Problem behavior in international adoptees: II. Age at placement.

This study of 2,148 international adoptees aged 10 to 15 indicated that the older the child at placement the greater the probability that the child will develop behavioral/emotional problems and/or will perform less well in school. For 12- to 15-year-olds, the authors found that the older the child at placement, the greater the risk for obtaining high scores on the following Child Behavior Checklist Syndromes: The delinquent and uncommunicative syndromes in boys, and the cruel, depressed, and schizoid syndromes in girls.