The impact of previous type of abuse and sibling adoption upon adoptive families.

OBJECTIVE: The paper addresses the impacts of the type of abuse and sibling adoption upon family functioning. The specific objectives are to test the relationships: (1). between an adopted child's previous type of abuse and postadoptive family functioning; (2). between an adopted child's previous type of abuse and the child's postadoptive externalized behavior status; (3). between sibling adoption status and postadoptive family functioning; and (4). between sibling adoption status and the child's postadoptive externalized behavior status.

METHOD: Data were collected from parents with adopted children, between the ages of 2 and 16, who have special needs status. The convenience sample was drawn primarily from one southern state.

RESULTS: The results suggest that the child's type of abuse does predict different outcomes in terms of a parent's report of postadoptive family functioning but not the adopted child's postadoptive externalized behavior. Sibling adoptions resulted in lower perceptions of family functioning but slightly improved perceptions of the child's postadoptive externalized behavior.

CONCLUSION: Parents with adopted children who have histories of physical and sexual abuse reported lower family functioning than those parents with adopted children who only have histories of neglect. Parents who adopted sibling groups reported fewer externalized child behavior problems but lower family functioning than those parents who adopted a single child. These results suggest the need for a variety of family supports targeted to family needs as well as to promoting behavioral changes in the children.