Now, the first study of its kind has found that most are psychologically healthy, though they’re at “slightly increased risk” for behavioral problems such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or oppositional defiant disorder.<\/p>\n
More than just “a negative teenager,” a child with ODD is persistently hostile and disobedient.<\/p>\n
“These are kids who argue with their parents, who refuse to follow through on chores, maybe argue with their teachers, blame other people for their own mistakes,” says Margaret Keyes, a University of Minnesota research psychologist who led the study. The findings were published this month in the journal Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.<\/p>\n
Keyes and her research team studied 692 adolescents who had been adopted before age 2. When Keyes tested them, they were roughly 15 years old. Researchers conducted in-depth psychological interviews to check them for depression, anxiety, ADHD and ODD. For comparison, Keyes and colleagues also interviewed a control group of teenagers raised by their biological parents.<\/p>\n
“We found that most of the adolescents \u201d\u201d adopted and non-adopted \u201d\u201d were overwhelmingly psychologically healthy,” Keyes says.<\/p>\n