Maria Barbosa-Ducharne

Maria Barbosa-Ducharne is a Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal, where she has been responsible for the fields of Child Protection, Welfare and Adoption. Her main research interests are human development, child protection, adoption, family foster and residential care.

Since 2011, she has been the main researcher of the Group for Research and Intervention on Out-of-home Care and Adoption at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto. Recent research projects under her direction have been: (1) IPPA – Intergenerational Research on Adoption: Adopted children, parents and grandparents – 2008/2012; (2) Adoptive family dynamics and adoptees’ development – 2011/2019; (3) Residential care quality assessment in Portugal: a nationwide study – 2012/2019.

She has directed several Master and PhD students on Adoption and Residential Care and has published regularly in the fields of Adoption and Child and Youth Residential Care.

Title of presentation: Adoptees’ social competence from childhood to emergent adulthood

Abstract: The ability to adaptively function in social contexts and to engage in positive social relationships, establishing and maintaining friendships and close relationships has been labelled social competence. There is multiple evidence showing that this ability can be hampered by early adversity. Experiences of abuse and neglect, poor and unstable affective ties, multiple care placements, separations and losses, which characterize many adoptees’ preadoption stories, contrast with positive, affectionate and stimulating post-adoption familial and social environments. This makes the study of adoptees’ social competence development particularly interesting. Nevertheless, research on the development of social competence in adoptees is recent and the field is characterized by both consistent findings and research disagreements. The diversity of theoretical approaches and methods of study, together with the heterogeneity of samples, help to explain some of these problems. At the same time, there is enough research available to make a review of the main findings feasible. This review will include cross-sectional as well as longitudinal information, studies on children, adolescents and young adults, meta-analytic as well as single studies information. Although to some extent still incipient, research on adoptees’ social competence illustrates the power of adoption research to illustrate fundamental issues of human development, the specificity of adoption and the need of sound information to refine the understanding of adoptees, as well as policies and practices to improve their lives.