The Effects on Foster Parents Who Adopt Children With Behavioral Problems, Dissertation – Literature Example

Literature Review

Preplacement Experience of Adopted Children

Brand and Brinich (1999) write in the work entitled “Behavior Problems and Mental Health Contacts in Adopted, Foster, and Nonadopted Children” that the adjustment of adopted children both emotionally and behaviorally has been cited in empirical literature to be inherent of an increased risk for the development of problems. In fact, the clinical research demonstrates that these children are over-represented in clinical populations. Studies that have reported significant differences between children who are adopted and nonadopted children on a wide range of variables including “measuring social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive functioning” include those of Verhulst, Althaus & Versluis-den Bieman 1990a; Andresen, 1992; Bohman, 19870, 1971, Bohman & Sigvardsson, 1978, 1980, 1990; Radice, Huffman & Merkler, 1987, Brodzinsky, Schechter, Braff & Singer, 1984; and others. The study reported by Brand and Brinich states the objective of making a determination if adopted children “were more likely to experience behavior problems and mental health contacts than nonadopted children.” (p.1222) Research has indicated that the older the age of the child when placed in foster care, the more likely that the child will have behavioral and emotional problems. (Cohen, Coyne & Duvall, 1993) Toward this end, Brand and Brinish examined “age of placement as a variable contributing to emotional and behavioral adjustment.” (1999, p.1222) The hypothesis stated by Brand and Brinish was that the comparison group, comprised by foster children would experience the largest number of mental health contacts and the highest scores on a behavior problem index.” (1999, p.1222) Brand and Brinich used the National Health Survey (NHIS) as their data source, which is collected through personal interviews with members of the households. Findings of the study reported state that children placed in the home after six months of age did not have a higher score on the behavior problem scale than nonadopted children. Further, there was no significant differences found between nonadopted and adopted children on a range of adjustment variables however, foster care in very young children is reported to appear as associated with higher scores on the behavior problem scale than non-adopted children. Pre-placement experiences in children who have been neglected or abused is reported as a possible reason that this is true.

Cognitive Skills of Adopted Children

It is reported in an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Policy Brief that many children which are young and “with complicated, serious physical health, mental health, or developmental problems are entering foster care during the early years when brain growth is most active.” (p.1) Additionally reported is the fact that during the first few years of life the anatomic brain structures governing such as “…personality traits, learning processes, and coping with stress and emotions are established, strengthened, and made permanent.” (Huttenlocher, 1994; Turner and Greenough, 1985 in AAP Policy Brief, 2000) When these are not used, it is reported that these structure “atrophy”. (AAP Policy Brief, 2000, p.1) When this happens, it is reported “…the nerve connections and neurotransmitter networks that are forming during these critical years are influenced by negative environmental conditions, including lack of stimulation, child abuse, or violence within the family.” (Perry, et al, 1995 in AAP Policy Brief, 2000) Emotional and cognitive disruptions in the early lives of children are reported to have the ability to impair the development of the child’s brain. The impact of parental substance abuse on children in terms of the child’s cognitive skills and behavior ratings was examined in 268 children who were school age and reported in the work of McNichol and Tash (2001). The children in foster care are reported as presenting with “low average cognitive skills” however making “significant improvement in cognitive functioning during placement.” (p.238) However, it is reported that children with “prenatal exposure to drugs scored significantly lower in cognitive skills at the beginning of placement but made significantly more progress than the other children during placement.” (McNichol and Tash, 2001, p.238)

Formation of Infant-Mother Attachment Crucial in Development

Attachment is examined in the work of Hughes (2000) who reports that attachment rests upon experiences of ‘attunement’, which are “recurring moments of interpersonal communion that rests upon affect.” (Hughes, 2000, p.4) Research has indicated, “when the mother and infant are playing, these experiences are observed every 65 seconds. These countless experiences are the foundation for later affective communication between the child and others.” (Hughes, 2000, p.5) Stern (1985) writes that the majority for attunement experiences “relate to vitality affects rather than categorical affects. By vitality affects, he is referring to the underlying feeing states that are always present within any living individual. These states are characterized by intensity and pleasure/displeasure.” (Hughes, 2000, p.5) During these moments of interactions between the mother and child a “living attachment exists, develops and becomes a unique reality to this specific mother-child pair.” (Hughes, 2000, p.27) The quality of the mother’s emotional attunement with the child is critical in the determination of the nature of the child’s biological “affective, behavioral, and cognitive development. Because the infant or toddler is engaged in his dance with his mother, his development proceeds normally; without the dance, profound distortions, and deficiencies in development will result.” (Hughes, 2000, p.27) The child who fails to develop a healthy emotional attachment experiences cognitive and developmental delays especially in the area of language, which is a right brain hemisphere function. The dynamic infant-mother dyad is reported as crucial for the neurobiological development of the significant structures within the right hemisphere.” (Hughes, 2000, p.28) Simms, Dublwotz, and Szilagyi (2000) report that it is unclear what impact welfare reform may have on the many children who need foster care placement especially since it is noted that multiple barriers to health care that is adequate for this population exist. Studies are needed in the areas of the impact of different health care delivery models, the role of the provision of continuity of care and the child’s perception of the foster care experience as well as the adjustment of children to foster care and education of foster parents on health care outcomes. (Hughes, 2000, paraphrased; Nelson, et al, 2011) Another issue faced by foster parents with their foster children upon placement is the lag in the child’s academic achievement exacerbated by poor school attendance. Runyan and Gould (2011) report that school attendance improves in children upon their placement in foster care and as well, the grades of children improved upon improved attendance. The issues faced by foster parents are such that impact their lives on a daily basis as they cope with the various problems that foster children experience due to maltreatment, abuse and neglect preplacement. A study is reported in the work of Fisher, Gunnar, Chamberlain and Reid (2000) report a pilot study that evaluated the effectiveness of the Early Intervention Foster Care (EIFC) program in the period immediately following placement of a child in a new foster home. The study reports collecting data from an EIFC group, a regular foster care group and a community comparison group with ten participants in each group. Data was collected through questionnaires for children and their caretakers along with salivary cortisol sampling. The results of the study states that EIFC foster parents adopted and maintained parenting strategies and the EIFC children’s behavioral adjustment was improved. Regular foster care children are reported to have “exhibited decrements in functioning in several areas over the same period.” (Fisher, Gunnar, Chamberlain and Reid, 2000, p.1) Various treatment options exist to assist foster parents and children placed in foster care with the tools and skills to lessen the negative impact of foster parenting and to enable the potential of the child to become normally functioning member of society.

Bibliography

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