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Attachment, cognitive, and motor development in adopted children: short-term outcomes after international adoption

W Monique van Londen1, Femmie Juffer, Marinus H van Ijzendoorn

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Studies, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

Journal of Pediatric Psychology
|August 22, 2007
PubMed

Insights

International adoption is linked to typical infant development and attachment, though disorganized attachment is more common. Early foster care may support better developmental outcomes for adopted infants.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Adoption Studies

Background:

  • International adoption presents unique challenges for infant development and attachment.
  • Understanding developmental trajectories and attachment patterns is crucial for supporting adopted children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess infant attachment and developmental functioning in internationally adopted children.
  • To identify factors influencing development and attachment post-adoption.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed 70 internationally adopted infants at 14 months old.
  • Evaluated infant-mother attachment and developmental quotients (Mental Development Index and Psychomotor Development Index).
  • Collected data on age at arrival and duration of stay in adoptive families.

Main Results:

  • Internationally adopted children showed normative scores for mental and psychomotor development.
  • Attachment distributions (secure, insecure, disorganized) were largely comparable to normative groups, with a higher prevalence of disorganized attachment.
  • Pre-adoption foster care was associated with higher developmental scores, while disorganized attachment correlated with lower scores.

Conclusions:

  • Most internationally adopted children establish secure attachments and exhibit normal development shortly after adoption.
  • Foster care in the country of origin may mitigate potential developmental delays.
  • Disorganized attachment warrants attention for potential impacts on development.
Abstract

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