Adopted Children's Social Competence: The Interplay Between Past and Present Influences

Abstract

ObjectiveTo explore potential postadoption moderators of the link between preadoption experiences and adoptees' social competence.BackgroundIn the context of the limited and inconsistent knowledge about adopted children's social competence, our hypotheses concern the interplay between preadoption parental neglect and adoptive parents' emotion socialization practices.MethodWith adopters as informants, the social competence of 97 Portuguese school‐age children was evaluated in terms of social skills and competing problem behaviors, using the Social Skills Improvement System‐Rating Scale. Children's preadoption experiences (using a sociodemographic questionnaire) and parental emotion socialization (evaluated by the Coping with Children's Negative Emotions Scale) were also assessed.ResultsTime since adoption and unsupportive adoptive parents' responses moderated the relationship between preadoption parental neglect and adoptees' social skills. Unsupportive adoptive parents' responses exacerbated the effects of preadoption neglect. This moderation was stronger with longer postadoption time.ConclusionAdded to preadoption parental neglect, unsupportive adoptive parenting accentuates the risks for adoptees' social competence.ImplicationsAdoptive parents should be informed that socialization practices concerning children's negative emotions are associated with adopted children's social competence.