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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
Self-regulation in newly arrived international adoptees
Linda Grey Tirella1, Laurie C Miller
1International Adoption Clinic, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. ltirella@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
|March 12, 2011
Summary
Many international adoptees (IA) experience eating, sleeping, and self-soothing/self-stimulating (SS) difficulties. Pre-adoptive factors like country of origin and nutritional status are linked to these common self-regulation challenges.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- International Adoption Studies
Background:
- International adoptees (IA) frequently exhibit challenges with self-regulation, including eating, sleeping, and self-soothing/self-stimulating (SS) behaviors.
- The prevalence and specific risk factors associated with these difficulties in IA populations remain underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of self-regulation and behavioral difficulties (eating, sleeping, SS behaviors) in a cohort of international adoptees.
- To investigate the relationship between these difficulties and pre-adoptive risk factors such as growth, orphanage care, age at arrival, and medical history.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 387 international adoptees (133 male, 254 female; average age 16 months).
- Data collected on self-regulation behaviors and pre-adoptive risk factors using a standardized data collection sheet.
- Participants represented adoptees from seventeen different countries.
Main Results:
- 49% of IA exhibited SS behaviors, 48% had sleep disturbances, and 34% had eating issues.
- Many children experienced difficulties in more than one area.
- Significant associations were found between these behavioral problems and country of origin, pre-adoption residence, and arrival nutritional status.
Conclusions:
- Self-regulation difficulties are common among international adoptees.
- Pre-adoptive factors play a role in the manifestation of these behavioral challenges.
- Further research is needed to understand the long-term course and impact of these behaviors on family functioning.
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