Internalizing disorder in adopted versus non-adopted adults: a NESARC based study

The association of early life factors with depression and anxiety in adults aged 40-69 years: a population-based cohort study

This study was aimed to explore the longitudinal association of five early life factors (breastfeeding, maternal smoking around birth, birth weight, being born in a multiple birth, and adoption) during the in-utero, perinatal, and early childhood development stages with incidence of depression and anxiety in adults aged 40-69 years. We used data from the UK biobank, 5,02,394 participants aged 40-69 years were recruited between 2006 and 2010. Participants provided information on early life exposures through touchscreen questionnaires or verbal interviews at baseline. The primary outcomes, depression, and anxiety, were defined according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for each factor were reported. During a median follow-up of 13.6 years, 16,502 (3.55%) participants developed depression, and 15,507 (3.33%) developed anxiety. After adjusting for potential confounders, increased risk of depression was found to be significantly associated with non-breastfeeding (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.04-1.13), maternal smoking around birth (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.14-1.23), being born in multiple births (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.05-1.27), low birth weight (HR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.07-1.22), and being an adoptee (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.28-1.58). Increased risk of anxiety was associated with non-breastfeeding (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.04-1.13), maternal smoking around birth (HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.07-1.16), being born in a multiple births (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.95-1.17), low birth weight (HR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.05-1.20), and being an adoptee (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.10-1.41). Each of these five early life factors can be considered as early life risk factors for incident depression and anxiety in adulthood independently. The dose-response relationship was also observed, suggesting that with an increase in the number of early life risk factors, the likelihood of experiencing depression and anxiety also increased. These findings highlighted the imperative consideration of early life factors in comprehending the susceptibility to mental health disorders later in life, including non-breastfeeding, maternal smoking around birth, being born in multiple births, low birth weight, and being an adoptee.

Behavioral symptoms of eating disorders among adopted adolescents and young adults in the United States: Findings from the Add Health survey

OBJECTIVE

More adopted individuals report experiencing general psychopathology, poor parental attachment, and early childhood eating difficulties than nonadopted individuals, yet little is known about disordered eating in this population. This study sought to describe the relationship between adoption status and behavioral eating-disorder (ED) symptoms, and to examine potential correlates of ED symptoms that are unique to adopted individuals.

METHOD

We examined data from adolescents and young adults from Waves 1 (n adopted = 561, nonadopted = 20,184), 2 (n adopted = 211, nonadopted = 14,525), and 3 (n adopted = 416, nonadopted = 14,754) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. ED symptom items included dieting, breakfast skipping, binge eating, extreme weight loss behaviors (EWLBs; i.e., self-induced vomiting, laxative use, diet pill use) and lifetime ED diagnosis.

RESULTS

Compared to nonadopted individuals, adopted individuals were more likely to report EWLBs at Wave 2 and binge eating and lifetime ED diagnosis at Wave 3 (ps < .05). Among adopted individuals, contact with a biological parent was associated with higher rates of binge eating and lifetime ED diagnosis at Wave 3 (ps < .05), whereas age at adoption and having ever been in foster care were not associated with rates of ED symptoms.

DISCUSSION

This study provides preliminary evidence that being adopted may be a risk factor for certain behavioral symptoms of EDs. Given the benefits of early detection and treatment of ED symptoms, mental health professionals working with adopted individuals should assess for disordered eating.

Pattern of Diagnosis and Co-occurring Symptoms in Adopted Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether adopted children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from the general ASD population in terms of diagnosis, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, sleep problems, and medications.

METHODS

We studied 163 adoptees in the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN) in comparison with 5624 nonadopted ATN participants (aged 1.5-17.6 years; mean [SD] = 6.2 [3.4] years). Gender, age, race, ethnicity, IQ, and categorical Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, ASD diagnosis were tested for differences by group (adopted versus nonadopted) by using independent-samples t tests for continuous variables and Fisher's exact tests for categorical variables. Logistic or linear regression models were used to examine the association between adoption status and several outcome variables, after controlling for covariates.

RESULTS

After controlling for demographics and diagnosis, there were significant differences in group characteristics, including greater propensity for externalizing behavior (P < .001), internalizing behavior (P = .001), and sleep problems (P < .001) in the adopted population. Adoptees were also prescribed psychotropic medications (P < .001) more often than the nonadoptees. Adoptees received a diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified significantly more frequently than controls (odds ratio = 1.8; CI = 1.3-2.5; P < .001), despite no significant difference in symptoms on standardized measures.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that the population of adopted children with ASD differs from the general ASD population both with regard to diagnostic subtype and co-occurring behavioral problems. Future research should evaluate the contributions of specific factors associated with adoption such as biological family history, pregnancy history, early childhood experience, and age at adoption.