Quality of life and mental health in adopted adults

This paper analyses psychological adjustment and checks a suggested theoretical model that relates the presence of psychopathological symptoms to a worse health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adult adoptees. The sample consisted of 177 young adopted adults (mean age 27.67). Measures of psychopathological symptoms (SCL-90), quality of life (SF-12), self-esteem (RSES), and resilience (BRS) were taken. The multiple mediation model shows that, in addition to the direct association between psychopathological symptomatology and a poorer HRQOL, resilience, and self-esteem have a buffering effect on this relationship. As a conclusion, empirical evidence of the impact of mental health difficulties on the HRQOL of adopted people is shown. The presence of positive psychological resources, such as resilience and self-esteem, causes psychopathological dimensions, such as anxiety, depression, phobias, or psychoticism to decrease. This paper supports the inclusion of resilience-building programs as a health promotion strategy, especially in the case of psychopathology, and among post-adoption services.