Problem Behavior in International Adoptees: III. Diagnosis of Child Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

This study is a clinical extension of two previous epidemiological studies on problem behavior in international adoptees. In depth pictures were obtained by clinical interviews of 132 14-year-old international adoptees and their parents. Children were selected on the basis of previously obtained Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) scores. Clinical severity ratings and DSM-III-R diagnoses were obtained. The correlations of r = 0.63 and r = 0.45 between clinical severity ratings and CBCL problem and competence scores, respectively, indicated that the results from the authors' extensive epidemiological survey and the clinical evaluation, which took place more than 10 months later, converged. The results showed that the CBCL may be used in epidemiological studies to obtain an estimate of the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children. The 28% prevalence rate of psychiatric disorders in this sample of 14-year-old international adoptees (22% rate for girls, 36% for boys) was somewhat higher than for general population samples reported in comparable studies. Conduct disorders were elevated in the sample. The behavior of disordered adopted children was characterized by antisocial behaviors, poor relationships, and problems of affect.