 954–557668. Fax: 954–559544. E-mail: eleon@us.es
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Abstract

This study’s objective was to identify the adversity profiles of children in different childcare placements, and to analyze their relationship with subsequent psychological adjustment. We studied a group of 230 children 4 to 10 years old indifferent childcare placements (international adoption, institutional care, non-kin foster care, and kinship care), as well as a control group. Information was collected from parent or caregiver interviews and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The results showed that children in the child welfare system had experienced significant adversity before their current placement, especially among institutional care cases and international adoptees. Meanwhile, children in kinship care had experienced less adversity (p < .001; size effects from d > .50 to d > .80). After a period of time in their respective placements, children’s psychological adjustment was generally positive, but children living in institutional care exhibited the most problems and difficulties, followed by non-kin foster care cases (p < .001; size effects from d > .50 to d > .80). Finally, we found that children’s early adversity levels (p < .05; r = .16), age of current placement (p < .01; r = .23), and duration of current placement (p < .05: r = –.19) were all tied to current psychological adjustment.

Keywords

adoptioninstitutional carefoster careadversitypsychological adjustment
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 18 , 2015 , E45
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2015 

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