Internalizing disorder in adopted versus non-adopted adults: a NESARC based study

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Epidemiology
• Genetics and Behavior

Background:

• Adoption is a complex experience that may influence mental health.
• Understanding psychiatric disorder prevalence in adoptees is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare lifetime prevalence and odds ratios of anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders between adopted and non-adopted individuals.
• To identify specific disorders with differential prevalence in adoptees.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative sample.
• Compared lifetime internalizing psychiatric disorders in adopted (n=378) versus non-adopted (n=42,503) individuals.
• Employed logistic regression analyses to estimate odds ratios for various disorders.

Main Results:

• Adoptees exhibited significantly higher prevalence rates for mood and anxiety disorders.
• Increased odds were observed for any mood disorder (OR 1.61) and any anxiety disorder (OR 1.49).
• Specific disorders with higher odds in adoptees included major depressive disorder, bipolar I, panic disorder without agoraphobia, specific phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder.

Conclusions:

• Adoptees have elevated rates of mood and anxiety disorders compared to non-adoptees in the general population.
• Certain internalizing disorders are more prevalent among adoptees, suggesting potential environmental or genetic influences.
• Asian/Pacific Island ethnicity was identified as an adoption-specific risk factor for lifetime mood disorder.