The role of parent efficacy in the relationship between child and parent mental health in the first year post-adoption

Objective: The relationship between parent and child mental health is well-established. Less clear, is whether there is a link between parent symptoms of mental health problems and children’s mental health in the first... [ view full abstract ]

Objective: The relationship between parent and child mental health is well-established. Less clear, is whether there is a link between parent symptoms of mental health problems and children’s mental health in the first months of an adoptive placement, where parent and child are unrelated to one another and during a period of potentially profound upheaval and change for all concerned. This study considers whether parent symptoms of anxiety and depression are associated with children’s psychological health (e.g. conduct problems emotional problems) in the first year of an adoptive placement. Our second research question is whether parent’s perceived efficacy and confidence mediates the relationship between parent and child mental health.
Method: The Wales Adoption Study is national research study that used a mixed-methods approach to examine the characteristics and experiences of a sample of children recently placed for adoption in Wales, to consider the early support needs of adoptive families into which these children were placed, and to better understand what helps such families flourish. Ethical permission for the study was granted by the ethics committee at Cardiff University, School of Social Sciences. Permission was obtained from the Welsh Government to access local authority data. Data for the present study are based on parent reports for 96 Welsh children, where the child was placed for adoption between July 1st 2014 and June 30th 2015. Questionnaires were sent to parents between 3-5 months post-placement with a second questionnaire sent 12 months post-placement. We are currently collecting the 12 month post-placement questionnaires (up to June 2016). Ninety six adoptive families completed a questionnaire around four months after the start of their adoptive placement. Forty adoptive parent were, or will be, interviewed at home about nine months after the start of the adoptive placement. The characteristics of the 96 children whose families participated in the study were compared to all Welsh children placed for adoption during the study period (n=374). Our sample is representative of Welsh children placed during the study window for age, gender, primary reason for placement and past experiences of abuse/neglect.

Measures: Parent anxiety and depression was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS; Snaith, 2003). Child mental health was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ; Goodman, 2001) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2000; 2001). Parent efficacy was measured using the Parental Sense of Competency Scale (Johnston & Mash, 1989).

Statistical analysis: We will present data on the across-time associations between parent and child mental health and parent efficacy assessed at 3-5 months post-placement and 12 months post-placement. Longitudinal data will give us a sense of who is influencing whom (i.e. whether parent symptoms are associated with increased child symptoms, the converse, or both). We will also test the mediating role of perceived parent efficacy underlying these relationships to consider whether parent’s sense of confidence and assurance in their role in the first year of an adoption placement is relevant to understanding links between parent and child mental health. We will supplement our data analysis with qualitative data derived from interviews.
Conclusions: Identifying a relationship between adult and child mental health in the earliest stages of an adoption placement is important because it highlights the potentially important role of the form and availability of post-adoption support. The evidence from this study will inform how these relationships unfold over two time points and provide important insights about the possible role of parenting efficacy in understanding why these symptoms are linked.