Is there a common pathway to maladjustment for internationally adopted and non-adopted adolescents?

•Accumulation of risks is a pathway to maladjustment for both adoptees and controls.•For behavioral issues, adoptees follow the same developmental pathway as the controls.•Adoptees could benefit from treatment focusing on the cumulative effect of risks.•Special attention needs to be paid to adoptees' risk of EB and comorbidity.

The main purpose of the research was to test whether cumulative effects represent a common pathway to behavioral maladjustment for internationally adopted adolescents and controls. The findings of previous comparison and follow-up studies have been contradictory. The hypothesis was tested in an original multi-informant study with 74 adolescents: 40 adoptees and 34 controls. The analyses of the data provided arguments in favor of the existence of a common pathway for adoptees and controls. The accumulation of risk factors in the current characteristics of the adolescents and their family was significantly associated with behavioral outcomes of both adoptees and controls. Implications for research, policy and practice are discussed.