Author Description

This review of studies on clinical and nonclinical populations explores outcomes of adoption and developmental issues for adolescents, and in particular, developmental problems for adopted adolescents. Studies on nonclinical populations demonstrate that adoption is a highly successful form of substitute care. Prospective longitudinal studies show that adopted adolescents compare favorably with the general population in terms of social adjustment and educational achievement. By contrast, "illegitimate" adolescents who are reared by their biological mothers show a significant degree of social maladjustment and school failure. Adopted adolescents are over-represented in clinical settings, and some have been demonstrated to have severe disturbances. Adoption is an acknowledged stressor and can significantly add to the problems of a vulnerable family. This is particularly so if the parents have not resolved their conflicts over their own infertility. Adopted adolescents are not invariably liable to have identity problems. But the fact that unresolved identity problems in adolescence can persist is shown in studies on adult adoptees who seek to discover their origins. (RH)