In this work we study the impact of relinquishment and the adoption process in posttraumatic symptoms and stressful life events in a group of 55 adults that were adopted as children after the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). The effects of institutionalization, maltreatment and traumatic revelation of the adopted status have also been studied. No significant differences were found between institutionalized and non-institutionalized adoptees in posttraumatic symptomatology and stressful life events frequency. However, maltreated adoptees scored significantly higher in intrusion, arousal and stressful life events frequency than non-maltreated. Similar differences were found in the comparison between adoptees with and without traumatic revelation; those adoptees who suffered traumatic revelation presented significantly higher intrusion, arousal and stressful life events frequency than those who did not suffer traumatic revelation. Traumatic revelation, alone or in association with maltreatment, seems to play an important role in posttraumatic symptoms in the sample studied.
The role of autonomy–connectedness in the relation between childhood stressful life events, current posttraumatic symptoms, and internalizing psychopathology in adulthood.
