Edith Cowan University Research Online Theses : Honours Theses 1994 Intercountry adoptive families in Western Australia: The well-being of their four to sixteen-year-old adoptees Trudy Rosenwald Edith Cowan University Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons Part of the Family, Life Course, and Society Commons Recommended Citation Rosenwald, T. (1994). Intercountry adoptive families in Western Australia: The well-being of their four to sixteen-year-old adoptees. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/278 This Thesis is posted at Research Online. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses_hons/278 Edith Cowan University Copyright Warning You may print or download ONE copy of this document for the purpose of your own research or study. The University does not authorize you to copy, communicate or otherwise make available electronically to any other person any copyright material contained on this site. You are reminded of the following: Copyright owners are entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. A reproduction of material that is protected by copyright may be a copyright infringement. Where the reproduction of such material is done without attribution of authorship, with false attribution of authorship or the authorship is treated in a derogatory manner, this may be a breach of the author’s moral rights contained in Part IX of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Courts have the power to impose a wide range of civil and criminal sanctions for infringement of copyright, infringement of moral rights and other offences under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Higher penalties may apply, and higher damages may be awarded, for offences and infringements involving the conversion of material into digital or electronic form. Intercountry Adoptive Families in Western Australia: The Well-being of Their Four to Sixteen-year-old Adoptees by Trudy Rosenwald A thesis submitted in partial fulfiiment of the requirements for the award of Bachelor of Arts (Psychology)- Honours at the Faculty of Health and Human Sciences_ EDITH COW AN UNIVERSITY Ioondafup Western Australia November, 1994 USE OF THESIS The Use of Thesis statement is not included in this version of the thesis. Intercountry Adoption ru ABSTRACT The study investigated the well-being of 283 four to sixteen-year-old intercountry adopted (ICA) children in general and in relation to two specific adoption variables. The sample represented 80% of the estimated 4-16 year old ICA population of Western Australia (W A). Well-beingwas defined in terms of competence, happiness, health and problem behaviours. The primary source oflnfonnation was Achenbach's parent reported Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) as used by the Western Australian Child Health Survey (WACHS). Bowlby's attachment theory provided the theoretical framework for the prediction that adoption after the age of 6 months, and the experience of adversity prior to adoption, negative!y affected later well-being. Adversity was based on parenta1 reports of knowledge about the ICA child's experiences of neglect, abuse, and changes of care. A search of the archives of the ICA organisation Australia for Children Society identified most of the target population. The response rate of the mail survey was 86%. This provided data on 87% of the traced children. Parents completed one 16-item Family Questionnaire and a 4 part Child Questionnaire for each ICA child. The results of the study indicated that the majority of children were considered to be happy (88%), healthy (92%), competent (82%) in activities, social and school functioning, and with a level of problem behaviours within the normal range (86%). Girls were rated higher in well-being than boys, particularly in the area of competence. The well-being of the ICA children was of a similar level to that of their WACHS peers. ICA parents tended to rate their children's competence and progress more often very positive or negative than the WACHS parents. The prediction that adoption after the age of 6 months and adverse pre-adoption experiences would negatively affect later well-being, was only partially supported. Adversity was significantly related to age at adoption (1(282)=.42, p< .001). Adoption after the age of 6 months negatively affected school functioning (F{I,262)=8.62, p< .01, '1'=.03). In a small suiJ-sample (n=52) the experience of pre-adoption adversity resulted in a signiEcantly higher level of problem behaviou" (F{I,47)=6.567, p< .05, rl= .12). The strongest association for adversity was found between neglect and problem behaviours (r=.l3). Intercountry Adoption lv DECLARATION I certify that this thesis does not incorp·orate without acknowledgment any material previously submitted for a degree or diploma in any institute of higher education; and that to tl1e best of my knowledge and belief it does not contain any material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the text. Signature: Intercountry Adoption v Intercountry Adoption vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To the many people who over the past nine years inspired and encouraged me in my studies, I thank you. o To my Supervisor, Valerie Roche, thank you for your support and patience, and for guiding me along one of the steepest learning curves of my life. o Thank you Dr Adelma Hills and Dr Amanda Blackmore >'or your advice on research design and statistical analysis. o To my very first External Studies lecturer, Maureen Stepanoff, thank you for your tolerance of my beginner's brand of English and for introducing me gently to the art of referencing. o My gratitude to all my lecturers in Psychology and in Aboriginal and Intercultural Studies at Edith Cowan University who, over the years, have shared their wealth of knowledge with me. o Thank you to the committee of the Australia for Children Society Inc. for allowing me to use the Society as a base from which to undertake this study. A big thank you to all the intercountry adoptive families who participated in the research. Your generous response made the study so much more worthwhile. o A very special thank you to Dr. Stephen Zubrick &ad colleagues at the Western Australian Research Institute for Child Health for the generous sharing of reading, survey, and results material from the Western Australian Child Health Survey. o My good friend and fellow research student Maureen Roberts, your support and advice have provided me with welcome relief over the years, thank you so much. o I could not have finished this thesis without the help of three computer wizards: my husband Arthur who patiently provided and updated the necessary hard-and software; my son Patrick who spent many hours entering thousands of bits of data, and Bob Wiegand of Bay Lynx Computing who produced this glossy version of the final pmduct. Thanks guys! Finally, to my long suffering husband and children, thank you for hanging in there. We can now go on holidays. Intercountry Adoption vn TABLE OF CONTENTS USE OF THESIS . • . • . • . • . li ABSTRACT . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . • . • • iii DECLARATION .•..•.•..•..•....•........•.•.....•.......•.. iv DEDICATION.............................................. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS • . • . • • . • . • . • . • . • • . • . • . • . • vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ...............................•........ vii LIST OF TABLES . xi LIST OF FIGURES . xi CHAPI"ER 1 • INTRODUCTION . I Background of the Study . I Role of the United Nations . • . I Numbers of Intercountry Adoptions . 2 Australia . • . 2 Western Australia . 2 Profile of Families and Children . 3 Well-being in Intercountry Adoption . 3 Outcome oflntercountry Adoption . 3 Terminology and Meaning of the Concept of Well-being . 4 Defining Well-being . • . 4 Models of Well-being in Adoption Research . • . 4 General Models . 4 The Attachment Model . • . 5 Future Intercountry Adoptions . • . 5 Worldwide . • . 5 Australia . • . • . • . 5 Significance of Ute Study . • . 6 Aims of the Study . • . • . • • . 6 Research Questions . 7 Definition of Key Variables . • . • . 8 Summary . • . • . • . 8 CHAYI'ER 2 ·LITERATURE REVIEW . 9 Introduction . • . • . • 9 Adoption . • . • . • • 9 Theoretical Perspectives in Adoption . • . • . 9 Attachment . • . • . • . • . • 10 Attachment Theory . • . • . • . • . I 0 Basic Tenets of Attachment Theory . • . • 10 Main Concepts Development of Attachment Sensitive Period for Attachment Formation Intercountry Adoption vlli TABLE OF CONTENTS Attachment Security and the Development of Competence Attachment Research ....•.•••.•......•.•.•.•.•..... 12 Attachment and Competence Attachment and Problem Behaviours Attachment and Well-being Well-being ..•.•..........•........•.•.•...•....•.•.•.• 13 Competence and Problem Behaviours ...........•............ 14 Frequently Reported Problems • . .. • . • . •..•.....•.• IS Happiness ............................ , .......... .. IS Physical Health .....•.•............•......•...•.•.... 16 Intercountry Adoption ....... , .. , ... , . , . , .. , . , ... , ........ , 16 Well-being in Intercountry Adoption .•........•..........•.•. 16 Clinical Studies ..................•......•...•.... 16 Problematic Behaviours Disruptions in ICA Physical Ill-health and Developmental Delay Non-clinicaJ Studies ............•...........•...•.. 18 Early Research Longitudinal Research Recent Research Attachment in ICA Adoption . , ........ , ........ , . , ...... 21 Age at Adoption . ............. , . ..... 22 Pre-Adoption Adversity ... , ...•........•.•......•.•. 23 Summary 24 CHAPl'ER 3 - METHOD ................•....................