Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptoms in Children Adopted from Poland and their Atypical Association Patterns: a Bayesian Approach.

Although high rates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms have been observed among internationally adopted children, research on these symptoms in Polish adoptees is lacking. Therefore, we examined ADHD symptoms in Polish adoptees and their relationship to pre-adoptive risk factors, that is, time in institutional care, early deprivation, and prenatal alcohol exposure. We further compared the association patterns and gender distribution of ADHD symptoms in children adopted from Poland to those reported in the literature for ADHD symptoms in non-adopted children. Dutch adoptive parents of 121 Polish adoptees (52% boys; M age = 10.9 years, range 6.2-15.6; M ageadoption = 3.0 years, range 0.8-6.9) completed questionnaires regarding ADHD symptoms, pre-adoptive risk factors, attachment problems, conduct problems, and executive functioning deficits. Bayesian evaluation of informative hypotheses showed that Polish adoptees had increased levels of ADHD symptoms, compared to Dutch children in the general population. Time in institutional care, early deprivation, and prenatal alcohol exposure were not associated with ADHD symptoms. ADHD symptoms in Polish adoptees were more strongly associated with attachment problems and executive functioning deficits, but less strongly with conduct problems, compared to ADHD symptoms in non-adoptees. Furthermore, ADHD symptoms were more equally distributed among boys and girls than they are in non-adopted children. The findings indicate that Polish adoptees and their adoptive parents need special attention and support. The dissimilarities between ADHD symptoms in Polish adoptees and non-adoptees might indicate a different underlying causal mechanism, which may have important implications for clinical practice.

Children adopted from Poland display a high risk of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders and some may go undiagnosed.

AIM: Children adopted from Central and Eastern Europe have often had negative early experiences, including prenatal exposure to alcohol. We examined a group of Polish children, adopted by Dutch parents, to see how many were diagnosed with foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and to what extent features of FASD were present. METHODS: The 121 children, aged between 6 and 17 years, were adopted from Poland at a mean age of 3 years (standard deviation 1.6 years). Their parents answered a questionnaire regarding FASD diagnosis, growth, educational attainment and the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function. RESULTS: Three groups were identified: children with an FASD diagnosis (31%), children whose adoptive parents suspected FASD (21%) and children whose adoptive parents did not suspect FASD (49%). Growth deficiency, enrolment in special education and difficulties with executive functioning were most frequently observed in children diagnosed with FASD. However, features of FASD were also observed in the other two groups. CONCLUSION: Children adopted from Poland showed a high risk of FASD and some children may go undiagnosed. Adoptive parents and professionals need to be aware of the potential consequences of prenatal exposure to alcohol.