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Young adulthood is the life stage during which people are more prone to develop problematic smartphone use (PSU). Only one study investigated the relationship among attachment styles, family functioning, and PSU, but thus far, no research has shown the relative importance that such dimensions may have on PSU. The main aim of this study was to analyze to what extent insecure attachment styles and unbalanced family functioning are related to PSU, investigating the specific weight of each dimension in a sample of young adults (N = 301, 82.7% females, Mage = 22.89, SD = 3.02). Participants completed a self-report questionnaire, including the Relationship Questionnaire, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale IV, and the Smartphone Addiction Scale. The regression and relative weight analyses results showed that preoccupied attachment style and disengaged, chaotic, and enmeshed family functioning were positively related to PSU. Implications for future research and interventions were discussed.

Despite its importance, limited research has examined mechanisms underpinning how interparental conflict affects adolescents in Europe. Using a sample of 141 Italian families (mothers, fathers, and adolescents, Mage = 17.25 years, SD = 0.64), this study explores whether three types of adolescents’ emotional insecurity, which describes adolescents’ vulnerability to conflict, play a role in the association between interparental conflict and adolescents’ adjustment. Participants completed questionnaires related to adolescents’ conflict exposure, adjustment, and emotional insecurity in the parent-adolescent, interparental, and family relationships. As hypothesized, indirect associations were observed involving adolescents’ emotional insecurity in the parent-adolescent and interparental relationships. Surprisingly, the indirect association involving emotional insecurity within the interparental relationship rather than within the family emerged the strongest indirect association of the three types of emotional insecurity. These effects, however, were indistinguishable from the indirect effects of insecurity about the parent-adolescent relationship. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

This study analyzed the associations between adolescents’ motivations for internalizing moral values and perceived parental (both father’s and mother’s) promotion of volitional functioning. Based o...

Coping skills represent cognitive, emotional, and behavioral resources to overcome developmental challenges and tasks. Based on Cloninger's model of personality, the main aim of this study was to analyze the relation among temperament, character, and coping skills in nonclinical pre- and early adolescents by also considering adolescents' gender and age. One hundred and thirty-eight Italian pre- and early adolescents (52.2% boys and 47.8% girls), aged between 10-14 years (M = 12.33 ± 0.87 SD), filled out the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory and the Children's Coping Strategies Checklist Revision 1. Regression and relative weights analyses showed that several of adolescents' personality dimensions did predict their coping skills. Specifically, Harm Avoidance was negatively related to Positive Reframing and Distraction; this latter (i.e., Distraction) was also negatively associated with Novelty Seeking, Self-Directedness, and Cooperativeness. On the contrary, Cooperativeness was positively related to the use of Problem Focus strategy, and Reward Dependence was positively related to Distraction and Social Support. Significant gender and age differences in personality as well as in coping skills emerged. Girls scored higher on Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, Persistence and Problem Focus, and boys scored higher on Novelty Seeking and Distraction. Moreover, pre-adolescents (10-12 years) reported lower scores on Novelty Seeking and higher on Problem Focus than early adolescents (13-14 years). Overall, the results suggest that bio-psycho-social individual factors linked to personality, gender, and age have an important role in shaping pre- and early adolescents' coping and adaptation responses. Practical implications of the results and future developments are discussed.

Forgiveness is a response strategy capable of countering the escalation of conflicts and it represents therefore a valuable resource for managing critical individual and family transitions. Among o...

BackgroundAround the age of 6 months, difficulties in settling to sleep and frequent night awakenings are generally occurring in 20 to 30% of infants. According to the transactional model parental factors can play a significant role in influencing infant sleep development. The purpose of the current study was to explore the combined effect of infants’ factors (temperament and sleep onset problems), and parental factors (parental mental health in terms of post-partum affective disorders, consistent bedtime routines and fathers’ involvement at bedtime), on infant bedtime difficulties (e.g. fussing, crying or protesting), including both maternal and paternal perspectives.MethodsSixty Italian intact two-parent families of infants (34 boys and 26 girls) ageing from 8 to 12 months (M = 10.73, SD = 2.54) were enrolled in the study. The parents filled out self-report questionnaires to measure the aforementioned variables. To investigate which infant and parental factors predicted infants’ bedtime difficulties, two multiple linear regressions (MR), one for fathers and one for mothers, and relative weight analyses (RWA) were conducted.ResultsWith regard to infants’ bedtime difficulties reported by fathers (R2 = .35) they were explained by infant involvement in constant bedtime routines (β = −.35,p = .030) and paternal involvement at bedtime (β = −.45,p = .007). Instead infants’ bedtime difficulties reported by mothers (R2 = .32) were explained by minutes the child taken to fall asleep (β = .24,p = .04), infant involvement in constant bedtime routines (β = −.31,p = .01) and bedtime paternal involvement (β = −.27,p = .05).ConclusionsThe main results of this study emphasized the protective role of consistent bedtime routines and bedtime paternal involvement in reducing infants’ bedtime difficulties perceived both from mothers and fathers. Future research could help to raise awareness and improve understanding of the familial influences on children’s sleep, providing recommendations for educating families, school professionals, healthcare providers, and the general public on risk and protective factors that could play a meaningful role in infants and children’s developing sleep patterns.

The present study aims to expand the understanding of the effects of dispositional happiness and self-esteem, as dispositional traits, on the health of teachers, as well as to understand the role played by the working environment in generating positive affection, thus mediating between the dispositional traits and teachers’ health. Two hundred and eighty-two full-time in-service teachers (93.6% female) from Rome (Italy) took part in this study. Their ages ranged from 26 to 55 (M = 40.49 years, SD = 5.93). Participants’ teaching experience ranged from 1 to 31 years (M = 9.95 years, SD = 5.65). 30.6% of participants taught in kindergarten (for children aged 0–5 years), 42.6% in primary schools (for children aged 6–11 years), 15.8% in middle schools and 10.9% in high schools. A questionnaire was administered, containing: the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS); the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES); The adapted version for teachers of the School Children Happiness Inventory (Ivens, 2007); the Physical and Mental Health Scales (SF12). The data were analyzed using the MPLUS software, version 8. Our results showed that teacher happiness at work partially mediates the relationship between dispositional happiness and teacher health, and fully mediates the relationship between self-esteem and teacher health. To the best of our knowledge, the mediational role of teacher happiness has not been addressed before, concerning these dimensions. At the same time, our findings confirmed the role of self-esteem in endorsing health-related behaviors, thus promoting physical and mental health. Moreover, according to our study findings, when teachers acknowledge their workplace as a context in which they feel happy, the impact of dispositional happiness and self-esteem on health conditions is higher. Effective measures to promote teachers’ well-being are discussed.

This study examines adolescents’ personal values within the sport context, and the connection between those values and pro- and antisocial behaviours towards teammates and opponents on the part of ...

Parenting stress has a crucial influence on the parent-child relationship, the functioning of the family, and the development of children. Few studies have examined parenting stress in adoptive families during early parenthood, and fewer still have considered this issue in association with the quality of both couple and social relationships. The current study was intended to investigate predictors of parenting stress in a community sample of 56 adoptive parents from Italy, for a total of 112 participants. Our goals were to: 1) evaluate parenting stress among adoptive parents during the first post-adoption year, and 2) identify whether and to what extent parenting stress can be predicted by certain characteristics of the child (gender, age at adoption, years of institutionalisation, presence/absence of disease on arrival, emotional and behavioural difficulties), of parents’ individual well-being (e.g., the presence of depressive symptoms), of relationships within the couple (sexual satisfaction, tenderness between partners, quarrelling) and with the social context (real and potential social support). In the analyses parents’ gender effect and intercorrelations between the partners were taken into account. Results of multiple regression analysis and relative weight analysis highlighted the great importance of children’s age at adoption and their emotional and behavioural difficulties in predicting both mothers’ and fathers’ stress, but also the contribution of the couple relationship quality as a protective factor that could reduce the level of parenting stress.

Transracial adoptees represent a specific group of immigrants who experience unique immigration processes that bring them face-to-face with two cultural backgrounds: that of their heritage culture on one hand and that of their national culture on the other hand. However, there is a scarcity of studies focused on the way these processes unfold within adoptive families. This study was aimed at exploring how transracial adoptees cope with the construction of their ethnic identity. Administering a self-report questionnaire to 127 transracial adoptees and their mothers, for a total of 254 participants, we first investigated the association between mothers' cultural socialisation (enculturation and preparation for bias strategies) and adoptees' ethnic identity (i.e. ethnic identity exploration and ethnic identity affirmation dimensions). We then investigated whether ethnic identity affects self-esteem by testing the hypothesis that national identity moderates the relationship between ethnic identity and self-esteem. Results revealed that mothers' enculturation (but not their preparation for bias) supported adoptees' ethnic identity exploration, which in turn was positively associated with ethnic identity affirmation. Moreover, we confirmed the moderation effect: ethnic identity affirmation enhanced the level of self-esteem, but only for those adoptees who perceived a higher degree of national identity affirmation.

Parents play a key role in young athletes’ sport experience. In particular, parents’ sport goals for children may influence young athletes’ morally relevant sport behaviors. The present study involves 172 Italian adolescents (female = 51.7%; age M = 15.41, SD = 1.73) practicing team sports and analyzed whether and the extent to which parents’ sport socialization values, those values adolescents perceived their parents wanted them to endorse (i.e., moral, competence, status values), were associated with young athletes’ antisocial behaviors towards teammates and opponents. Adolescents’ perceptions of the prominent motivational climate (i.e., mastery and performance) within their team were also considered. Participants were asked to fill out questionnaires, including the Youth Sport Values Questionnaire-2, adapted to measure adolescents’ perceptions of parental socialization values, the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire and the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport Scale. The results of multiple linear regression analysis and relative weight analysis showed that mastery motivational climate, as protective factor, and mothers’ status values, as risk factor, were the most important variables in predicting adolescents’ antisocial behavior towards teammates. As far as adolescents’ antisocial behavior towards opponents was concerned, performance motivational climate and mothers’ status values were the most relevant predictors: the more adolescents perceived their coaches and mothers as giving importance to performance and status, the higher was the frequency of their antisocial behavior in sport. Implications and further developments of the study are discussed.

This study focused on the parent–child relationship and children’s psychological well-being in families with internationally adopted adolescents and emerging adults. The study’s goal was twofold: (1) to analyze parent–child conflict, communicative openness in regard to adoption, and promotion of children’s volitional functioning as key aspects of parent–child relationship; and (2) to measure the relative importance of each of the above-mentioned parent–child relationship aspects in predicting adoptees’ psychological well-being. In the analyses, parent and child genders and child developmental stage (adolescence vs. emerging adulthood) were taken into account. Participants were 160 Italian international adoptees, aged between 15 and 24 years, who were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire. Results showed significant differences in the level of the quality of parent–child relationship according to parents’ gender, child’s gender and developmental stage. Additionally, mother–child relationship and fa...

The aims of this work, involving a convenience sample of 184 emerging adults and both their parents, recruited in universities and worker cooperatives and factories located in northern Italy, were to: (a) compare the emerging adults’ and their parents’ values to uncover gender and generational specificities; (b) measure value similarities between each emerging adult and his/her parents and between the two parents; and (c) examine the importance of family relationship quality as accounting for value similarities. Participants filled out the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the Network of Relationship Inventory (3 subscales). Through ANOVAs, correlations and dominance analyses, the results revealed gender-related and intergenerational differences in the importance attributed to values. Within family dyads, on average, a moderate degree of similarity was found between each emerging adult’s value profile and his/her own father’s and mother’s value profiles, but lower than those between father and mother. The family relationship quality explained only a small proportion of variance of parent-child value similarities and slightly larger of mother-father value similarity. Implications of the results for transmission of values and their possible development are discussed.

Normative socio-cultural influences may lead to parent–child value similarity over and above familial processes. Such influences, in which the mainstream position taken by people in a given culture leads to an average similarity between unrelated members of the culture, have been investigated for the most part by considering one country at a time. This has, however, left several questions open; among these is the question of whether parent–child value similarity is a matter of societal homogeneity in values. In an attempt to answer this query, the current study intends to examine the effect of the national and ethnic normative profiles, that is, groups’ average profiles, on parent–child value similarity, while assuming a cross-cultural perspective. It involves 212 mother–adolescent dyads from Northern Italy and 222 Jewish and Arab mother–adolescent dyads from Israel, all participants in the Value of Children (VOC) Study. In the more homogeneous value context of Italy, parent–child value similarity was strongly inflated by the broad socio-cultural context and can best be viewed as a general similarity to a national standard. On the contrary, in the less homogeneous context of Israel, when accounting for the effects of normative profiles, there was still similarity unique to a particular dyad: Mothers and children, especially from the Arab group, were similar to each other in those values which distinguish them from the other people in the country. All in all, the results help us to disentangle the origins and to interpret the actual meaning of detected parent–child value similarity.

This study focused on parents' motivations to transmit values to their adolescent children. According to Self-Determination Theory, controlled motivations (i.e., external and introjected)-which refer to doing something because it leads to approval or rewards-and autonomous motivations (i.e., identified and integrated)-which refer to doing something because it is perceived as inherently worthy-were examined. 325 Italian parental couples, with one child aged between 14 and 18 years, filled out a self-report questionnaire. Results showed that in value transmission, both parents were primarily moved by autonomous motivations, although for fathers, external motivations were more important than for mothers. Both paternal and maternal motivations resulted to be related with the values parents would like their children to endorse. In particular, the more parents felt volitional in transmitting values, the more they gave importance to self-transcendence in their children's socialization; the more parents were guided by controlled motivations, the more they would like their children to endorse conservation values. Implications of this research and its possible developments are discussed.

In the psychological literature, there is growing evidence that parental support of children's volitional functioning is one of the most prominent protective factors during adolescence and the transition to adulthood. According to the Self-Determination Theory, children cope best with developmental tasks when they acquire a sense of self-governance and self-endorsed functioning. In the field of adoption research, however, the parental promotion of volitional functioning (PVF) and its relation to the adopted child's development are still underinvestigated. The present study involved 160 Italian internationally adopted adolescents and emerging adults and both their parents. It was aimed at examining the extent to which PVF, as reported by each family member, was related to the child's adoptive filiation. Overall, findings showed significant associations between maternal and paternal PVF and adoptive filiation that, however, varied according to the informant and to the child's gender and age. Results have been discussed in relation to the intervention with adoptive parents and children.

This study compared mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions of family and social relationships (marital relationship quality and social support) and psychosocial well-being (self-esteem, anxiety, child-rearing stress, and satisfaction) in adoptive and non-adoptive families. Participants were 163 Italian international adoptive and 195 non-adoptive couples (mothers and fathers) with children aged between 7 and 11. Adoptive parents reported a higher marital relationship quality, more social support, and better well-being than the non-adoptive parents. Moreover, in both adoptive and non-adoptive families fathers were less anxious than their wives and mothers relied on a broader social network.

A core issue in family research on value transmission is the extent of value similarity between generations, similarity which can originate from the transmission process within the family and from the social-cultural context in which the family lives. The general aim of this three-generational study was to measure parent-child value similarity, removing the effect of the social-cultural context in order to uncover that value similarity that stems from the unique and specific relationship between members of a family. Participants were 381 Italian family triads (father, mother, and one adolescent child); for 257 families one grandmother was also involved. Subjects completed the Portrait Values Questionnaire. Findings empirically showed the strong interaction between family and social-cultural context in determining the level of value similarity.

This study focused on the relation between adolescents' basic personal values, so as conceptualized in Schwartz's Value Theory, and sense of coherence (SOC). SOC, which describes a general attitude towards life in terms of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness, is a resource for coping with stress and improving health. Five hundred and ninety-four Italian adolescents, aged between 14 and 19 years, filled out the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the Orientation Life Questionnaire. Results showed that values explained a moderate proportion of the variations among adolescents with regard to SOC. Adolescents' conservative and self-transcendence values were the most important predictors of adolescents' SOC: the more importance was given to conservatism and self-transcendence, the stronger was the confidence in the perception that problems to face are clear, manageable, and worthy of commitment and engagement. Implications of these results and their possible developments are discussed.

In a sample of 677 adolescents, extracted from 39 classes in 15 different high schools in Trento, Italy, a multilevel analysis was performed to analyze the relations between adolescents' conservative values, their perceptions of the conservative values their mothers would like to transmit to them (i.e., maternal socialization values) and the conservative values prevalent in their class context (i.e., classmates' and teachers' values). Perceived mothers' conservative values positively predicted adolescents' conservatism, while the mean class conservatism and teachers' conservatism did not. Also the cross-level interaction between mothers' and classmates' conservative values significantly predicted adolescents' conservative values. In particular, the relation between perceived mothers' conservatism and children's conservatism was stronger when adolescents perceived an alignment between their classmates' conservative values and their mothers' expectations of those values. Conversely, the interaction between ...

We analysed differences in conservative values between firstborn and secondborn siblings, in the context of Sulloway’s (1996) idea that firstborns favour the status quo more than secondborns do. Using multilevel analysis to predict siblings’ conservatism, we tested two hypotheses from Sulloway’s theory: (a) firstborns are more conservative than are secondborns; and (b) firstborns internalize their parents’ conservative values stronger than secondborns do, independent from the degree of their parents’ conservatism. Ninety-six Italian families (composed of both parents, the firstborn and the secondborn, total N = 384) filled out the Portrait Values Questionnaire (Schwartz et al., 2001). Results supported Sulloway’s first, but not his second prediction: Birth order fostered children’s conservatism directly, but not in interaction with parents’ conservatism. Implications of the results for the children’s socialization and their possible developments are discussed.

Este estudio se centró en los valores de socialización de los padres, es decir los valores que los padres quieren que sus hijos adopten, y sus fuentes. En una muestra de 325 familias italianas con un hijo adolescente (14-18 años), se compararon los valores de socialización entre los padres y las madres, y se evaluaron los valores personales de los padres y el clima de valores familiares como antecedentes de los valores que los padres quisieran que sus hijos adquirieran. Para cada familia se tuvieron en cuenta a ambos padres y al adolescente, y se les pidió que completaran individualmente el Portrait Values Questionnaire. Los resultados de la Anova han revelado una diferencia significativa entre los valores de socialización de los padres y los de las madres: los padres consideran más importantes que las madres los valores de apertura al cambio y los del autocrecimiento en la educación de sus hijos. Utilizando un análisis multinivel, al incluirse tanto padres como madres dentro del contexto familiar, hemos encontrado relaciones significativas entre todos los valores personales de los padres y sus valores de socialización, por un lado, y entre el clima de valores familiares y algunos de los valores de socialización de los padres, por el otro. Contrariamente, la interacción entre los valores personales de los padres y el clima de valores familiares no contribuye en predecir los valores que los padres quieren que sus hijos adopten. Se discuten las implicaciones de esta investigación y sus posibles desarrollos Este estudo centrou-se nos valores de socialização dos pais, é dizer os valores que os pais querem que os seus filhos adotem, e as suas fontes. Em uma amostra de 325 famílias italianas com um filho de adolescente (14-18 anos) compararam-se os valores de socialização entre os pais e as mães e se avaliaram os valores pessoais dos pais e o clima de valores familiares como antecedentes dos valores que os pais gostariam que os seus filhos adquirissem. Para cada família consideraram-se a ambos os pais e ao adolescente e pediu-se lhes que preencheram individualmente o Portrait Values Questionnaire. Os resultados da Anova têm revelado uma diferença significativa entre os valores de socialização dos pais e os das mães: os pais consideram mais importantes os valores de abertura à mudança e os do auto crescimento na educação dos seus filhos do que as mães. Utilizando uma análise multinível, ao incluir-se tanto pais como mães dentro do contexto familiar, temos encontrado relações significativas entre todos os valores pessoais dos pais e os seus valores de socialização por um lado, e entre o clima de valores familiares e alguns dos valores de socialização dos pais pelo outro. Contrariamente, a interação entre os valores pessoais dos pais e o clima de valores familiares não contribuem em predizer os valores que os pais querem que os seus filhos adotem. Discutem-se as implicações desta investigação e os seus possíveis desenvolvimentos This study was focused on parents’ socialization values, namely the values that parents want their children to adopt, and their sources. In a sample of 325 Italian families with one adolescent child (14-18 years), it aimed at comparing fathers’ and mothers’ socialization values and assessing parents’ own personal values and family value climate as antecedents of the values parents would like their children to endorse. For each family both parents and the adolescent were involved and asked to complete the Portrait Values Questionnaire individually. The Anova results showed significant differences between fathers’ and mothers’ socialization values: in particular, fathers gave more importance to openness to change and self-enhancement values in their children’s rearing than mothers did. Using multilevel analysis, as fathers and mothers were nested within families, we found significant and positive relations between parents’ personal values and all their socialization values, as well as between family value climate and some of the parents’ socialization values. Conversely, cross-level interactions between parents’ personal values and family value climate did not contribute to predict the values parents want their children to adopt. Implications of this research and its possible developments are discussed.

The transmission of values between generations has gained more and more research interest over the last few years. One important outcome of the process of value transmission is the degree of similarity between parents and their children, that may vary across child's developmental stages. This study aimed to estimate the cultural stereotype effect on parent-child value similarity in adolescence and in emerging adulthood. Participants were 423 Italian fathers, mothers, and their adolescent (56.7%) or emerging adult (43.3%) children, who were asked to fill out the Portrait Values Questionnaire. Parent-child value similarity was small in size among families with adolescents, and significantly higher among families with emerging adults. Nevertheless, after removing stereotype effects, this difference disappeared, suggesting that the higher parent-emerging adult value similarity was to a great extent socially derived. Implications of this finding were discussed.

This special issue includes seven studies concerning the role of family relationships and other social contexts in the intergenerational transmission of values between parents and their children. Recent research has shown that value transmission is a complex, bi-directional, and selective process, which involves various pathways and transmission belts, and may produce intergenerational similarity as well as intergenerational change. Together, the studies reported in this special issue provide a complex picture of this process and of parent–child value similarity, as one of the possible outcomes of the transmission. The results of these studies illustrate the interdependent, but not exchangeable, contribution of different sources (family, value climate, group membership, etc.) in children's value acquisition, and suggest implications for parenting practices and for social policies in promoting value continuity.

This study focused on value transmission in the family and assessed adolescents’ acceptance of the values their parents want to transmit to them (socialisation values), identifying some factors that may affect the level of acceptance. Specifically, actual value agreement between parents, parental agreement as perceived by adolescents, parent–child closeness and promotion of child’s volitional functioning, were considered as predictors. Participants were 381 family triads (father, mother and adolescent child) from northern Italy; the adolescents (46.2% male) were all high‐school students from 15 to 19 years of age. Both parents and their children filled out self‐report questionnaires. Findings showed a moderate level of acceptance in families, suggesting the presence of similarities as well as differences between parents’ socialisation values and adolescents’ personal values. All the predictors considered except parents’ actual agreement, were found to be significantly and positively related to acceptance....

The aim of this study was to compare the reports of emotional and behavioral problems of adopted children on the part of mothers, fathers, and teachers, and to examine the agreement in the reports among the three informants. The approach employed was multi-informant, with a three-point sample composed of 75 Italian couples (all parents of international adoptees between 7 and 11 years of age) and one of the child's teachers. Parents reported higher levels of problems in their adopted children than teachers did. Moreover, the agreement between mother and father was higher than that between one parent and the teacher. The percentage of cases in which all three informants agreed on the classification of the child as being part of the clinical group turned out to be considerably lower than when only one informant was concerned.

This study intends to fill the gap in empirical research carried out in Italy regarding international adoptees' behavioral and emotional problems. Assuming a multi-informant approach, it aims to compare parents' reports of behavioral problems of adopted and non-adopted children and to examine parental agreement. The sample was composed of 186 adoptive couples and 195 biological couples with the target child between ages 7 and 11 years. The mother and father filled in the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) separately. Analysis of the CBCL revealed that adopted children are perceived by their parents as having more Total and Externalizing Problems than are their non-adopted counterparts. Moreover, they are more likely to demonstrate attention difficulties and aggressive behavior. The agreement between parents turned out to be moderate for adoptive parents and slightly lower for the biological ones. Consistent with most adoption research, the results confirm the higher risk of behavioral problems among adopted children. They also shed light on the significant perceptual discrepancy between mothers and fathers, underlining the importance of considering both parents' reports in the study of adopted children's adjustment.

Dominated by intracultural comparisons between adopted and nonadopted children, adoption research has until now paid little attention to cross-cultural differences in the adoptees’ behavioral and socioemotional adjustment. The present study is aimed at comparing children adopted in two different countries—Italy and Spain—and at verifying, through their parents’ perceptions, the extent to which cultural context may contribute to shaping children's emotional and behavioral problems. A sample of 207 international adoptees (127 Italian and 80 Spanish) aged between 6 and 14 years was studied. The children's adjustment was assessed using the Child Behavior Checklist, which was filled out by the adoptive parents. Results indicated the presence of more similarities than differences between Italian and Spanish subjects: children adopted both in Italy and Spain between 3 and 5 years old were more likely to exhibit behavior problems than were children who entered the adoptive family at any other age. Some d...