Overrepresentation of Adopted Children Attending a Children's Mental Health Centre

Abstract

A retrospective analysis was made of case records of children attending a Children's Mental Health Centre during the years 1959 to 1973. Annual comparisons were made between the numbers of adopted, children seen in the province of Ontario and within the clinic setting. The results indicated that over a fifteen year period the adopted children in the clinic were seen with twice the expected annual incidence predicted from the community rates.

“So far as it is known, the proportion of successful and unsuccessful adoptions does not seem unsatisfactory. This result is in accordance with clinical experience which does not suggest that an undue proportion of adopted children are referred to child guidance clinics.”

Bowlby (1951)