Impact of Inuit customary adoption on behavioral problems in school-age Inuit children

• Published in: American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
• Main Authors: Decaluwe, Béatrice, Jacobson, Sandra W., Poirier, Marie-Andrée, Forget-Dubois, Nadine, Jacobson, Joseph L., Muckle, Gina
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Article; Arctic; Canada; inuit
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4438859/; http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25985112; https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000071

A large proportion of Inuit children in Arctic Quebec are adopted in accordance with traditional Inuit customs. In contrast to adoptions in Southern Canada and the USA, the child is adopted at birth and by a close family member; he/she knows who his/her biological parents are, and will typically have contact with them. Studies of other populations have reported an increased incidence of behavior problems in adopted compared with non-adopted children.