Parental stress, family functioning and children’s psychological adjustment in adoptive families: A comparative and longitudinal study

Abstract

This work focuses on parental stress in adoptive families with regard to certain key components of family functioning (the family cohesion and adaptability and the parental reflective functioning) as well as in its connection with adopted children’s adjustment. The sample included 98 Spanish parents and children: a group of 40 internationally adoptive families and another group of 58 non-adoptive families, who served as a control group. The longitudinal and comparative analysis showed no significant differences between adoptive and non-adoptive families’ stress scores, but a different incidence of higher stress levels (more non-adoptive families scored above the 75% cut-off). Parental stress scores were related to family adaptability, parental reflective functioning and children’s psychological adjustment. The regression model showed that the best parental stress predictor, for adoptive families, was children’s hyperactivity problems, also linked to family adaptability.