Examining the Relationship Between Emotional Exchange and Externalizing Behavior Among Sexually Abused Adopted Boys

Adoption has changed dramatically in the United States. Recent federal legislation, such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, has opened the doorway to an unprecedented increase in the number of foster children eligible for adoption. This has subsequently increased the number of studies on adopted children with special needs (Reilly & Platz, 2003). This research has been dominated by studies whereby adopted children with special needs—which includes but is not limited to those children with histories of abuse and neglect, medical conditions, minority status, older placement age, sibling placement, and learning challenges—are lumped together as one group (Haugaard, 1998; Simmel, 2002). Missing from these studies is a clear understanding of which subgroups are more at risk for unsuccessful adoption outcomes, which variables contribute to adoption risk, and which variables can potentially enhance adoption outcomes. As an unintended consequence of this trend, preadoption and postadoption services are informed by an incomplete knowledge base from which to develop the most effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to address this gap in the adoption research by exploring preadoptive sexual abuse in general and the impact of preadoptive sexual abuse on adopted boys in particular. Thi