Dissociative symptoms in school-aged adopted children who experienced maternal separation and disruptive caregiving in infancy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15528281 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Petra Winnette (NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science), Petr Bob (0000-0002-5823-7604, Charles University, corresponding author), Alexandre Datta (0000-0002-2218-8484, Columbia University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Pages | 1453950-1453950 |
| Publication date | 2025-04-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Psychiatry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1664-0640 • E-ISSN: 1664-0640 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1453950 |
| PMID | 40313241 |
| OpenAlex | W4409557394 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 20 |
Amounting findings on maternal separation and early disturbed caregiving suggest that this type of early experience negatively influences socioemotional development and may be associated with behavioral and mental health problems in later life. Concerning previously published studies, we have assessed if maternal separation and disrupted caregiving before adoption in infancy could be related to heightened levels of dissociative symptoms and behavioral problems in middle childhood. We involved 30 children (sample S1) who had experienced maternal separation after birth and short-term institutional or foster care prior to adoption before 16.7 months of age. Based on the parents' reports, they had not experienced any other significant adversities by the time of evaluation. These children were compared to a control group of children who have lived with their biological mothers in complete families (sample S2; N = 25). Although the findings are correlational and not causal, they indicate that specific adverse experiences, maternal separation after birth, and relatively short disruptive caregiving prior to successful adoption in infancy could be associated with significantly heightened levels of dissociative symptoms and behavioral problems in school-aged children. Our data also contribute to the literature on child socioemotional development and the etiology of dissociative disorders
Developmental psychology · Dissociative · Psychiatry · Child Abuse and Trauma · Child Welfare and Adoption · Clinical Psychology · Family Support in Illness · Medicine · Psychology
Complex Trauma in Children and Adolescents
Behavior Problems and Mental Health Referrals of International Adoptees
Disorganized attachment in early childhood
Attachment in the Early Life Course
Nongenomic Transmission Across Generations of Maternal Behavior and Stress Responses in the Rat
A Brief Measure for Assessing Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The PHQ-9
Psychometric properties of the Brief Problem Monitor (BPM) in children with internalizing symptoms
Short measures of youth psychopathology
Dissociation and Posttraumatic Symptoms in Maltreated Preschool Children
An Investigation of Complex Attachment- and Trauma-Related Symptomatology Among Children in Foster and Kinship Care
Executive function and early adversity in internationally adopted children
Fostering security? A meta-analysis of attachment in adopted children
High stress experienced in the foster and kin carer role
Disorganized Infant, Child, and Adult Attachment
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |