Gehechtheid en informatieverwerkings­processen: Love in the eye of the beholder

status: publishe

Adopted children’s behavioral adjustment over time: Pre-adoption experiences and adoptive parenting

We tested whether adoptive parenting played a role in the association between pre-adoption experiences and children’s adaptive (responsiveness) and maladaptive (internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems, attention and sleep problems) behavioral adjustment over time. Ten-year-old girls, adopted at 13 months from institutional care (n = 50) or foster care (n = 42) in China to the Netherlands, participated 2 months (Time 1, N = 92), 6 months (Time 2, N = 92), and 9 years after adoption (Time 3, N = 87). At Times 1 and 2, the adoptees showed significantly fewer behavioral problems in many areas than non-adopted youth, with medium to large effect sizes. At Time 3, the adoptees showed similar rates of behavioral problems as non-adopted youth, with the exception of somewhat elevated levels of internalizing problems. Pre-adoption experiences were not associated with their behavioral adjustment. Furthermore, adoptive parenting did not moderate the association between pre-adoption experiences and behavioral adjustment over time. Nevertheless, the finding that the adoptees generally did not show above-average levels of behavioral problems illustrates that adoption had a positive impact on their development.status: publishe

Bindung und kognitive sowie motorische Entwicklung in den ersten fünf Jahren nach der Adoption: Ein review über international adoptierte Kinder aus China

status: publishe

Children’s Catch-up in Cognitive Competence after Adoption

status: publishe

Remarkable cognitive catch-up in Chinese adoptees nine years after adoption

We investigated (1) whether 10-year-old internationally adopted Chinese girls who, on average, showed below-average intellectual functioning two and six months after adoption (Times 1–2, N = 92), showed catch-up in intellectual functioning, school achievement, and executive functioning nine years later (Time 3, N = 87). We tested (2) effects of type of pre-adoption care (institutional versus foster care), and effects of parental sensitivity (factor score for supportive presence and for intrusiveness compiling all three time points), and we examined (3) whether the latter buffered the effects of type of care. The children showed significant recovery and complete catch-up in intellectual functioning at Time 3, and did not lag behind at school compared to non-adopted children. Contrary to the results of Times 1 and 2, type of care was not associated with cognitive development at Time 3. Parental sensitivity did not buffer the link between type of care and cognitive development.status: Published onlin

An empirical test of prototype and revisionist models of attachment stability and change from middle childhood to adolescence: A 6-year longitudinal study

We examined the prototype v. revisionist models of attachment stability with a five-wave, 6-year, longitudinal study of attachment security from middle childhood to adolescence in a White Western European sample (N = 157; Wave 1 Mage = 10.91, SD = 0.87; 52% female). Attachment was assessed using both questionnaire (Experiences in Close Relationships) and narrative-based measures (Attachment Script Assessment). In addition, a set of potential moderators of prototype-like stability were examined. Results indicated that data from both attachment assessments best fit the prototype model. Moderator analyses indicated that male sex significantly undermined the influence of an attachment prototype and parent-child conflict and parental divorce enhanced the influence of an attachment prototype on stability

Attachment and depressive symptoms in middle childhood : the moderating role of skin conductance level variability

The current study investigated whether biological sensitivity to emotional information moderates the link between attachment anxiety/avoidance and depressive symptoms. Sixty children (9-12 years old) completed questionnaires on attachment and depressive symptoms. Skin conductance level (SCL) was measured across three conditions: an emotionally neutral baseline condition, a negative mood induction condition, and a positive mood induction condition. SCL variability (SCLV) was calculated as the intraindividual variation across these conditions expressing the extent to which children are biologically sensitive to positive and negative emotional information. Results showed that SCLV moderated the association between depressive symptoms and attachment anxiety. Attachment anxiety was only linked with depressive symptoms when children showed more SCLV, suggesting that attachment anxiety is only a risk factor for children who are biologically sensitive to respond to emotional information. SCLV did not moderate the association between depressive symptoms and attachment avoidance. Instead, a significant correlation was found between attachment avoidance and SCLV, which replicated previous research and might be caused by more avoidantly attached children's unsuccessful attempts to suppress emotional reactions

Attachment development in children adopted from China: The role of pre-adoption care and sensitive adoptive parenting

The current study examined the attachment development of 92 internationally adopted Chinese girls, focusing on the influence of type of pre-adoption care (institutional versus foster care) and sensitive adoptive parenting. Although the children were more often insecurely attached than non-adopted children 2 and 6 months after adoption (Times 1 and 2, N = 92), they had similar levels of secure base script knowledge (SBS knowledge) as a non-adopted comparison group at age 10 (Time 3, N = 87). Furthermore, concurrently observed sensitive parenting was positively associated with SBS knowledge. Finally, a significant interaction between type of pre-adoption care and early-childhood sensitive parenting indicated that the post-institutionalized children showed a stronger increase in security than the post-foster children when parents were more sensitive.status: Published onlin

Attachment development in children adopted from China: The role of pre-adoption care and sensitive adoptive parenting

The current study examined the attachment development of 92 internationally adopted Chinese girls, focusing on the influence of type of pre-adoption care (institutional versus foster care) and sensitive adoptive parenting. Although the children were more often insecurely attached than non-adopted children 2 and 6 months after adoption (Times 1 and 2, N = 92), they had similar levels of secure base script knowledge (SBS knowledge) as a non-adopted comparison group at age 10 (Time 3, N = 87). Furthermore, concurrently observed sensitive parenting was positively associated with SBS knowledge. Finally, a significant interaction between type of pre-adoption care and early-childhood sensitive parenting indicated that the post-institutionalized children showed a stronger increase in security than the post-foster children when parents were more sensitive