A direct comparison of girls adopted from China and Eastern Europe: anxiety, hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention and defiant behaviours

Previous research looking at adopted children has shown that children adopted from Eastern Europe (EE) are more likely to show inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity whereas girls adopted from China (CH) tend to have normative adjustment scores, although as they grow up, internalising behaviours might increase. We directly compare parental ratings of the SNAP-IV (Hyperactivity/Inattention) and SCARED (Anxiety) of girls adopted from CH (n = 42), EE (n = 34) and other countries (n = 32). EE were more likely to show inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and defiant behaviours than CH, independent of age at adoption and number of siblings. The age of the child only had a significant effect on defiant behaviours. No significant differences in anxiety were observed between groups. Overall anxiety levels were related to hyperactivity/impulsivity. Specific factors related to adoption in each region might account for differential levels in inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and defiant behaviours and should be taken into account to aid the adjustment of adoptees.