Children adopted from China: a prospective study of their growth and development
Children adopted from China: a prospective study of their growth and development
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DOI：
10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01853.x
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发表时间：
2008-04-01
影响因子：
7.6
通讯作者：
Kiefer, Heidi
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cohen, Nancy J.;Lojkasek, Mirek;Kiefer, Heidi
背景中国已成为国际领养的领头国，因为儿童年龄较小，据报道孤儿院的情况良好。本研究考察了从中国收养的儿童在与收养家庭的头两年的生长发育过程和结果。方法对中国收养的70名8~21个月(平均13个月)的女婴在抵达加拿大时以及6、12、24个月后进行检查。研究人员将未领养的加拿大女孩与领养父母年龄相近、家庭背景相似的女孩进行了比较，这些女孩的成长指数以及智力、精神运动和语言发展的标准化测量。结果与目前的同龄人相比，从中国收养的孩子在到达时身体较小，并表现出发育迟缓。从中国收养的儿童在收养后的前6个月内，身体和发育指标的平均范围内。然而，直到他们被收养的第二年结束时，他们的表现才像现在的同龄人一样好。即使在那时，与对照儿童和与身高、体重和头围相关的相对较小的体型的延续也存在发育差异。体格测量与所有发育测量中不同时间点的结果有关。结论生命第一年的经验剥夺对体格发育的影响比对智力发育的影响更持久。与发育关系最密切的变量是身高与年龄的比率。作为衡量营养状况的一项指标，这些发现强化了早期营养的关键重要性。
Backgrouond China has become a lead country for international adoption because of the relatively young age of the children and reported positive conditions of the orphanages. This study examined the process and outcome of growth and development of children adopted from China over their first two years with their adoptive families. Method Seventy infant girls adopted from China at 8 to 21 months of age (Mean age = 13 months) were examined on arrival in Canada and 6, 12, and 24 months later. Comparisons were made with non-adopted Canadian girls of similar age and from a similar family background as adoptive parents on indices of growth and standardized measures of mental, psychomotor, and language development. Results At arrival, children adopted from China were smaller physically and exhibited developmental delays compared to current peers. Children adopted from China were functioning in the average range on physical and developmental measures within the first 6 months following adoption. However, they were not performing as well as current peers until the end of their second year after adoption. Even then, there was developmental variation in relation to comparison children and continuation of relatively smaller size with respect to height, weight, and head circumference. Physical measurement was related to outcomes at various points on all developmental measures. Conclusions Deprivation in experience in the first year of life has more long-lasting effects on physical growth than on mental development. The variable most consistently related to development was height-to-age ratio. As a measure of nutritional status, the findings reinforce the critical importance of early nutrition.