Romanian Adoptees and Pre-adoptive Care: A Strengths Perspective
Department
Social Work and Human Services
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-2008
Abstract
Ninety-one parents of 120 adopted Romanian children who were part of a longitudinal study were surveyed to determine perceptions of their relationships with their children, their adoption experiences, and the children's strengths. The Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS) was used and parents were easily able to rate their children's emotional and behavioral strengths. Levels of parent-child relationship satisfaction were the most consistent predictors of child emotional and behavioral strength. The child's age at the time of the survey was a significant predictor of strengths, indicating overall that younger children had more perceived strengths. Parents identified fewer strengths among children with longer histories of institutional care. The importance of a strong parent-child relationship and resilience after a history of early institutional care are discussed.
Journal Title
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal
Journal ISSN
1573-2797
Volume
25
Issue
2
First Page
139
Last Page
156
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1007/s10560-008-0117-1