science

Post-adoption depression syndrome

Post-adoption depression syndrome is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Post-adoption depression syndrome rather than just read about it. In short: Post-adoption depression is shown though symptoms of depression in the adoptive mother or father, generally seen from one month after adoption, and is experienced by anywhere from 10% to 32% of adoptive parents. The symptoms of post-adoption depression are common to symptoms of depression, and include changes in sleeping pattern and appetite, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, problems with concentration and restles…

Key takeaways

Post-adoption depression syndrome belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Post-adoption depression syndrome to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Post-adoption depression syndrome from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Post-adoption depression is shown though symptoms of depression in the adoptive mother or father, generally seen from one month after adoption, and is experienced by anywhere from 10% to 32% of adoptive parents. The symptoms of post-adoption depression are common to symptoms of depression, and include changes in sleeping pattern and appetite, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, problems with concentration and restlessness, as well as suicidal thoughts. These symptoms are also similar to those of postpartum depression, which is a related syndrome. Postpartum depression, however, involves hormonal changes in pregnant woman, which are not present in women suffering from post-adoption depression. Despite this difference, there are still significant changes that new parents go through, even when the child is not biologically their own. These changes can have significant impacts on mental health. Post-adoption depression can also negatively impact the child. There is not an extensive amount of research available concerning post-adoption depression, however since the early 2000s practitioners have begun to take an interest in the syndrome and its effects on new parents. Given that many of the symptoms of post-adoption depression, as well as prescribed treatments, are similar to those of postpartum depression, much of the research on postpartum depression are applicable to post adoption depression.

Signs and symptoms Signs and symptoms of post-adoption depression often come out around one month post adoption.

Anxiety Changes in appetite Fatigue Feeling hopeless Concentration problems Suicidal thoughts

Causes The cause of post-adoption depression has not been indefinitely specified, however, research has shown the development of depression in adoptive parents often is not due to personal or family mental health history, but linked to stresses in the environment and adjustments in parents lifestyle in relation to adoption. It was found rates of depression in parents post-adoption correlated highly with the change in sleeping pattern and lack of sleep, the restlessness of the child and any health problems present, for example colic. Causes of post-adoption depression include the lifestyle changes that come with adopting a baby, like lack of sleep, mental and physical exhaustion, as well as medical or psychological problems which is common in adoptive children. Other factors that can stress adoptive parents include potential financial strain for the family and evaluation for parental fitness, both of which can contribute to the likelihood of developing post-adoption depression. A correlation was found between a decline in mental and physical health post-adoption and the weakening in the parents relationship. Conversely, women with mental and physical support from their partner and have intimate relations are found to be more stable in their mental health.

Stress related to adoption Adoptive parents face many changes in their lives and daily routines after adoption, which can affect the parents state of mental health. These would include the parental evaluation first time adoptive parents face, possible financial strain as well as the reminder of infertility and therefore possible feelings of guilt or inadequacy. New parents also encounter other stresses that are not due to the adoption process specifically, like lack of sleep or the physical exhaustion suffered from caring for a young child.

Relationship with partner The relationship between the adoptive parents may be under some sort of strain during the adoption period, which can contribute to developing post-adoption depression syndrome. Both the maintenance of the relationship physically and mentally, as well as the support from the partner and their enthusiasm for being an adoptive parent have effects on mental health.

Demographics of adoptive parents Data shows 81% of adoptive parents are 35–44 years old, and that women who have attempted to become pregnant with medical assistance are ten times more likely to adopt. As well as this, profiles made about cases of adoption have shown adoptive parents generally have a higher level of education and have more financial resources available to them. Therefore, their personal expectations of the adoption process are often not met, and the very lengthy procedure can make the parents feel as though they have no control over the situation. This can change the focus of the adoption to the process itself, and not the parenting and therefore not able to fully prepare for raising the child.

Diagnosis Although there are no tests specific to identifying post adoption depression disorder, there are ways of identifying depression as well as postpartum depression which can be applied to situations in which post adoption depression may be present.

Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms A method of diagnosing depression in which the patient rates their symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, appetite changes, suicidal thoughts and other symptoms on a scale of 1–5. This scale can assist the diagnosis of post adoption depression through the prevalence of the symptoms and the relation to the current life status.

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) A questionnaire was designed for adoptive parents to evaluate and report how they have been feeling in the past seven days in response to ten questions in relation to emotions, anxiety, sleeping behaviours, and general happiness. A study that modified this scale and had one hundred and twelve mothers fill out this modified questionnaire. From this, it was concluded sixty eight mothers were suffering from post adoption depression. It was also found this was not due to family history or personal medical history, but majority of the cases were associated with stress and other changes in day-to-day life of adoptive mothers.

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Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Post-adoption depression syndrome

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Post-adoption depression syndrome claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Post-adoption depression syndrome before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Post-adoption depression syndrome ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Post-adoption depression syndrome

In research: Post-adoption depression syndrome appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Post-adoption depression syndrome in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Post-adoption depression syndrome is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Adoption, fostering, orphan care and displacement, Depression (mood), so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Post-adoption depression syndrome outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Post-adoption depression syndrome in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Post-adoption depression syndrome means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Post-adoption depression syndrome out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Post-adoption depression syndrome in simple terms?

Why does Post-adoption depression syndrome matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Post-adoption depression syndrome?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Post-adoption depression syndrome.