Adapted from BMJ 2-9 May 2026
If a child from parents who have psychiatric or behavioural problems is adopted into a favourable home environment, this has lasting benefits for that child, but also for the children of that child.
Researchers in Sweden used national registers to compare full siblings and half maternal siblings born between 1950 and 1980 who were adopted before the age of ten, compared with their biological siblings who were not adopted. The children of these children were also compared. The outcomes included psychiatric, social, educational, cognitive and non-cognitive measures.
Adopted children showed a lower risk of psychiatric disorders: 29.8% compared to 36.1%.
Fewer criminal convictions: 26.1% compared to 34%
Fewer social welfare recipients: 37.8% compared to 48.5%
Higher mean intelligence scores: 4.5 compared to 3.8
Better cognitive skills scores: 4.8 compared to 3.9.
More likely to attend university: 26% compared to 15.2%.
The measures between the future offspring were less marked but still showed some improvement with higher psychosocial functioning. Regarding psychiatric disorders the figures were 29.6% compared to 32.3%.
The early environment in early life plays a central role in shaping health, educational, and labour market outcomes over the life course. Disadvantaged children who suffer from poverty, poor neighbourhoods, and who don’t get good nursery or maternal care have worse outcomes in adulthood.
Sweden has a particularly good social welfare system so results could be different in other countries. The results do seem to indicate that if a child’s environment can become more stable, and adequate resources and support are given to caregivers, the child’s outcome should improve.
My comments: I wondered how these figures compared with “normal families”. I asked ChatGTP.
Around 25% of working age adults have some form of criminal conviction. This includes minor offences such as motoring offences or not having a television licence. When these are excluded the figures are 25% of men and 10% of women have some sort of conviction.
In the UK 22-23% of adults of working age get some sort of disability or health related support, get benefits due to low income, receive housing assistance or are carers. 10% of UK adults get some sort of health support.
About 50% of UK adults go to university. 40% go immediately after school and the rest go later. More women go than men. 42-46% of working age adults have a higher education qualification such as degrees, HNDs or nursing qualifications.
These figures tend to indicate that children adopted from difficult home circumstances still don’t do as well as “average” children, although the UK is a different country and the times periods are not directly comparable.
