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Forsman H, Brännström L. Criminal outcomes among infants placed in out-of-home care: A longitudinal nationwide cohort study. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 154:106857. [PMID: 38815491 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Infant placements into out-of-home care have garnered increased research and societal attention, yet the long-term outcomes of this vulnerable group are virtually unknown. OBJECTIVE This study aims to examine the association between infant placement and criminal offences across the life course, contrasting with general population peers and children placed at later developmental periods. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING The study includes 622,940 individuals born in Sweden between 1975 and 1981, among whom around 0.2 % (n = 1524) were taken into care during infancy (<12 months). METHODS Utilizing Swedish longitudinal population-based register data, sex-stratified hurdle regression analyses, adjusted for individual and family background characteristics, were conducted to investigate the risk and rates of criminal offences ages 15-38. RESULTS Infants placed in care exhibited higher risks of any criminal offence compared to the general population (men: RR = 1.32, p < 0.001, women RR = 1.47, p < 0.001), but lower risks compared to children placed at later ages. Incidence-adjusted rates of offences were also higher among infants compared to their general population peers (men: IRR = 2.54, p < 0.001, women: IRR = 2.77, p < 0.001), with differences to other care groups being less pronounced. CONCLUSIONS Infant placement in care is associated with an increased risk of criminal activity over the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilma Forsman
- Department of Social Work, Stockholm University, Sweden.
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King TL, Cristea AI, Slaven JE, Niehaus JZ. Risk Factors for Foster Care Placement in Patients with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia. Am J Perinatol 2024; 41:764-770. [PMID: 35436799 DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1744509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a major cause of morbidity in neonates and can be associated with long hospitalization and high health care utilization. This extremely stressful situation can be difficult for many families and caregivers. The high-risk situation combined with increased medical complexity can result in involvement of Department of Child Services (DCS) and even foster care placement. This study seeks to define risk factors for DCS involvement and foster care placement in children with BPD. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective study of children born at less than 32 weeks of gestation born between 2010 and 2016, on oxygen at 28 days of life and discharged home from a tertiary care center. RESULTS A total of 246 patients were identified. DCS was involved in 49 patients with 13 requiring foster care placement. The most common correlated risk factors that were identified for DCS involvement were maternal THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) positivity, hospital policy violations, maternal mental health diagnosis, and home insecurity. Home insecurity (p < 0.005) and amphetamine use (p < 0.005) were associated with foster care placement. CONCLUSION There are numerous risk factors for both DCS and foster care placement. The identification of these risk factors is important to help establish services to help families and identify potential biases to avoid. KEY POINTS · There were both substance-related and non-substance-related risk factors for DCS involvement.. · Home insecurity and maternal amphetamine use were risk factors associated with foster care placement.. · This study fills the knowledge gap of risk factors for DCS and foster care placement in BPD..
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler L King
- Division of Newborn Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St Louis, Missouri
| | - A Ioana Cristea
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergy and Sleep Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - James E Slaven
- Department of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Jason Z Niehaus
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Min MO, Albert JM, Minnes S, Kim JY, Kim SK, Singer LT. Prenatal cocaine exposure and self-reported behavioral adjustments from ages 12 to 21: environmental pathways. Psychol Med 2024; 54:721-731. [PMID: 37614188 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723002404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In a birth-cohort study, we followed offspring with prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) to investigate longitudinal associations of PCE with self-reported behavioral adjustment from early adolescence to emerging adulthood (EA). Environmental pathways (family functioning, non-kinship care, maltreatment) were specified as potential mediators of PCE. METHODS Participants were 372 (190 PCE; 47% male), primarily Black, low socioeconomic status, enrolled at birth. Internalizing and externalizing behaviors were assessed using Youth Self-Report at ages 12 and 15 and Adult Self-Report at age 21. Extended random-intercept cross-lagged panel modeling was used to account for potential bidirectional relationships between internalizing and externalizing behaviors over time, examining potential mediators. RESULTS Adjusting for covariates, significant indirect effects were found for each mediator at different ages. For family functioning, these were both internalizing (β = 0.83, p = 0.04) and externalizing behaviors (β = 1.58, p = 0.02) at age 12 and externalizing behaviors at age 15 (β = 0.51, p = 0.03); for non-kinship care, externalizing behaviors at ages 12 (β = 0.63, p = 0.02) and 15 (β = 0.20, p = 0.03); and for maltreatment, both internalizing and externalizing behaviors at ages 15 (β = 0.64, p = 0.02 for internalizing; β = 0.50, p = 0.03 for externalizing) and 21 (β = 1.39, p = 0.01 for internalizing; β = 1.11, p = 0.01 for externalizing). Direct associations of PCE with internalizing and externalizing behaviors were not observed, nor cross-lagged relationships between internalizing and externalizing behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Negative associations of PCE with behavioral adjustment persist into EA via environmental pathways, specifying intervention points to disrupt adverse pathways toward healthy development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meeyoung O Min
- College of Social Work, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Albert
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Sonia Minnes
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - June-Yung Kim
- Department of Social Work, College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks North Dakota, USA
| | - Sun-Kyung Kim
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Lynn T Singer
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
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Reddy J, Palmer L, Putnam-Hornstein E. Three-Year Custody Outcomes Among Infants Investigated by Child Protection Systems for Prenatal Substance Exposure in California. Matern Child Health J 2023; 27:94-103. [PMID: 37256517 PMCID: PMC10692263 DOI: 10.1007/s10995-023-03690-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Infants affected by prenatal alcohol and drug use are more likely to be removed from parental custody than those in the general population, although it is unclear whether their custody outcomes differ from infants investigated by child protection systems (CPS) for other reasons. This analysis seeks to compare trajectories of involvement and custody outcomes among infants investigated by CPS with and without documentation of prenatal substance exposure (PSE). METHOD We used vital birth records linked to administrative CPS records to examine the timing of system involvement and 3-year custodial outcomes among investigated infants with and without identified PSE. We defined PSE according to documentation on the state's standardized hotline screening form, which CPS completes upon referral for alleged maltreatment. We estimated the likelihood a child was in nonparental custody at age 3 by specifying multivariable generalized linear models, adjusted for covariates available in the birth record. RESULTS In our sample of 22,855 infants investigated by CPS in 2017 in California, more than 26% had documentation of PSE. These infants experienced an accelerated timeline of system penetration and were 2.2 times as likely to be in nonparental placement at age 3. DISCUSSION PSE confers an independent risk of custody interruption among infants investigated by CPS. The younger age of these infants, complexity of parental substance use, and potential misalignment of administrative permanency timelines with parental recovery all suggest the need for increased research, policy, and programmatic interventions to serve this vulnerable population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Reddy
- Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, 412 Rosenau Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA.
| | - Lindsey Palmer
- The Pennsylvania State University, 133 Health and Human Development Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Emily Putnam-Hornstein
- School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, 325 Pittsboro St, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-3550, USA
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Christians JK, Ahmadzadeh-Seddeighi S, Bilal A, Bogdanovic A, Ho R, Leung EV, MacGregor MA, Nadasdy NM, Principe GM. Sex differences in the effects of prematurity and/or low birthweight on neurodevelopmental outcomes: systematic review and meta-analyses. Biol Sex Differ 2023; 14:47. [PMID: 37434174 DOI: 10.1186/s13293-023-00532-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Premature birth and/or low birthweight have long-lasting effects on cognition. The purpose of the present systematic review is to examine whether the effects of prematurity and/or low birth weight on neurodevelopmental outcomes differ between males and females. METHODS Web of Science, Scopus, and Ovid MEDLINE were searched for studies of humans born premature and/or of low birthweight, where neurodevelopmental phenotypes were measured at 1 year of age or older. Studies must have reported outcomes in such a way that it was possible to assess whether effects were greater in one sex than the other. Risk of bias was assessed using both the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and the National Institutes of Health Quality assessment tool for observational cohort and cross-sectional studies. RESULTS Seventy-five studies were included for descriptive synthesis, although only 24 presented data in a way that could be extracted for meta-analyses. Meta-analyses found that severe and moderate prematurity/low birthweight impaired cognitive function, and severe prematurity/low birthweight also increased internalizing problem scores. Moderate, but not severe, prematurity/low birthweight significantly increased externalizing problem scores. In no case did effects of prematurity/low birthweight differ between males and females. Heterogeneity among studies was generally high and significant, although age at assessment was not a significant moderator of effect. Descriptive synthesis did not identify an obvious excess or deficiency of male-biased or female-biased effects for any trait category. Individual study quality was generally good, and we found no evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS We found no evidence that the sexes differ in their susceptibility to the effects of severe or moderate prematurity/low birthweight on cognitive function, internalizing traits or externalizing traits. Result heterogeneity tended to be high, but this reflects that one sex is not consistently more affected than the other. Frequently stated generalizations that one sex is more susceptible to prenatal adversity should be re-evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian K Christians
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
- Centre for Cell Biology, Development and Disease, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Women's Health Research Institute, BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | | | - Alishba Bilal
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Anastasia Bogdanovic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Rebecca Ho
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Molecular Oncology, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Estee V Leung
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Megan A MacGregor
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Nolan M Nadasdy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Singer LT, Powers G, Kim JY, Minnes S, Min MO. Cognitive and functional outcomes at age 21 after prenatal cocaine/polydrug exposure and foster/adoptive care. Neurotoxicol Teratol 2023; 96:107151. [PMID: 36623610 PMCID: PMC9992024 DOI: 10.1016/j.ntt.2023.107151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) has been linked to specific cognitive deficits and behavioral outcomes through early adolescence but there is little information on adult outcomes nor on the relationship of environmental interventions, such as foster/adoptive care, to outcomes. METHODS At 21 years, data were available on 325 young adults, [163 PCE and 162 non-exposed (NCE)], primarily African-American, with low SES, who were followed from birth in a prospective longitudinal cohort study. Participants were administered the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (WASI-II) and surveyed regarding high school completion, problematic substance use, and incarceration/probation history. In the PCE group, 32 remained in non-kinship foster/adoptive care (PCE/FA) from early in life (< 4 years) to 17 years. Group differences were examined through t-tests, MANOVA/ MANCOVA with post-hoc analyses, comparing outcomes and environmental correlates of young adults with PCE vs. NCE, as well as outcomes of PCE young adults in non-kinship foster/adoptive care (PCE/ FA) vs. PCE in birth/kinship care and NCE young adults. RESULTS At 21 years, young adults with PCE had lower mean Full Scale (83.7 ± 10.4 vs. 87.3 ± 12.5, p < .01) and Perceptual Reasoning IQs (87.3 ± 11.5 vs. 91.4 ± 13.9, (p < .02), lower high school completion rates (75% vs. 86%, p < .02), and were marginally more likely to have been on probation than NCE young adults, but did not differ in Verbal IQ, self-report of problematic substance use or incarceration. Young adults with PCE in F/A had similar lower IQ scores but had better verbal skills and high school graduation rates that did not differ from NCE young adults (80.6 vs 86.2%, p > .05). They had higher drug exposure at birth and more experiences of maltreatment (p's < 0.05) but their home environment quality was better and lead levels lower (p's < 0.05) than those of young adults with PCE in birth/kinship care. CONCLUSIONS Young adults with PCE had lower Perceptual Reasoning and Full-Scale IQ scores, independent of caregiving placement, compared to non-exposed young adults. Young adults with PCE placed in non-kinship foster/adoptive care had lower lead levels, more stimulating home environments, better vocabulary skills and were more likely to graduate from high school than those in birth/kinship care,but were not different in their self-report of problematic substance use, or experiences of incarceration or probation. Our data suggest that some cognitive deficits observed in young adults with PCE may be biologically based, but that some functional outcomes can be modified through environmental interventions. Our data also reflect the complexity of disentangling the effects of teratologic exposures on long term outcomes across a variety of domains and the need for studies of children in the foster care system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lynn T Singer
- Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, 1090 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, United States.
| | - Gregory Powers
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, 11235 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH, United States.
| | - June-Yung Kim
- Department of Social Work, University of North Dakota, Gillette Hall Room 302, 225 Centennial Dr. Stop 7135, Grand Forks, ND 58202-7135, United States.
| | - Sonia Minnes
- Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, 11235 Bellflower Road, Cleveland, OH, United States.
| | - Meeyoung O Min
- College of Social Work, University of Utah, 201 Presidents Circle, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.
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McSherry D, McAnee G. Exploring the relationship between adoption and psychological trauma for children who are adopted from care: A longitudinal case study perspective. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 130:105623. [PMID: 35367066 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Children who have been adopted from care are very likely to have experienced early adversity that may result in psychological trauma. A current debate in the field is whether adoption provides a pathway to healing for traumatised children, helping them to recover from past psychological harm, or creates trauma for children through the very nature of being an adopted child. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to use longitudinal data pertaining to children who had been adopted from care to examine the relationship between being adopted from care and psychological trauma. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Seventeen adopted children had been interviewed in their adoptive homes during the third wave of the Care Pathways and Outcomes study (McSherry et al., 2013), when they were aged between nine and 14 years old. Ten of these children were selected for specific consideration in this article. Checklists for early adversities and psychological trauma were used to support the creation of case studies that highlighted the extent of psychological trauma in the children's lives. RESULTS The adopted children either experienced possible pre-care psychological trauma, with the impact of this reducing over time, in utero developmental harm due to their mother's alcohol misuse during pregnancy, inherited an intellectual disability, with the resultant difficulties superseding any concern regarding possible pre-care psychological trauma, or possible psychological trauma when moving from an established foster placement to adoption. Recommendations for policy and practice are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominic McSherry
- School of Psychology, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine BT52 1SA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| | - Grainne McAnee
- School of Psychology, Ulster University, Cromore Road, Coleraine BT52 1SA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
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Blake AJ, Ruderman M, Waterman JM, Langley AK. Long-term effects of pre-adoptive risk on emotional and behavioral functioning in children adopted from foster care. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 130:105031. [PMID: 33757644 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children adopted from foster care are at heightened risk for emotional and behavioral challenges, potentially due to early trauma exposure and related risk factors. Research has demonstrated that adoptees with greater pre-adoptive risk exhibit higher rates of internalizing and externalizing problems across childhood and into adulthood. However, these studies have been limited by their use of individual risk factors or sum scores of cumulative risk and their measurement of internalizing and externalizing behaviors separately. OBJECTIVE The current study aimed to examine effects of pre-adoptive risk on long-term functioning in children adopted from foster care. METHOD In a longitudinally-followed sample of 82 adoptees, we utilized latent growth curve modeling to examine effects of two latent indices of pre-adoptive risk, postnatal (i.e., trauma-related) risk and prenatal risk (not including prenatal substance exposure, since it was nearly ubiquitous in this sample), on adoptee internalizing, externalizing, and latent scores of dysregulation across childhood. Additionally, in three separate models, we tested whether baseline levels and change across childhood in internalizing, externalizing, and dysregulation mediated effects of prenatal and postnatal risk on adolescent/young-adult functioning. RESULTS Greater postnatal risk, but not prenatal risk, predicted higher levels of internalizing and dysregulation across childhood. However, only dysregulation mediated the effect of postnatal risk on adolescent/young-adult functioning. CONCLUSIONS These results are consistent with prior research evidencing long-term effects of postnatal pre-adoptive risk, but not prenatal risk, in adoptees. Furthermore, they suggest that trauma exposure in this population may result in a profile of broad dysregulation that increases risk for maladjustment into adulthood.
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Anthony R, Paine AL, Westlake M, Lowthian E, Shelton KH. Patterns of adversity and post-traumatic stress among children adopted from care. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 130:104795. [PMID: 33172646 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children adopted from care are more likely to have experienced early adversity, but little is known about the impact of early adversity on later post-traumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. OBJECTIVE To investigate sub-groups of adversity in a sample of adopted children and examine the association with later PTS symptoms. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING A study of British children adopted from care using social worker records (N = 374) and questionnaire-based longitudinal study of n = 58 children over 4-years post adoptive placement. METHODS We used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of children based on commonalities in perinatal and postnatal adversity experienced prior to adoption and examined differences in PTS symptoms at 4-years post-placement between subgroups. RESULTS Nearly one in five (19 %) children were in the clinical or borderline ranges for symptoms of PTS arousal, 14 % for PTS avoidance and 8 % for PTS intrusion. The 5-class solution fitted the data best, with one class characterized by children with a low probability of experiencing any adversity, one perinatal adversity class and three classes capturing different patterns of adversity. The multiple complex adversity class involving both perinatal and postnatal adversity had significantly higher symptoms of PTS avoidance and arousal than other sub-groups. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence and complexity of PTS symptoms among adoptive children highlights the need for effective interventions considering different profiles of early adversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Anthony
- Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity, and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK.
| | - A L Paine
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - M Westlake
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
| | - E Lowthian
- Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity, and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University, 1-3 Museum Place, Cardiff CF10 3BD, UK
| | - K H Shelton
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK
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