Neuropsychological Functioning, Social Information Processing, and Parent-Reported Behavior and Social Competence in Internationally Adopted Girls with a History of Institutionalization

Background: Internationally adopted (IA) children often experience poor pre-adoption conditions that may contribute to atypical neural development and deficits in neuropsychological, behavioral, and social functioning. In the current literature examining IA children, there is a relative lack of knowledge about executive functions (EF), attention, and social information processing (SIP) and the relationship of these domains of functioning with social and behavioral outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to test a model of social and behavioral functioning that proposes that neuropsychological factors (specifically working memory, inhibition, language, and attention) influence social and behavioral outcomes. We further aim to test the hypothesis that the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and social and behavioral outcomes is mediated by SIP. Method: Participants included girls between the ages of 6-12 years old with a history of institutionalization who were adopted from China (n = 32) or Eastern-Europe ( n = 25) and control group of American-born, never-institutionalized girls that was well-matched for age and family income (n =25). Participants completed measures assessing social information processing (Dodge Video Vignettes; DVV) and attention [Sky Search and Score! subtests from the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch)]. Parents completed the Behavior Rating Scales of Executive Functions (BRIEF) and the Child Communication Checklist- 2nd edition (CCC-2) to provide information about their child's executive functions and language. For the assessment of social competence and behavior in everyday occurring situations, parents also completed the Social Competence subscale from the Home and Community Social Behavior Scale (HCSBS) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results: Compared to the controls, the Eastern European group evidenced significantly more problems across domains of functioning, including social competence, behavior, inhibition, working memory, auditory attention, and language. Language abilities were poorer in the Chinese group compared to the controls. Using generalized linear regression, language and inhibition significantly predicted parent-reported social competence. In a separate model, language, inhibition, and working memory predicted parent-reported behavior problems. SIP, as assessed by DVV Competent Responses, did not mediate the relationship between neuropsychological functioning and social and behavioral outcomes. Conclusions: IA children with a history of institutionalization may be vulnerable to negative neuropsychological, behavioral, and social outcomes. These findings support the use of measures assessing neuropsychological functioning to better understand behavioral and social adjustment following international adoption, offering clinicians greater insight into the specific needs of this population.