Objective
To explore potential postadoption moderators of the link between preadoption experiences and adoptees’ social competence.
Background
In the context of the limited and inconsistent knowledge about adopted children’s social competence, our hypotheses concern the interplay between preadoption parental neglect and adoptive parents’ emotion socialization practices.
Method
With adopters as informants, the social competence of 97 Portuguese school‐age children was evaluated in terms of social skills and competing problem behaviors, using the Social Skills Improvement System‐Rating Scale. Children’s preadoption experiences (using a sociodemographic questionnaire) and parental emotion socialization (evaluated by the Coping with Children’s Negative Emotions Scale) were also assessed.
Results
Time since adoption and unsupportive adoptive parents’ responses moderated the relationship between preadoption parental neglect and adoptees’ social skills. Unsupportive adoptive parents’ responses exacerbated the effects of preadoption neglect. This moderation was stronger with longer postadoption time.
Conclusion
Added to preadoption parental neglect, unsupportive adoptive parenting accentuates the risks for adoptees’ social competence.
Implications
Adoptive parents should be informed that socialization practices concerning children’s negative emotions are associated with adopted children’s social competence.