The relationship between preadoptive adversity and intercountry adoptees’ adjustment: A mediating or moderating role of adoptive parenting?

This study examined the association between preadoptive adversity and adoptees’ adjustment and whether this link was mediated and/or moderated by adoptive parents’ positive parenting. One hundred and four mother (Mage = 47.24; SD = 5.47; range 33–61) and father (Mage = 49.08; SD = 5.99; range 36–63) couples, parents of 138 children and adolescents adopted internationally, took part in the study. Preadoptive adversity was assessed by ad-hoc items developed for this study, positive parenting was measured by the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire, and adoptees’ adjustment was measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A structural equation modeling approach was used to test mediation and moderation models. Children gender, age at adoption, and length of adoption as well as family socio-economic status were used as control variables. The results showed that a partial mediation model, including both a direct influence of preadoptive adversity on adoptees’ adjustment and an indirect relation through the mediation role of mothers’ (but not fathers’) positive parenting, had the best fit. No significant moderating effects of adoptive mothers’ and fathers’ positive parenting were evidenced in the link between preadoptive adversity and adoptees’ adjustment. Overall, the findings highlighted the crucial role of adoptive mothers’ parenting in partially explaining how preadoptive adversity is linked to adoptees’ adjustment, and underline the importance of pre-adoption parent training and post-adoption parent support as implications for adoption practice.