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Contribution title The development of interaction between internationally adopted children and their parents during the first 1.5 years after adoption
Contribution code D2.156
Authors
  1. Katarina Kuusela City of Helsinki/University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Presenter
  2. Hanna Raaska Helsinki University Hospital
  3. Marko Elovainio University of Helsinki, Finland
  4. Anna-Riitta Heikkilä University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  5. Marjo Flykt University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  6. Helena Lapinleimu University of Turku, Finland
Form of presentation Poster
Topic
  • T45 - Birth Cohorts and longitudinal studies
Abstract Aims: Internationally adopted children have often experienced neglect and deprivation in several aspects of their life including the lack of a stable caregiver and lack of adequate nutrition and healthcare. Entering a new adoptive family can provide the child a stable and dedicated caregiving environment. Studies have shown that high quality caregiving in adoptive families can act as a protective element against the effects of pre-adoptive risk factors. We examined the change in the quality of mother-child interaction in families with internationally adopted children in Finland during the first 1.5 years after adoption (T1 = 5 months after adoption; T2 = 1 year and 5 months after adoption).
Methods: The study sample was part of the FinAdo study and included 74 children (Mean age at adoption = 2.6 years, SD = 1.44 months, 39% girls) and their adoptive mothers in Finland. The mother-child interaction was analysed using the Emotional Availability Scales, that include four parental dimensions and two child dimensions.
Results and Conclusions: The results showed that the quality of the interaction improved in all the dimensions, with the parental structuring dimension showing the highest improvement and the child responsiveness dimension the lowest improvement. Our results highlight that families with internationally adopted children in Finland are able improve their relationship with the adoptive child over time in the first years after adoption.