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Disinhibited social behavior among internationally adopted children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2009

Jacqueline Bruce ,
Amanda R. Tarullo  and
Megan R. Gunnar
Jacqueline Bruce*
Affiliation:
Oregon Social Learning Center & Center for Research to Practice
Amanda R. Tarullo
Affiliation:
Columbia University
Megan R. Gunnar
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jacqueline Bruce, Oregon Social Learning Center, 10 Shelton McMurphey Boulevard, Eugene, OR 97401-4928; E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Postinstitutionalized children frequently demonstrate persistent socioemotional difficulties. For example, some postinstitutionalized children display an unusual lack of social reserve with unfamiliar adults. This behavior, which has been referred to as indiscriminate friendliness, disinhibited attachment behavior, and disinhibited social behavior, was examined by comparing children internationally adopted from institutional care to children internationally adopted from foster care and children raised by their biological families. Etiological factors and behavioral correlates were also investigated. Both groups of adopted children displayed more disinhibited social behavior than the nonadopted children. Of the etiological factors examined, only the length of time in institutional care was related to disinhibited social behavior. Disinhibited social behavior was not significantly correlated with general cognitive ability, attachment-related behaviors, or basic emotion abilities. However, this behavior was negatively associated with inhibitory control abilities even after controlling for the length of time in institutional care. These results suggest that disinhibited social behavior might reflect underlying deficits in inhibitory control.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 2009 , pp. 157 - 171
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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