Behavior problems and attachment in adopted and non-adopted adolescents

Many studies have shown that adopted adolescents present more behavioral problems than non-adopted adolescents do. However, few studies have been published about national adoption in South America, even though this is the most common type of adoption in these countries. The goal of this study was to examine the differences in behavioral problems between nationally adopted and non-adopted adolescents (using Achenbach's Child Behavior Check-list (CBCL) and the Youth Self Report (YSR)), as well as to examine the relationship between behavioral problems and attachment style in adolescents. Participants: 25 adolescents adopted at the age of 6 months or older and 25 non-adopted adolescents. Results: No significant differences were found between groups in terms of behavioral problems. Adolescents adopted at a later age presented more “social problems” than those who were adopted earlier on. Even though the adopted adolescents presented more insecure attachment, there were no significant differences between groups in terms of behavioral problems and attachment style. There was a significant interaction between adoption and attachment on the Thought Problems scale of the YSR, with the non-adopted/insecure adolescents scoring higher. Possible interpretations of these results are presented in the discussion. In general, the adopted adolescents were not significantly different from the adolescents who grew up with their birth families. Furthermore, adoption within the first two years of life may represent a protective factor against “social problems” during adolescence. These findings may contribute to the de-stigmatization of adoption and a move away from the idea that adopted adolescents are “difficult”.     

Social work with vulnerable families and children in 11 Russian regions

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to describe and analyse how key actors in the social sector in Russian regions identify problems, objectives and social work achievements in connection with vulnerable families and children.

Methods. University personnel conducted 209 interviews using semi-structured questionnaires.

Results. Family problems were reported to be related to poverty, parents’ alcohol abuse, the child's behaviour, the child's lack of social skills, domestic conflicts and problems getting adequate housing. The view of the majority of the respondents was that social orphanhood depends on poverty, alcohol abuse and the family's diminished role in society. Family incomes have improved but services have become more expensive. The social workers mostly put the child, not the family, in focus. Alcohol abuse was considered to be a greater problem in wealthier regions. Analyses between key groups showed that the respondents ranked problems differently, had similar ways of defining important objectives, but had divergent opinions on what social work could achieve concerning, for example, re-establishing the child's contacts with his/her biological parents.

Conclusions. The respondents seem to be highly ambivalent toward alcohol abuse as a social problem and toward biological parents in vulnerable families. Social work in the regions is a profession in the process of formation.     

A follow-up study of adopted children from Romania

Romania became notorious in recent history for the problems in its child welfare system. A black cloud continues to hang over the country since media reports, such as 20/20's Shame of a Nation, and other writings and broadcasts have focused worldwide attention on the child welfare problems in Romania. During this same time period from 1990 to 1993, several thousand children were adopted from Romania by North American families. This study describes the positive and negative aspects of children adopted from Romania. It gives particular attention to the experiences of families who adopted children from institutional settings compared to other placements.A version of this paper was presented at the 21st Annual North American Council on Adoptable Children Conference, Norfolk, Virginia, August 3–6, 1995.     

Predictors of children in foster care being adopted: A classification tree analysis

When returning home is not a viable option, adoption is the primary means by which youth in substitute care achieve permanency. Therefore, understanding the factors that impact adoption is critical to both evaluating and improving the child welfare system. Prior research has mostly studied “main effects” in regard to adoption rates and has not explored the ways in which youth and foster family variables might interact in complex ways to predict adoption. This study uses a classification tree analysis approach known as Optimal Data Analysis (ODA) to predict probability of adoption in 2003 using Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) data. 30,000 adopted youth and 30,000 non-adopted youth were randomly selected for participation in the study. Similar to previous studies, univariate analyses revealed that age, foster parent race/ethnicity, foster parent marital status, and number of previous placements all predicted probability of adoption. However, going further, several combinations of individual variables (multivariate ODA) improved prediction accuracy (e.g., age × structure of foster family × number of previous placements). Results also suggested that the impact of the state on adoption rates varied when essentially controlling for youth and family variables, supporting concerns regarding the crude use of AFCARS data when comparing states.     

Russian Social Science in Transition: Applied Political Research and Social Criticism

One means by which the Soviet state maintained hegemony was through control over the production and movement of information. This function created ambiguity, on the one hand, and contradiction on the other, as sociological inquiry progressed within the Soviet system. This circumstance extended to both the appropriate subject matter and the methodology of sociological research. While sociology practiced in the West operated more or less within broad boundaries of free inquiry, such was not the case for most of twentieth century Russia. This paper explores this history of permissible sociological research in Russia, and then turns an eye on the more recent developments in sociology in light of the new Russian state. In particular, the development of democratic processes in Russia have led to a concomitant growth in research centers, institutes, and consultancies, all of which have significant practical and applied objectives for the sociological product. A listing of Russian research centers on the web is included.     

A comparison of objective and subjective measures of clinical competence

The purpose of this study was to determine if objective performance measures from a simulated patient practical examination were related to faculty subjective assessments of surgery students' performance. Another purpose was to determine if those students performing well on a simulated patient practical examination were the same students awarded honor ratings by faculty. Faculty ratings of students (n = 72) on history taking ability, physical exam skills, problem identification, use of investigations, problem integration, patient management, and patient relations skills were correlated with objective measures on these same criteria achieved on a practical exam employing three simulated patient cases. Correlations were also calculated to study the relationship between practical exam scores and honor rating recipients. Results indicated significant relationships between faculty subjective ratings and practical exam outcomes on all practical examination skills except physical exam skills and patient management skills. Findings also indicated the performance of honor students on the practical examination was significantly better than non-honor students on two skills: history-taking and patient relations. The implications of these research findings are discussed.     

Behavioral problems of special needs adopted children

Parents of 757 special needs adoptees completed the behavior problems section of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Significant behavioral problems were not indicated for those children aged 4–5 at the time of the study. For children aged 6 to 16, behavioral problem scores were elevated on the two major CBC scales, externalizing (aggressive, acting-out behavior) and internalizing (withdrawn, inhibited behavior). The degree of elevation was greater for externalizing. Elevated scores were also observed on the total behavioral problems scale and, in particular, on hyperactivity sub-scales.     

Social exclusion and social capital: A comparison and critique

Social exclusion and social capital are widely used concepts with multiple and ambiguous definitions. Their meanings and indicators partially overlap, and thus they are sometimes used interchangeably to refer to the inter-relations of economy and society. Both ideas could benefit from further specification and differentiation. The causes of social exclusion and the consequences of social capital have received the fullest elaboration, to the relative neglect of the outcomes of social exclusion and the genesis of social capital. This article identifies the similarities and differences between social exclusion and social capital. We compare the intellectual histories and theoretical orientations of each term, their empirical manifestations and their place in public policy. The article then moves on to elucidate further each set of ideas. A central argument is that the conflation of these notions partly emerges from a shared theoretical tradition, but also from insufficient theorizing of the processes in which each phenomenon is implicated. A number of suggestions are made for sharpening their explanatory focus, in particular better differentiating between cause and consequence, contextualizing social relations and social networks, and subjecting the policy ‘solutions’ that follow from each perspective to critical scrutiny. Placing the two in dialogue is beneficial for the further development of each.     

Russian labour culture: how it looks in comparison

Assuming that national culture should not be disregarded especially at a time of massive economic restructuring as having serious influence on labour relations and type of management, we make an attempt to reveal its features empirically and compare them with those of other national cultures, identifying whose cultural characteristics are closest to the Russian one. The article examines Russian labour culture by measuring it with the help of Hofstede's universal indices in an empirical study of employees of four industrial enterprises in different parts of Russia. The measuring tool allows a comparative perspective; we also offer interpretations of the obtained indices, enriching them by illustrations from informal interviews with the employees of those enterprises. The results brought Russia close to a number of European countries that had welfare-state orientation and strong institutional and historical connections with Russia, such as Finland, Germany, Austria and Israel. The article argues that experience in the field of labour relations and organizational models of these countries should not be discounted, although reformers often place their hopes mainly on the Anglo-Saxon or American models.     

Social skills of adopted Chinese girls at home and in school: Parent and teacher ratings

This study examines adopted Chinese girls' social skills at home and in school as well as the effect of pre-adoption adversity on these skills. Parent ratings of 869 girls and teacher ratings of 611 of the 869 girls were obtained using the Social Skills Rating System for parent (SSRS-P) and teacher (SSRS-T) respectively. The girls were adopted on average at 15.6 months (SD = 13.9) and were in three age groups, including preschool, elementary school, and secondary school. Data on five indicators of pre-adoption adversity (i.e., signs/symptoms, delays at adoption, initial refusal/avoidance of adoptive mothers, crying/clinging behaviors, and age at adoption) were obtained from the same adoptive parents 2 years prior. Findings suggest that both parents and teachers rated the girls as either similar to or better than US norms on the SSRS. Parent–teacher agreement on SSRS subscales was significant but modest (rs = 0.12–0.25). Two indicators of pre-adoption adversity (i.e., delays at adoption and initial refusal/avoidance of adoptive mothers) predicted poorer social skills at home; two other indicators of pre-adoption adversity (i.e., signs/symptoms and age at adoption) predicted poorer social skills in school.     

Outsourcing human resource management: A comparison of Russian and U.S. practices

Our objective is to determine the current state of outsourcing of HRM functions at companies operating in Russia, both Russian and Russian-based foreign com-panies, and compare and contrast the results with the findings of the Society for Human Research Management (SHRM) study of outsourcing practices at American companies in the United States. The comparison reveals the differences and similarities in terms of reasons for outsourcing as well as the obstacles and problems in implementing HRM outsourcing decisions to a foreign setting.     

Identification of risk factors for psychological disturbance in adopted children

A postal survey explored the prevalence of emotional and behavioural problems in 97 adopted children using Achenbach's Child Behaviour Checklist. Possible predictors of high problem scores were sought in the pre-placement history and in aspects of the adoptive placement. The adopted children studied had significantly higher problem scores than a non-clinic population. Problem scores were significantly higher in children with a history of pre-placement abuse. Abused children also had significantly more placements prior to adoption and were older at adoption. Racial congruence of adopted family, sex of child and ethnicity did not affect problem scores. Sibling contact was positively associated with high problem scores. The findings have important implications for adoption policy and the management of intractable child abuse and require further more detailed investigation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Navigating in an unknown land: Post adoption contexts of children adopted from China

Abstract

This qualitative/ethnographic study investigated how children adopted from China construct their identities. The authors describe the subtle interaction of home, school, and community cultures that influenced these children's identity formation. Focusing on the children, the researchers followed 13 adoptive families over the course of 16 months. The setting for the study was in several metropolitan areas of the American Midwest. Children's post adoption experiences, family life, schooling, and Adopted Children from China (ACC) activities became a window for viewing many of the core issues in constructing cultural identity. Children in this study actively negotiated their identities in various social contexts.     

Parent-child separation: A comparison of maternally and paternally separated children in military families

In recent times children have adapted to parental separation as parents balance the demands of family and job responsibilities. While job-related separation affect many in today's society, no population is affected more than children of military families. Changes in the Armed Services have resulted in more children being separated from their active-duty mothers. Although studies have documented the relationship between father-absence and a child's psychosocial development, little is known about mother-child separation in military families. This study compares the psychosocial functioning of children who have experienced extended maternal separation with that exhibited by children who have separated from their fathers. Implications for social work practice are addressed.This research met the dissertation requirement for a D.S.W. at Catholic University of America with Dr. Elizabeth Timberlake as chair and Dr. Barbara Early as committee member.Dr. Applewhite is Chief, Social Work Service, Beyne-Jones Army Community Hospital and Dr. Mays is Social Work Consultant to the Army Surgeon General, Walter Reed Army Medical Center.     

When Opportunity Structure Knocks: Social Movements in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation

The notion of an opportunity structure has become both popular and confusing for social movement research. This paper attempts to clarify how opportunity structures are understood through a discussion of separatism in two cases: the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. Instead of being treated as a collective whole, opportunity structures are broken into three factors: A) constitutional rules and rights; B) elite control; and C) the state's capacity and propensity for repression. Factor A represents formal restrictions on potentially insurgent groups while factors B and C are informal restrictions. In the Soviet and Russian settings, four distinct opportunity structures are identified. The first, established under Stalin, was narrow, constraining potentially insurgent groups. But the second, which emerged under Gorbachev, was relatively wide and contributed to the willingness of various republics to declare independence. The third, established at the founding of the Russian Federation, was medium in width, but did not permit the types of activity found in the second. And lastly, the fourth can be dated to Putin's reforms of the early twenty-first century, and is narrow in character. Although future research is necessary for confirmation, this disaggregated model is intended to be generally applicable in other contexts.     

Politics and Philosophy in Russian Social Democracy: Alexander Bogdanov and the Sociotheoretical Foundations of Vpered

Il’f and Petrov’s travel memoir, Odnoetazhnaia Amerika (One-Storied America), is an account of their travels across the United States in the mid-thirties. This work—much edited and censored for changing political climates—was a state-sponsored attempt to reveal the “real” America to the Soviet reader. Although many critics have asserted that Il’f and Petrov’s treatment of America is surprisingly positive, regarding the work as “positive satire” ignores important stylistic and rhetorical devices operational in the text. The authors’ positive assessments of America are invariably about services, behaviours or habits they judge to be potentially useful in the building of socialism. More interesting is how the text reflects on Soviet culture; One-Storied America is an instrument of mythologization of the authors’ native land in the tradition of much travel literature. Their frame of reference for the observations about the exotic, alien world they encounter is their own culture and establishing difference, in this case, entails value judgement: what is svoi is superior. The foreignness of the other (America) is established by Il’f and Petrov through plot structure and through linguistic tropes. Average Americans— those who are not politically conscious—are characterized as limited, prejudiced and lacking taste, and this is reflected in their primitive language. Those who are ideologically sympathetic (either Americans or displaced Russians) speak excellent Russian; their speech is not marked as other. One-Storied America can thus be read as Il’f and Petrov’s attempt to exploit the foreignness of American culture in the service of Soviet cultural construction. They are particularly concerned with the construction of image and perception—and misapprehension and fear of the other are effective tools.     

Mental health service utilization and time to care: A comparison of children in traditional foster care and children in kinship care

Existing research indicates that children who are involved with the child welfare system and placed in various forms of out-of-home care experience emotional and behavioral problems. It is also suggested that children placed in kinship care are less likely to receive mental health services than children placed in non-kinship foster homes. This study sought to compare children in non-kinship foster homes to children in kinship care to determine their receipt of mental health services and the time it took for children in kinship care to receive mental health services compared to children in non-kinship foster homes. Using a Cox regression, researchers determined that children in kinship care had a 14% lower likelihood of receipt of mental health services compared to their counterparts in non-kinship foster placements.     

Aloha and ambiguity: Social work with children in Hawaii

Hawaii's children grow up in a rich and multifaceted environment which shapes their growth in unique ways. Strong influences from Japanese, Hawaiian, Filipino, Chinese, Korean and Samoan cultures join with a variety of European ethnic groups to enrich the cultural climate of Hawaii. Intermarriage is common and cultural diversity the norm. A strong military presence and a transient tourist population both represent jobs for many residents and influence the philosophy and behavior of the people. A high cost of living forces most families to have at least two wage earners in order to survive. Social work in Hawaii must recognize the usual stresses which all families face as well as some that are unique to this island state. The need to see life through the eyes of another is one of the basic social work values which presents a real challenge for social workers with the children and families of Hawaii.in full time private practice in Kailua, Hawaii.     

The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder and adopted adolescents: A cautionary note

Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder and adopted emotionally-disturbed adolescents share many personality and psychodynamic characteristics: problems with object loss, separation and abandonment, identity disorders. Emotionally-disturbed adopted adolescents are likely to receive a BPD diagnosis because of 1. unknown genetic or constitutional components, 2. defects in early mothering or chaotic parenting seen in late adoptions, 3. possible misdiagnosis, 4. psychodynamic similarities. Authors caution against the possibility of misdiagnosis because of this environmental reinforcement provided by an adopted status.