Abstract Unlike most variable-oriented studies, this cross-sectional study used for the first time a person-oriented approach to examine how family and friend support relate to life satisfaction in adopted and non-adopted adolescents. Three hundred fifty-eight internationally adopted adolescents living in Italy, France, and Spain, matched one-to-one on age, gender, and country of residence with 358 non-adopted peers from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC), filled in a self-report questionnaire. Three latent profiles emerged from a cross-country Latent Profile Analysis: fully integrated (77.2%; above-average to high levels of family and friend support), weakly supported (17.4%; low levels of support especially from family), and isolated (5.4%; extremely low level of family support and low level of friend support). After examining the cross-country invariance of the profiles, a multinomial logistic regression indicated that adoptees were more likely to belong to the high support profile, the one which also exhibited the highest levels of life satisfaction. The current person-oriented study showed that being supported by family and peers in adolescence represents a significant protective factor that goes beyond adoption status. These findings have practical implications for preventive family and social interventions aimed at favoring adolescents’ well-being.

Many international adoptees have medical, behavioral, and/or educational special needs (SN). Mother-adolescent perceptions of adolescent emotional-behavioral difficulties in the presence or absence of adolescent SN were examined in 324 mother-adolescent dyads in 4 European receiving countries, using sociodemographic questionnaires and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). As reported by both mothers and adolescents, the presence of SN predicted higher SDQ problem scores, but not Prosocial Skills. The agreement of SDQ scores between mothers and adolescents was higher in the presence of SN. Implications for future research and intervention will be discussed.

Adoptees, a group of children consistently shown to be at higher risk of psychosocial difficulties, face particular challenges during adolescence. However, few studies address the well-being of adopted adolescents, and cross-cultural comparisons are rarely reported. The present study assessed the life satisfaction of internationally adopted and non-adopted adolescents living in four European countries. An overall sample of 776 adolescents completed self-report questionnaires. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression models were performed to investigate the association between adoption status and life satisfaction. Adoptees were found at higher risk for low life satisfaction across countries compared to their non-adopted peers (OR = 5.73, 95%CI 2.70-12.16). Friend support was a protective factor, while poor communication with parents was a risk factor for low life satisfaction in both groups. Our findings highlighted the importance of promoting family and social relationships to support the well-being of adopted and non-adopted adolescents in diverse European countries.

Recent research has focused on couple values, namely what the partners perceive as important for their couple as a whole. In Study 1, we investigated whether respondents' couple values, as perceived by each partner, when controlling for individual values, were related to coparenting among 546 individuals, all being parents (54.1% mothers; M-age = 41.52 years, SD = 7.19). Results showed the relevant role of both couple self-transcendence and self-enhancement values, over and above the respective individual values. In Study 2, we focused on the discrepancy between couple values of heterosexual parents (167 couples; M(age )of mothers = 42.14 years, SD = 6.78; M-age of fathers = 45.41 years, SD = 7.57), that is the extent to which partners have different perceptions of what is relevant for their couple, in relation to their coparenting. While couple values are more strongly related to coparenting compared to individual values, the couple value discrepancy between the two partners is not. It appears that each partner's perception of which values are relevant for the couple is more important for a supportive coparental relationship than the actual similarity in couple values between partners. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

A higher prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) has been found among adopted children. This condition may pose significant challenges for their parents, potentially affecting their mental health. This study explored risk factors (parental stress) and protective factors (partner and friend support) associated with the mental health of 43 adoptive mothers of children with FASD. The results revealed that more than half of the mothers exhibited depressive symptoms above the clinical threshold. Parental stress is identified as a risk factor, while partner support, but not friend support, emerged as a protective factor. The need for targeted interventions is discussed.

In this study, we examined identification and interest with birth country, perceived discrimination, and related issues through self-report in 69 adolescents adopted from Russia to Spain. The adolescents showed a high degree of interest in their birth country, and most of them considered that their birth country is a part of their identity. There were differences in birth-country related variables depending on how much adopted adolescents felt others perceived them as foreigners. Considering internationally adopted youth needs regarding their origins, even in traditionally considered “same-race” adoptions, is essential for supporting them in the path towards integrated identity development.

This study investigates the psychometric properties of the Adoption Communication Openness (ACO) Scale. Following a multi-informant approach, the study considered four versions of the ACO Scale to assess the child's perception of adoption communication openness with both mother and father and the mother's and father's perceptions of communication with the child. The validation sample included 331 Italian families, with an internationally adopted child (12-18 years). The factorial structure of the ACO Scale was evaluated through confirmatory factor analyses, leading to a mono-factorial structure with good reliability for all four versions of the scale. Evidence of full cross-relational invariance and partial cross-informant invariance was obtained, as well as convergent and criterion validity. Results confirmed the psychometric properties of the multi-informant ACO Scale in the Italian context and indicated it as a particularly suitable measure to investigate family members' perceptions of their levels of communication openness regarding adoption.

For a very long period of time gratitude has been mainly studied because of its positive link with personal psychological adaptation and well-being. However, gratitude does not simply enrich the individual, but it also plays a key role in the wider context where the person lives, by for example promoting prosocial behaviors and enhancing reciprocity. The current study considered the moderating role of sex and age in the association between gratitude and social generativity. We involved a sample of 237 Italian young adults aged 18-29 (Mage = 22.98, SD = 2.20; 62% females), who were asked to fill in a self-report questionnaire aimed at measuring the mentioned constructs. The moderation model carried out confirmed that the gratitude-social generativity association was significant and positive only for the female subsample, while age was not found to moderate this link. Gratitude is therefore a positive lens through which young adults may regard their relationships, thus enhancing their social generativity, but this appears to be true only for females. Implications and further expansions of the study are discussed.

Perception of domestic and extra-domestic environment plays a key role in structuring reality, representing the boundary between private and public life. COVID-19 pandemic led to changes both inside and outside domestic borders, modifying those reciprocal perceptions. The aim of this study was to assess perceptions of domestic and extra-domestic environments after the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic on a representative Italian sample, and how such perceptions were related to individuals' well-being at individual, family and social levels. Participants filled an online self-report questionnaire in July 2020. Cluster analyses were conducted on domestic and extra-domestic environment perceptions, leading to the identification of four clusters. Clusters were compared in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, and individual, family and social factors. Identified clusters report different levels of well-being at each level. The role of factors is identified, and possible implications are discussed. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement.

Although studies have highlighted the role played by couple and parental relationships for children's psychosocial adjustment, especially in challenging situations, research on these two relationship domains has largely developed separately and mostly focussed on negative couple processes. However, Family Systems Theory highlights how these subsystems are interconnected, and studies inspired by this theoretical framework provide evidence of how the quality of the interparental relationship predicts the parent-child relationship. This study focussed on the association between two relational resources (dyadic coping and parent-child relationship quality) and children's emotional difficulties during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy. Five hundred ninety-one Italian parents filled in an online self-report questionnaire. A path analysis model was estimated to test the mediating role of parent-child relationship quality in the association between partner positive dyadic coping and children's emotional difficulties. The findings showed both a direct effect and an indirect effect of partner positive dyadic coping on children's emotional difficulties, because parent-child relationship quality partially mediated this association. Enhancing parents' ability to cope together with stress and the quality of the parent-child relationship might contribute to decrease children's vulnerability to emotional difficulties in challenging times.

BACKGROUND:Little is known about bullying experienced by internationally adopted teens residing in Europe. OBJECTIVES:Within the framework of an international research effort involving several European countries, the main goal of this study was to explore the experiences of bullying victimization suffered by adopted adolescents, as well as its impact on their psychological adjustment. METHODS:The sample consisted of 199 adolescents born in Eastern European countries and adopted in France (n = 50), Italy (n = 59), Norway (n = 25) and Spain (n = 65). RESULTS:More than half of the adopted adolescents had been exposed to some form of peer victimization in the previous 2 months, with verbal harassment and social exclusion being the most common forms of victimization. Differences between receiving countries were not statistically significant, suggesting a common pattern for Eastern European adopted adolescents living in Western Europe. More frequent experiences of peer victimization were associated with more psychological difficulties among the adopted adolescents. CONCLUSIONS:Findings highlight that adopted adolescents might have considerable difficulties in social integration with peers; these experiences of peer victimization might play an important role hindering their psychosocial adjustment. The socioemotional development of adopted people is not only linked to their pre-adoptive experiences; factors in their daily lives (i.e., peer relationships) may also be associated with their psychological adjustment later in life. Interventions are needed to promote the real inclusion of these groups of children in their social and educational contexts.

Despite an increasing interest in how adoptive parents deal with situations appraised as stressful, there is a lack of research regarding adoptive parents’ adjustment to the challenges posed by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The current study explores similarities and differences between adoptive and non-adoptive mothers in terms of risks (i.e., COVID-19-related stress) and individual (i.e., sense of coherence [SOC]), couple (i.e., partner's support), parent–child (i.e., parent–child relationship satisfaction), and social (i.e., friends’ support) resources in the face of the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, the present study was aimed at predicting which variables discriminate more effectively between the two groups. Participants were 445 Italian mothers (40.9% adoptive mothers), who were asked to fill in an anonymous online survey between May 2021 and October 2021. Results showed that adoptive and non-adoptive mothers reported different resilience resources to face the stressors posed by the health emergency. Specifically, COVID-19 traumatic stress symptoms, parent–child relationship satisfaction, and SOC were found to contribute most in discriminating between the two groups. Findings are discussed in relation to future research developments and practical implications.

This Special Issue includes nine original, empirical papers selected from the 7th International Conference on Adoption Research. In the interest of disseminating the new empirical knowledge and science-based interventions to adoption stakeholders, these papers reflect what can be considered some of the most stimulating and innovative lines of research in the recent adoption literature.

Research has been focussing on protective and resistance-related factors that may help people face the long-lasting psychological challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sense of coherence allows to remain healthy and to recover after stressful or traumatic life experiences. We aimed at investigating whether, and the extent to which, social support, in terms of both family and friends support, mediated the well-established link between sense of coherence and mental health as well as that between sense of coherence and COVID-19-related Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms. In May 2021, 3048 Italian respondents (51.5% women) aged between 18 and 91 (M-age = 48.33, SD = 14.04) filled in a self-report questionnaire. The mediation analyses we carried out on their responses showed a difference between focussing on mental health or on a psychological disorder. Indeed, despite the respectively positive and negative relation between sense of coherence and mental health and PTSD symptoms, this confirming the protective role of sense of coherence more than 1 year after the beginning of the pandemic, social support only mediated, partially, the former link. We also discuss practical implications and further expansion of the study.

In the adoption field, there is evidence that parent-child relationship quality represents a crucial source of resilience for families. However, little is still known about the variables that may influence parental relationship and the mediating role played by coparenting in the association between marital and parental relationships. This study intended to explore the links between mothers' and fathers' perceptions of marital and parental relationships, assessing the mediating role of coparenting in adoptive families with internationally adopted adolescents in comparison with nonadoptive families. Participants were 91 Italian adoptive married couples and 69 nonadoptive married couples with an adolescent child. A self-report questionnaire was administered to participants. Results highlighted similarities and differences concerning mothers' and fathers' relationships within adoptive and nonadoptive families; the association of the marital relationship with the parental relationship through coparenting especially emerged within adoptive families. Results were discussed in relation to practical implications for family preventive and enrichment intervention.

Background: Personal values are desirable trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in people's lives and have been widely found to be related to people's behavior. Objectives: This study aimed at investigating the relation between personal values and youth involvement in frequency of alcohol and cannabis use and problems related to substance use, comparing two groups of adolescents and young adults: 237 adolescents (age 14-19 years; 58.2% females) and 236 young adults (age 20-30 years; 78.8% females). Participants were asked to fill in an online self-report questionnaire aimed at assessing the constructs of interest. Results: The results showed that openness to change, despite being more prioritized by adolescents, was significantly positively related to frequency of cannabis use and problems related to substance use only for young adults. Conclusions: Implications for preventive interventions and further expansions of the study are discussed.

Family systems theories consider cohesion, flexibility, and communication as distinct but related key dimensions of family functioning. These dimensions are underexplored within adoptive families. We investigated the extent to which family cohesion, flexibility, and adoption communication openness relate to the adjustment of adoptees in adolescence. A self-report questionnaire was completed by 134 family triads, composed of internationally adopted adolescents and their parents, for a total of 402 participants. Adoptees and their parents shared similarities, but also differences in perceptions of cohesion, flexibility, and adoption communication openness, all playing specific roles within the family context. Structural equation model with family-level analyses showed that the association between cohesion and the adjustment of adoptees was mediated by adoption communication openness, whereas flexibility was not associated with either communication openness nor with the adjustment of adoptees. Results are discussed in terms of implications for adoption research and practice.

Introduction: The extent and nature of SN among international adoptees at adolescence in different receiving countries (RC) has not been completely described, nor have differences between children of Eastern Europe (EE) and non-EE origin been fully assessed. Furthermore, the impact of SN on parent adoption satisfaction has not been systematically assessed or compared between RC.& nbsp;Aims: In 4 European RC (1) determine the prevalence and type of SN among internationally adopted adolescents, (2) compare these for children of EE and non-EE origin, (3) relate SN to mothers' adoption satisfaction. Methods: 685 mothers of internationally adopted adolescents in four different RC (France n = 246, Italy n = 322, Norway n = 60, Spain n = 57) completed on-line surveys including (a) child's medical, behavior, psychological, or school problems, (b) Pinderhughes' Adoption Satisfaction Questionnaire.& nbsp;Results: Mothers reported that 54% of the adolescents (58 %M, arrival age:53.53 +/- 40.35 months, current:14.98 +/- 1.70 years, 44% EE origin) had at least one SN. Learning disabilities were most common (40% of adolescents), followed by ADHD (30%), and medical issues (21%), but patterns differed by receiving country. Except for speech/language problems, the frequency of specific SN (developmental delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], behavior problems, learning disabilities, psychiatric issues, prenatal alcohol exposure) varied significantly between RC. The frequency of these conditions between children of EE and non-EE origin also varied by RC. Mothers' adoption satisfaction did not differ significantly between RC; the presence of ADHD, behavior and/or psychiatric problems consistently related to mothers' adoption satisfaction in all 4 RC. The relation to mothers' ASQ and the presence and number of SN was assessed by hierarchical linear regression, controlling for child demographic characteristics. Both the presence and number of SN negatively predicted mothers' adoption satisfaction. Child's age at adoption (and to a lesser extent, current age) also negatively predicted mothers' ASQ score.& nbsp;Conclusions: SN were relatively common among internationally adopted adolescents in 4 European RC, but the pattern of specific conditions and relationship to mothers' adoption satisfaction differed among RC. However, ADHD, behavioral and/or psychiatric problems consistently related to mothers' ASQ in all 4 RC. In regressions controlling for demographic characteristics, the presence of any SN and the number of SN related to mothers' adoption satisfaction. SN represent an additional stress on adoptive families; further work is needed to understand how differences in RC may impact post-adoption adjustment and experiences.

Bullying constitutes a serious risk factor for the psychosocial adjustment of young people in both the general population and minority groups. Among minorities, international adoptees are likely to show a specific vulnerability to the experience of being bullied, moderated by specific risk and protective factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between adoptees' experience of bullying victimization and their psychosocial adjustment, and to explore the moderating role of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization. An online, anonymous self-report questionnaire was completed by 140 adolescents (13-17 years), who were internationally adopted by Italian families. Findings showed that being victimized was associated with higher levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties, but that the strength of this relation varied according to the levels of adoptive identity and reflected minority categorization. Specifically, victimization was found to have a more detrimental and negative impact on psychological adjustment for adoptees who were highly identified with the adoptive group, and reported to be less perceived by others as members of the minority group. Results are discussed in relation to recommendations for further research as well as for professionals working with internationally adopted adolescents.