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Emotional difficulties in early adolescence following severe early deprivation: findings from the English and Romanian adoptees study

Emotional difficulties in early adolescence following severe early deprivation: findings from the English and Romanian adoptees study
Emotional difficulties in early adolescence following severe early deprivation: findings from the English and Romanian adoptees study
The study assessed conduct and emotional difficulties in a group of Romanian adoptees at age 11, and serves as a follow-up to assessments made when the children were 6 years old. It was found that there was a significant increase in emotional difficulties, but not conduct problems, for the Romanian sample since age 6. It was also found that emotional difficulty was significantly more prevalent at age 11 in the Romanian group than in a within-UK adoptee group. Emotional difficulties in the Romanian adoptee group were found to be significantly and strongly related to previous deprivation-specific problems (disinhibited attachment, cognitive impairment, inattention/overactivity and quasi-autism); however, the presence of such early problems did not account fully for the onset of later emotional problems. Five contrasting hypotheses concerning possible mediators for later onset of emotional difficulties for the Romanian group were examined. No links were found to duration of deprivation or other deprivation-related indices, stresses/difficulties in the postadoption family environment, or educational attainment and self-esteem. There was some evidence that emotion recognition might play a role in the emergence of these problems, but other measures of social competence and theory of mind showed no associations with the onset of emotional problems.
0954-5794
547-567
Colvert, Emma
667ed4c9-d3de-45cf-b173-b446b6e18eed
Rutter, Michael
14c45b9c-5f8e-4a19-a6fc-ce40ca498069
Beckett, Celia
bff7d3cf-0754-46cd-b441-3e043e9cbb8c
Castle, Jenny
00ba7ce1-a3f9-473e-8d2d-151a71fee2b5
Groothues, Christine
f07b55f6-935b-46d3-ac20-b317ae27d265
Hawkins, Amanda
cfca2742-2e72-4c7d-bc5e-03ddc56cc276
Kreppner, Jana
6a5f447e-1cfe-4654-95b4-e6f89b0275d6
O'Connor, Thomas G.
c070d197-b270-4603-84d9-7e5be5dede71
Stevens, Suzanne
4714eb45-b131-47b3-adfe-5cdafceba4f6
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635
Colvert, Emma
667ed4c9-d3de-45cf-b173-b446b6e18eed
Rutter, Michael
14c45b9c-5f8e-4a19-a6fc-ce40ca498069
Beckett, Celia
bff7d3cf-0754-46cd-b441-3e043e9cbb8c
Castle, Jenny
00ba7ce1-a3f9-473e-8d2d-151a71fee2b5
Groothues, Christine
f07b55f6-935b-46d3-ac20-b317ae27d265
Hawkins, Amanda
cfca2742-2e72-4c7d-bc5e-03ddc56cc276
Kreppner, Jana
6a5f447e-1cfe-4654-95b4-e6f89b0275d6
O'Connor, Thomas G.
c070d197-b270-4603-84d9-7e5be5dede71
Stevens, Suzanne
4714eb45-b131-47b3-adfe-5cdafceba4f6
Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S.
bc80bf95-6cf9-4c76-a09d-eaaf0b717635

Colvert, Emma, Rutter, Michael, Beckett, Celia, Castle, Jenny, Groothues, Christine, Hawkins, Amanda, Kreppner, Jana, O'Connor, Thomas G., Stevens, Suzanne and Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J.S. (2008) Emotional difficulties in early adolescence following severe early deprivation: findings from the English and Romanian adoptees study. Development and Psychopathology, 20 (2), 547-567. (doi:10.1017/S0954579408000278).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The study assessed conduct and emotional difficulties in a group of Romanian adoptees at age 11, and serves as a follow-up to assessments made when the children were 6 years old. It was found that there was a significant increase in emotional difficulties, but not conduct problems, for the Romanian sample since age 6. It was also found that emotional difficulty was significantly more prevalent at age 11 in the Romanian group than in a within-UK adoptee group. Emotional difficulties in the Romanian adoptee group were found to be significantly and strongly related to previous deprivation-specific problems (disinhibited attachment, cognitive impairment, inattention/overactivity and quasi-autism); however, the presence of such early problems did not account fully for the onset of later emotional problems. Five contrasting hypotheses concerning possible mediators for later onset of emotional difficulties for the Romanian group were examined. No links were found to duration of deprivation or other deprivation-related indices, stresses/difficulties in the postadoption family environment, or educational attainment and self-esteem. There was some evidence that emotion recognition might play a role in the emergence of these problems, but other measures of social competence and theory of mind showed no associations with the onset of emotional problems.

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Published date: 2008

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 54845
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/54845
ISSN: 0954-5794
PURE UUID: 32152044-179d-4dfa-85b1-1b3706cd0188
ORCID for Jana Kreppner: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3527-9083

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Date deposited: 04 Aug 2008
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 03:57

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Contributors

Author: Emma Colvert
Author: Michael Rutter
Author: Celia Beckett
Author: Jenny Castle
Author: Christine Groothues
Author: Amanda Hawkins
Author: Jana Kreppner ORCID iD
Author: Thomas G. O'Connor
Author: Suzanne Stevens
Author: Edmund J.S. Sonuga-Barke

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