Characterization of Families Adopting Children With Down Syndrome and Exploratory Associations With Neuropsychiatric Outcomes

Limited research examines demographics and psychosocial factors among families adopting children with Down syndrome (DS). This study aimed to characterize adoptive families and explore associations between adoption‐related factors and child neuropsychiatric outcomes. An anonymous survey was distributed through national DS advocacy and adoption organizations. Data included demographics, adoption characteristics, familiarity with DS and developmental disabilities, caregiver‐reported neurologic/psychiatric comorbidities, and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) scores. Analyses were descriptive with exploratory nonparametric comparisons and false discovery rate correction. The study included 120 adopted children with DS from 98 families. NPI data was available for 100 children. Families were predominantly White, high‐income, and Christian. Older child age at survey administration was associated with higher NPI scores (Spearman ρ = 0.232, p = 0.020). Older age at adoption (Spearman ρ = 0.297, p = 0.001), older child age at survey administration (Spearman ρ = 0.345, p < 0.001), and international adoption (Mann–Whitney U , p = 0.004) were associated with increased comorbidity burden following false discovery rate correction. Age‐related factors and adoption type were associated with greater neuropsychiatric and comorbidity burden, highlighting the importance of longitudinal investigation and supportive resources for adoptive families of children with DS.