Adoption Breakdown in Spain: A Survival and Age

The two goals of this article are the analysis of the duration of adoptive placements ending in breakdown and the role of age at placement in the breakdown experience. All known cases of adoption breakdown during a whole decade in Andalusia, a Spanish region, were studied. Preadoption and formalized adoptions, domestic and intercountry adoptions were included. Data were analyzed using survival analysis, Cox regression, χ2, and rate ratio analyses. The duration of adoptive placements ending in breakdown, significantly shorter in intercountry adoptions, is associated with a configuration of characteristics in the child, the adoptive parents and adoptive family life, and professional intervention. Among child-related factors, age at placement is of special relevance for the breakdown experience. Placements involving older children last less and break down more frequently, but are not condemned to failure. They need to be better supported with protective factors compensating the risks