Parenting as a Moderator of Cumulative Risk for Behavioral Competence in Adopted Children

摘要

This study investigated relations of cumulative risk and parenting to competence in adopted children. Families were recruited with the assistance of nonprofit agencies dedicated to providing post-placement services (e.g., counseling, support groups) to adoptive families. Seventy adoptive parents of elementary school-aged children completed the Weinberger Parenting Inventory, the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), and a measure of their child's level of cumulative risk and behavior. Teachers assessed the adoptees’ behavior, social skills, and academic achievement using the Teacher's Report Form of the CBCL. Results of hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that cumulative risk (e.g., history of maltreatment) was a significant, negative predictor of adaptive behavior, whereas parenting quality (i.e., child-centered parenting) was a significant, positive predictor of adaptive behavior. Child-centeredness moderated the effects of risk on behavior, such that children with high risk seemed to benefit the most from child-centered parenting. In general, results indicate that a caregiving environment high in responsiveness and involvement can counter the harmful effects of risk for adopted children.View full textDownload full textKEYWORDSAdoption, cumulative risk, parenting, competence, middle childhoodRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10926755.2011.557945