emotional and behavioral problems in relation with attachment and child rearing styles of adoptive vs

206 Pages·2009·4.04 MB·English

EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS IN RELATION WITH THE
ATTACHMENT SECURITIES OF ADOPTED VS. NON-ADOPTED CHILDREN
AND THE CHILD REARING PRACTICES OF THEIR PARENTS

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUTE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

D. İLKİZ ALTINOĞLU-DİKMEER

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

MAY 2009
Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences

Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata
Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy.

Prof. Dr. Nebi Sümer
Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully
adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz
Supervisor

Examining Committee Members

Prof. Dr. Nuray Karancı (METU, PSY)
Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz (METU, PSY)
Prof. Dr. Neşe Erol (Ankara University)
Asst. Prof. Özlem Bozo (METU, PSY)
Dr. Nedret Öztan (Bilkent University)
I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and
presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also
declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and
referenced all material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Last Name: D. İlkiz Altınoğlu-Dikmeer

Signature:

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ABSTRACT

EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS IN RELATION WITH THE
ATTACHMENT SECURITIES OF ADOPTED VS. NON-ADOPTED
CHILDREN AND THE CHILD REARING PRACTICES OF THEIR PARENTS

Altınoğlu-Dikmeer, D. Ġlkiz
Ph.D., Department of Psychology
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz

May 2009, 184 pages

This study aimed to explore the emotional and behavioral problems of Turkish
adoptees and compare them with non-adopted peers raised by their biological
parents. To fulfill this aim, 61 adopted children aged between 6-18 were compared
to 62 age and gender matched non-adopted children. A second classification was
made in terms of being followed in a child psychiatry unit. Both parents were
asked to rate their children’s problem behaviors on “Child Behavior Check List /
6-18”, temperament characteristics on “School Age Temperament Inventory”,
their own personality traits on “Basic Personality Traits Inventory” and own
parenting styles on “Measure of Child Rearing Styles”. Children were asked to rate
both parents’ availability and reliability as attachment figures on “Kerns Security
Scale” and parenting styles on “Measure of Child Rearing Styles”. Adolescents
between ages 11-18, rated their own problem behaviors on “Youth Self Report”.
Group differences and correlations were analyzed. The results indicated non-
significant differences between adopted and non-adopted groups in all of the
measures. Children in clinical group unit displayed more problem behaviors, were
less task persistent and had more activity than children in non-clinical group.
Children under 10 years rated their mothers as being more available attachment
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figure, being more accepting and responsive than their fathers. Contrary to the
literature, age of the child at the time of adoption was not found to be related with
problem behaviors or attachment relations. On the other hand, results indicated
that the older the child learned about her/his adoption status, the more emotional
and behavioral problems occurred. Findings of the study were discussed in the
frame of relevant literature. Clinical and policy implications were offered.

Keywords: Adoption, Adopted Children, Problem Behaviors, Attachment,
Parenting Style

v
ÖZ

EVLAT EDĠNĠLMĠġ VE BĠYOLOJĠK EBEVEYNLERĠYLE YAġAYAN
ÇOCUKLARIN DAVRANIġSAL VE DUYGUSAL SORUNLARI VE
BAĞLANMA DÜZEYLERĠ ĠLE ANNE BABALARININ ÇOCUK
YETĠġTĠRME STĠLLERĠNĠN KARġILAġTIRMALI OLARAK
DEĞERLENDĠRĠLMELERĠ

Altınoğlu-Dikmeer, D. Ġlkiz
Doktora, Psikoloji Bölümü
Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz

Mayıs 2009, 184 Sayfa

Bu çalıĢmanın amacı, evlat edinilmiĢ ve biyolojik ailesi yanında yaĢayan
çocukların davranıĢsal ve duygusal sorunlarını, çocukların bağlanma iliĢkileri ve
ebeveynlerinin çocuk yetiĢtirme stilleri kapsamında karĢılaĢtırmalı olarak
değerlendirmektir. Bu amaçla 6-18 yaĢları arasındaki 61 evlat edinilmiĢ çocuk ve
yaĢ/cinsiyet bakımından eĢleĢtirilmiĢ biyolojik ailesi yanında yaĢayan 62 çocuk ile
bu çocukların ebeveynleri araĢtırmaya dahil edilmiĢlerdir. Evlat edinilip
edinilmeme durumlarının yanısıra, herhangi bir çocuk ruh sağlığı biriminde izlenip
izlenmeme durumları da dikkate alınarak bu çocuklar dört grupta
değerlendirilmiĢlerdir. Çocukların duygusal ve davranıĢsal sorunlarını
değerlendirmek üzere anne ve babalar ölçekler doldurmuĢlar, ayrıca 11-18 yaĢ
arasındaki ergenler kendilerini değerlendirmiĢlerdir. Anne-babalar ayrıca
çocuklarının mizaç özelliklerini, kendi kiĢilik özelliklerini ve kendi ebeveynlik
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stillerini değerlendirmiĢlerdir. Çocuklar, anne ve babalarının duyarlılık ve
ulaĢılabilirliklerine olan güvenlerini ve anne babalarının ebeveynlik stillerini
değerlendirmek üzere ölçek doldurmuĢlardır. Veri toplanmasının ardından grup
farklılıkları ve korelasyonlar analiz edilmiĢtir. Sonuçlar evlat edinilmiĢ çocukların
hiçbir ölçümde, biyolojik aileleriyle yaĢayan akranlarından farklı olmadıklarını
göstermiĢtir. Öte yandan, klinik gruptaki çocukların anneleri, diğer gruba göre
daha fazla duygusal ve davranıĢsal sorunlar rapor etmiĢ, çocuklarının bir görevi
sürdürmede daha az baĢarılı ve mizaç olarak daha hareketli olduklarını
belirtmiĢlerdir. 10 yaĢından küçük çocuklar, büyük çocuklara göre anne ve
babalarını daha fazla duyarlı ve güvenilir olarak algılamıĢ ve anne babalarını daha
kabul edici ebeveynler olarak değerlendirmiĢlerdir. Alanyazınından farklı olarak,
çocuğun evlat edinilme yaĢı, sorun davranıĢı ile ya da anne babasına bağlanması
ile iliĢkili bulunmamıĢtır. Öte yandan, çocuğun evlat edinildiğini öğrenme yaĢı ile
sorun davranıĢları arasında anlamlı bir iliĢki bulunmuĢ, çocuğun özel durumunu
öğrenme yaĢı geciktikçe sorun davranıĢlarının da arttığı gözlenmiĢtir. Bu sonuçlar
ilgili alanyazını çerçevesinde tartıĢılmıĢtır. Ayrıca, klinik uygulama ve politika
oluĢturma ile ilgili öneriler tartıĢılmıĢtır.

Anahtar kelimeler: Evlat Edinme, Sorun DavranıĢı, Bağlanma, Çocuk YetiĢtirme
Stili

vii
to my mother
and
to my beautiful princess & charming prince

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It’s been a very long journey. Many people had been supportive
companions during this journey. Words are limited to express my gratitude.
My first thanks are for Tülin Gençöz, a perfect academic supervisor. It’s
been a privilege and pleasure working with her. Although we had known each
other for a long time, I had the opportunity to know her better. She had always
encouraged me for the doctoral program; she had always been a big support from
the very beginning. During the process of data analysis and thesis writing, she
shared her wisdom with endless patience.
A special thanks to Neşe Erol, who had pioneered me to this subject. She
introduced me to adoptive families and supervised me while working with
adoptive children and their parents. She helped me gather data even during her
vacations. If it were not for her, I could not have shared the most precious
memories of those families.
My thanks go to Nuray Karancı, a member of the Thesis Supervising
Committee. She was one of my role models when I was an undergraduate student,
and now I am glad that I had the chance to work together with her after all these
years.
I also would like to thank to Nedret Öztan and Özlem Bozo, the Examining
Committee Members, for their support during my work and for their valuable
feedbacks to improve this study. They both accepted to join the Examining
Committee without any hesitation, and examined the thesis in details in a very
short time.
I owe many thanks to Melda Akçakın, my professor at the clinic that I am
employed. As well as asking her adopted patients to participate in my study, she
provided endless support and valuable insight during my academic work and for
all life events that I had been through.
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Ayla Aysev, the director of Ankara University School of Medicine,
Department of Child Psychiatry, always encouraged and supported me for my
academic studies and clinical work, and also introduced me to adoptive mothers.
Meeting adoptive families and persuading them to participate in this study
was a big challenge. Many people helped me to gather data. They either introduced
me to the adoptive families or themselves made the families fill the questionnaires.
I appreciate their help very much (in alphabetical order): Aylin İlden Koçkar,
Aynur Özüpek, Bedriye Öncü, Birim Günay Kılıç (she also helped a lot to keep me
concentrated while studying), Didem Öztop, Efser Kerimoğlu, Egemen Aktaş, Elif
Gökçearslan, Füsun Kurdoğlu, Gülsen Erden, Hüsniye Uslu, Nagehan Büküşoğlu,
Nebi Sümer, Nilay Aytolun, Nurten Girgin, Onur & Soniz Altınoğlu, Özge Altıntaş,
Ömer Faruk Akça, Özlem Gökalp, Runa Uslu, Sevilay Aydın, Tijen Taşdelen,
Tuğba Ayaz, Verda Tüzer, Yıldız & Erdem Evren and Yıldız & Mehmet Çağlayan.
Thank you all! Elif Ersoy and Ergün Yazıcı were my two faceless heroes; we have
never met, but after reading my announcements from e-mail groups, they had
spent their time contacting me, persuading adoptive families to participate in the
study and forwarding the questionnaires to multiple families.
I thank all the children and their parents who participated in this study. I
wish I could mention their names one-by-one. I have learned a lot from them.
Şaziye Kaplan was the problem solving magician, mostly on the other side
of the telephone, with her warm smile and encouraging words.
Thanks to my dear friends Ceren Akpınar Pakman, Ebru Akgün Alsancak,
Zeynep Sayım Yazal and my family of Kolej 86 for being with me all through this
journey.
Nineteen years ago, I have started this profession at a very young age,
beneath the wings of Bilge Alpdündar and Gülay Çivi, since then and particularly
during the Ph.D. process, they have never stopped being my older sisters and good
friends.
I can never express my gratitude to my colleagues and dear friends Aynur
Şahin Aközel, Başak Alpas, Belgin Üstün, İrem Öker Aycan and Oya Özalp Kartal.
They have always been a very big support by motivating me, by lessening my
clinical overload, by proofreading my thesis. Thanks a lot for bearing all my ups
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