Social relationships in adults who were adopted following institutional deprivation
Social relationships in adults who were adopted following institutional deprivation
Research examining the effects of severe, prolonged early deprivation has shown elevated rates of neurodevelopmental symptoms, which frequently persist into adulthood and are associated with functional and social relationship difficulties, as well as elevated rates of mental health problems. The behavioural manifestations of these symptoms closely resemble those of ADHD and also ASD. Here, we used qualitative methods to explore and characterise the social experiences and difficulties encountered by young adults exposed to profound early deprivation, in part to highlight any apparent parallels between the experiences in this group and those identified in typically developing samples with ADHD or ASD. To do so, we interviewed young adults and their adoptive parents (N = 18) from the English and Romanian Adoptees study, about their social lives. Participants were keen to describe not only the challenges they faced but also adaptive responses. A semantic/ descriptive thematic analysis revealed that the young adults strongly desired social relationships but struggled to navigate social norms, resulting in frustration and frequent loss of relationships. This was accompanied by strong feelings of loss and rejection, all of which were perceived to have a negative impact upon self-esteem and mental health. Adaptive strategies included the fostering of casual friendships with older individuals and seeking employment with strong social components. Similarities and differences between our findings and the social difficulties experienced by typically developing groups with neurodevelopmental problems, and adopted individuals more generally, are discussed.
adult, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, friendships, institutional deprivation, social relationships
Kennedy, Mark
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Edwards, Christopher
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Kreppner, Jana
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Knights, Nicky
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Kovshoff, Hanna
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Maughan, Barbara
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Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
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2 June 2024
Kennedy, Mark
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Edwards, Christopher
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Kreppner, Jana
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Knights, Nicky
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Kovshoff, Hanna
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Maughan, Barbara
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Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
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Kennedy, Mark, Edwards, Christopher, Kreppner, Jana, Knights, Nicky, Kovshoff, Hanna, Maughan, Barbara and Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
(2024)
Social relationships in adults who were adopted following institutional deprivation.
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
(doi:10.1177/02654075241259116).
Abstract
Research examining the effects of severe, prolonged early deprivation has shown elevated rates of neurodevelopmental symptoms, which frequently persist into adulthood and are associated with functional and social relationship difficulties, as well as elevated rates of mental health problems. The behavioural manifestations of these symptoms closely resemble those of ADHD and also ASD. Here, we used qualitative methods to explore and characterise the social experiences and difficulties encountered by young adults exposed to profound early deprivation, in part to highlight any apparent parallels between the experiences in this group and those identified in typically developing samples with ADHD or ASD. To do so, we interviewed young adults and their adoptive parents (N = 18) from the English and Romanian Adoptees study, about their social lives. Participants were keen to describe not only the challenges they faced but also adaptive responses. A semantic/ descriptive thematic analysis revealed that the young adults strongly desired social relationships but struggled to navigate social norms, resulting in frustration and frequent loss of relationships. This was accompanied by strong feelings of loss and rejection, all of which were perceived to have a negative impact upon self-esteem and mental health. Adaptive strategies included the fostering of casual friendships with older individuals and seeking employment with strong social components. Similarities and differences between our findings and the social difficulties experienced by typically developing groups with neurodevelopmental problems, and adopted individuals more generally, are discussed.
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Social relationships COMPLETE FINAL
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kennedy-et-al-2024-social-relationships-in-adults-who-were-adopted-following-institutional-deprivation
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Accepted/In Press date: 13 May 2024
e-pub ahead of print date: 2 June 2024
Published date: 2 June 2024
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Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.
Keywords:
adult, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, friendships, institutional deprivation, social relationships
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Local EPrints ID: 490821
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/490821
ISSN: 0265-4075
PURE UUID: 1671604f-d853-4d32-9829-e5ae5c878484
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Date deposited: 06 Jun 2024 17:09
Last modified: 20 Jun 2024 01:40
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Contributors
Author:
Mark Kennedy
Author:
Christopher Edwards
Author:
Jana Kreppner
Author:
Nicky Knights
Author:
Barbara Maughan
Author:
Edmund J.S. Sonuga-Barke
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