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Background: Little is known about bullying experienced by internationally adopted teens residing in Europe. Objectives: Within the framework of an international research effort involving several European countries, the main goal of this study was to explore the experiences of bullying victimization suffered by adopted adolescents, as well as its impact on their psychological adjustment. Methods: The sample consisted of 199 adolescents born in Eastern European countries and adopted in France (n = 50), Italy (n = 59), Norway (n = 25) and Spain (n = 65). Results: More than half of the adopted adolescents had been exposed to some form of peer victimization in the previous 2 months, with verbal harassment and social exclusion being the most common forms of victimization. Differences between receiving countries were not statistically significant, suggesting a common pattern for Eastern European adopted adolescents living in Western Europe. More frequent experiences of peer victimization were associated with more psychological difficulties among the adopted adolescents. Conclusions: Findings highlight that adopted adolescents might have considerable difficulties in social integration with peers; these experiences of peer victimization might play an important role hindering their psychosocial adjustment. The socioemotional development of adopted people is not only linked to their pre‐adoptive experiences; factors in their daily lives (i.e., peer relationships) may also be associated with their psychological adjustment later in life. Interventions are needed to promote the real inclusion of these groups of children in their social and educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 230,000 children have been adopted from other countries by American parents since 1989, including more than 72,000 from Eastern Europe. Many arrive with growth and development delays, and medical problems. Yet, little is known about the long-term outcomes for these children. Therefore, we assessed long-term developmental, neurobehavioral, and educational performance outcomes in a group of adopted 8- to 12-year-old children from Eastern Europe. A parent questionnaire was mailed to families of school-age Eastern European adopted children who had been in the United States for two years or more. Of the 81 children (33M: 48F) described in the returned surveys, 84 percent were 3 years old or older at adoption. Sixty-one percent of the children received special education services, and 32 percent received occupational therapy. Fifty-two percent had language disorders, 38 percent had attentional problems, and 36 percent had learning disabilities. Thirty-five percent had multiple neurodevelopmental diagnosis. Thirty-two percent of the children had post-traumatic stress disorder; these children were older at adoption than those without this problem (p = 0.04). Anxiety and depression each occurred in 19 percent of children; 66 percent of those with depression also had anxiety (p = 0.0001). Most children attended school willingly (70 percent), had a best friend (63 percent), and got along their parents (75 percent). Although nearly two-thirds of the internationally adopted children received special education services and 35 percent had multiple neurodevelopmental disorders, most children displayed remarkable social, peer, and family integration skills. (Contains 5 figures.)