Early Childhood Adversities and Trajectories of Psychiatric Problems in Adoptees: Evidence for Long Lasting Effects

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to investigate whether early childhood adversities determine the longitudinal course of psychiatric problems from childhood to adulthood; in particular if the impact of early maltreatment on psychopathology decreases as time passes. A sample of 1,984 international adoptees was followed (955 males and 1029 females; adopted at the mean age of 29 months). Parents provided information about abuse, neglect and number of placements prior to adoption at baseline and completed the Child Behavior Checklist or the Young Adult Behavior Checklist three times when their children were between 10 and 30 years of age. Multilevel analyses were performed to determine trajectories of psychiatric problems. Experience of early childhood adversity prior to adoption substantially increased the level of psychiatric problems, especially when maltreatment was severe. Moreover, the impact of early adversities on psychiatric problems remained markedly stable. This suggests that vulnerability of early-maltreated children persists even if they are taken out of their problematic environments and are raised in enriched circumstances.

Ex post-facto study of long-term stress in a sample of adoptees

“…The fact that all the adoptees in the sample were actively searching for their biological families may explain why they did not show adoption-process avoidance. These results also support Pavio and Patteson (1999) results about the long term consequences of child abuse in poor social adjustment and isolation feelings, and extend the consequences of maltreatment after maltreatment episodes well beyond the 28 years reported by Van der Vegt et al (2009). In our study, maltreatment was combined with traumatic revelation of adoptee status in a part of the sample, and this combination produced a stronger effect in posttraumatic symptoms.…”

“…Also, studies in internationally adopted samples demonstrated the effect of early adversities on mental health problems in childhood, adolescence and adulthood (Cederblad, Höök, Irhammar & Mercke, 1999;Fensbo, 2004;Hoksbergen, 1997;Juffer & IJzendoorm, 2005). Finally, a study by Van der Vegt, van der Ende, Ferdinand, Verhulst and Tiemeier (2009) with internationally adopted children found no reduction in the impact of early maltreatment over a period of 28 years, from childhood to adulthood, even though the children had been taken out of their problematic environments and raised in enriching environments.…”

Stress : Clinical and Developmental Aspects of Salivary Cortisol in Infants

“…Increased cortisol levels among low SES children correlate with symptoms of depression [76,93,96], stress, or anxiety [102] among mothers, underscoring the need for a long-term solution to reduce psychosocial risk factors in these families. Both adults and adolescents with deviating CCRs (higher baseline levels and flatter slope) have retrospectively reported early childhood adversity [84,103]. Our findings of higher variability in cortisol levels, higher basal cortisol levels, and less well-defined CCRs are consistent with earlier studies [76,93,101,102], despite population differences in age.…”

“…Children (one to six years old), born to a normal population of healthy mothers who self-reported maternal stress, anxiety, and psychological stress during their infants' first years of life, show altered cortisol AUC and CCR development [102], as do older children (six to ten years old) of low SES whose basal cortisol levels are increased [93]. Both adults and adolescents with altered CCR (higher basal levels and flatter slope) have retrospectively reported early childhood adversity [84,103].…”

Amygdala, Childhood Adversity and Psychiatric Disorders

“…It has been shown for a long time that early life adversity significantly increases psychiatric vulnerability in adulthood [7]; such an effect has been replicated in many large sample studies [8,9]. High risk psychiatric conditions include depression [10], anxiety [11], substance abuse [12], as well as psychosis related disorders such as schizophrenia [13,14].…”