THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT OF UNITED-STATES ADOPTED ADOLESCENTS ANDTHEIR NONADOPTED SIBLINGS

Using data from a national sample of 715 United States adoptive famili es, comparisons were made between adopted adolescents and birth adoles cents (children born to the adoptive parents) on the Youth Self-Report (Achenbach), 8 psychological and behavioral adjustment factor scales from the Attitudes and Behaviors survey (Benson), and an identity scal e (Search Institute). Multivariate, followed by univariate, analyses o f variance showed significant differences between the 2 groups on the psychological factor scales of Licit Drug Use and School Adjustment. A subsample of nonclinically referred adopted adolescents were also com pared to norms on the Youth Self-Report. Nonreferred adopted boys show ed higher levels of adjustment than the norm group on Withdrawn behavi ors. Nonreferred adopted girls showed better adjustment than the norm group on Social Problems and Withdrawn behaviors and poorer adjustment on Delinquent Behavior and Externalizing behavior. (Standardized effe ct sizes were in the small to moderate range.) These same patterns wer e evidenced when controlling for ethnicity. These data are examined wi thin Brodzinsky's stress and coping model of adoptee adjustment and su pport a body of adoption research that finds a pattern of small but si gnificant differences between adopted and nonadopted persons. The diff erences showing poorer adoptee adjustment in comparison to nonadoptees should not be overstated as is sometimes the case in the adoption cli nical literature, and areas in which adoptees evidence higher levels o f psychological functioning should be further researched.