Dr. Suja Koshy

Child Adoption: a Study of Adopted Adolescents: Psycho-social Adjustment of Adopted Adolescents in India Dr. Suja Koshy

The present study was aimed at measuring the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents living with adoptive families. The study compared 30 adopted and non-adopted adolescents on the APRS and APQP. Results indicated that 70% of adopted adolescents obtained high scores for psychosocial adjustment on the APRS, indicating that early placement in adoptive environment does not lead to any adverse effects on adolescents. 90% of adopted adolescents also obtained high scores in the social domain, indicating that adopted adolescents enjoy a good social support thus helping to build a positive self esteem. The findings revealed that the adopted adolescents had at least one close friend with whom they could confide and share their problems. 99% of the adopted adolescents thought of themselves as "lucky" to have set of wonderful parents. The psychological score indicated that there was presence of emotional disturbance, thus leading to mood swings in the adolescents. 96.67% of the adolescents were aware of their adoptive status, having been informed about it by their parents. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between the adopted and non-adopted adolescents.