The Role of Openness in Internationally Adoptive Families

This study examined the relationships among parenting behaviors, communicative openness, and child mental health in a sample of 67 two-parent, internationally adoptive families. Four hypotheses were tested: (1) parenting quality would be negatively related to child mental health problems; (2) parenting quality would be positively related to child openness during adoption-related conversations; (3) child openness would be negatively related to child mental health problems; and (4) the association between parenting quality and child mental health problems would be mediated by child openness. Certain parenting behaviors significantly predicted both child mental health problems and openness, but mediation was not supported. These findings should be considered in the development of resources for internationally adoptive parents aimed at promoting child mental health. Parenting 3 Parenting and Child Mental Health: The Role of Openness in Internationally Adoptive Families Internationally adopted children are commonly thought to be at risk for a variety of psychological and behavioral problems. A national survey by the Evan B. Donaldson Adoptio