Anu Sharma

The Emotional and Behavioral Adjustment of United States Adopted Adolescents: Part I: An Overview.

Abstract An sample of adoptees in the adolescence ( n = 4682) was compared to a matched control group of 4682 nonadoptees on nine factors of emotional and behavioral adjustment and three factors of family functioning. Adoptees showed small but consistently lower levels of adjustment on 9 of the 12 scales. Adoptees showed significantly higher levels of prosocial behavior. Significant gender by adoption status interaction occurred on two factors: illicit drugs and antisocial behavior. Differences between adopted boys and nonadopted boys were greater than for adopted girls versus nonadopted girls. Race by adoption status showed significant interaction for four factors: illicit drugs, negative emotionality, school adjustment, and parental nurturance. The effect of adoption status was smaller for Asian Americans than other ethnic groups. For Caucasians, small adoption effects occurred on these four factors and effect sizes tended to be larger for Hispanics, African Americans, and American Indians. These results replicate and expand those of previous studies which show small but consistent patterns of differences between adoptees and nonadoptees.

The Mental Health of US Adolescents Adopted in Infancy

OBJECTIVE To determine whether adopted adolescents are at excess risk for clinically relevant behavioral and emotional problems. DESIGN We examined whether adopted and nonadopted adolescents differed on quantitative indicators of mental health and the prevalence of childhood disorders and whether differences exist between internationally and domestically placed adoptees. SETTING Assessments occurred at the University of Minnesota from December 11, 1998, to June 4, 2004. PARTICIPANTS Adolescents adopted in infancy were systematically ascertained from records of 3 large Minnesota adoption agencies; nonadopted adolescents were ascertained from Minnesota birth records. The final sample included these adolescents with their rearing parents. Main Exposure The main exposure was adoptive status: nonadopted (n = 540), international adoptive placement (n = 514), or domestic adoptive placement (n = 178). OUTCOME MEASURES Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition) clinical assessments based on child and parent reports of attention-deficit/hyperactivity, oppositional defiant, conduct, major depressive, and separation anxiety disorders; teacher reports of psychological health; and contact with mental health professionals. RESULTS Adoptees scored only moderately higher than nonadoptees on quantitative measures of mental health. Nevertheless, being adopted approximately doubled the odds of having contact with a mental health professional (odds ratio [OR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48-2.84) and of having a disruptive behavior disorder (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.72-3.19). Relative to international adoptees, domestic adoptees had higher odds of having an externalizing disorder (OR, 2.60; 95% CI, 1.67-4.04). CONCLUSIONS Moderate mean differences in quantitative indicators of mental health can lead to substantial differences in disorder prevalence. Although most adopted adolescents are psychologically healthy, they may be at elevated risk for some externalizing disorders, especially among those domestically placed.

The Effect of Common Rearing on Adolescent Adjustment: Evidence from a U.S. Adoption Cohort.

The influence of shared environmental factors on adolescent adjustment was investigated in a sample of 667 adoptive families. Correlations between parental ratings of family functioning and adolescent ratings of adjustment were generally higher for birth offspring than for adoptive offspring, suggesting passive genotype-environment processes. For all except one of the indicators of adolescent adjustment, the nonbiological sibling correlation was low, suggesting that approximately 10% or less of the variance in these measures is attributable to shared environmental effects. However, for a quantitative measure of alcohol and tobacco use, the nonbiologically related sibling correlation was moderate (r =.26) but most consistent with sibling rather than parent effects. These findings provide further evidence of the minimal effect of common rearing on sibling psychological similarity, at least within the broadly constituted U.S. middle class.

The emotional and behavioral adjustment of United states adopted adolescents: Part II. Age at adoption

Abstract A sample of 4682 adolescent adoptees were divided into four groups, according to self-reported age at adoption: [adopted at] age 0–1 (infants), 2–5 years, 6–10 years, and above age 10. Comparisons among these four groups and a matched control group of nonadoptees were made on 12 factors of emotional and behavioral adjustment and family functioning. Results showed that as age at adoption increased, level of overall adoptee adjustment decreased. Of the four age at adoption groups, infant adoptees were the most similar to the control group. Those adopted above age 10 differed most from controls. The means of the middle two age at adoption groups were generally intermediate between the two groups. On some factors, these groups differed significantly from the infant adoptees and controls; on others, they differed significantly from the oldest age at adoption group. Interactions of gender, race, and age [at assessment] with age at adoption were examined. None of the three-way interactions in the respective models using each of the three demographic variables, adoption status, and age at adoption yielded significance. The present results suggest that adoptee—nonadoptee differences are strongly moderated by age at adoption.

Parametric Statistics and Levels of Measurement: Factorial Designs and Multiple Regression

Let Y be a continuous, ordinal measure of a latent variable θ. In general, for factorial designs, an analysis of variance of the observed variable Y cannot be used to draw inferences about main effects and interactions on the latent variable θ even when the standard normality and equality of variance assumptions hold.

Risk of Suicide Attempt in Adopted and Nonadopted Offspring

OBJECTIVE: We asked whether adoption status represented a risk of suicide attempt for adopted and nonadopted offspring living in the United States. We also examined whether factors known to be associated with suicidal behavior would mediate the relationship between adoption status and suicide attempt. METHODS: Participants were drawn from the Sibling Interaction and Behavior Study, which included 692 adopted and 540 nonadopted offspring and was conducted at the University of Minnesota from 1998 to 2008. Adoptees were systematically ascertained from records of 3 large Minnesota adoption agencies; nonadoptees were ascertained from Minnesota birth records. Outcome measures were attempted suicide, reported by parent or offspring, and factors known to be associated with suicidal behavior including psychiatric disorder symptoms, personality traits, family environment, and academic disengagement. RESULTS: The odds of a reported suicide attempt were ∼4 times greater in adoptees compared with nonadoptees (odds ratio: 4.23). After adjustment for factors associated with suicidal behavior, the odds of reporting a suicide attempt were reduced but remained significantly elevated (odds ratio: 3.70). CONCLUSIONS: The odds for reported suicide attempt are elevated in individuals who are adopted relative to those who are not adopted. The relationship between adoption status and suicide attempt is partially mediated by factors known to be associated with suicidal behavior. Continued study of the risk of suicide attempt in adopted offspring may inform the larger investigation of suicidality in all adolescents and young adults.

ANOVA and ANCOVA of pre- and post-test, ordinal data

With random assignment to treatments and standard assumptions, either a one-way ANOVA of post-test scores or a two-way, repeated measures ANOVA of pre- and post-test scores provides a legitimate test of the equal treatment effect null hypothesis for latent variable Θ. In an ANCOVA for pre- and post-test variablesX andY which are ordinal measures ofη and Θ, respectively, random assignment and standard assumptions ensure the legitimacy of inferences about the equality of treatment effects on latent variable Θ. Sample estimates of adjustedY treatment means are ordinal estimators of adjusted post-test means on latent variable Θ.