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Adult adoptees’ experiences of first name changes
2025 · England and Wales
Twenty-nine adult adoptees contributed accounts of first-name changes, including the significance of birth names and missing information about original names or why they were changed.
Adult disinhibited social engagement in adoptees exposed to extreme institutional deprivation
2017 · UK; Romania
ERA follow-up examined disinhibited social engagement from childhood into adulthood alongside neurodevelopmental and mental-health outcomes.
Adult psychosocial outcomes of men and women who were looked-after or adopted as children: prospective observational study
2018 · England
Using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, researchers examined adult psychological and social outcomes in 8,775 women and 3,654 men recruited around Bristol during pregnancy and followed five years later. Adopted adults reported higher smoking rates than the reference group; adopted women also reported higher anxiety. People previously in public care generally had the poorest outcomes.
Adverse Childhood Experiences of Children Adopted from Care
2019 · Wales, UK
Case-file data on 374 children adopted from care and repeated parent questionnaires found 42% had four or more pre-placement ACEs. More ACEs were associated with later internalising symptoms, while adoptive parental warmth moderated this relationship.
Adverse health outcomes in women exposed in utero to diethylstilbestrol
2011 · United States
Researchers followed 4,653 women exposed to DES before birth and 1,927 unexposed women. Prenatal exposure was associated with increased risks across reproductive and other health outcomes, including infertility, pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy, premature delivery and early menopause.
Adversity, adoption and afterwards: A mid-life follow-up study of women adopted from Hong Kong
2013 · United Kingdom; Hong Kong
This book examines women adopted from Hong Kong orphanages into UK families, following their lives into middle age. The publisher describes standardised outcome measures, comparisons with other adopted and non-adopted women, and qualitative interviews. Detailed findings are not summarised because the book itself was not reviewed.
Age at placement and adult adopted people's experience of being adopted
2001 · United Kingdom
A study of adults involved in search or reunion examined age at placement against reported belonging, difference, feeling loved and overall experience of adoption.
Age at placement, adoption experience and adult adopted people’s contact with their adoptive and birth mothers: an attachment perspective
2001 · United Kingdom (regional recruitment not established)
Adults described childhood adoption experiences and their current contact with adoptive mothers and, where reunion had occurred, birth mothers. Later placement was associated with less reported belonging and feeling loved, and less frequent later contact with both mothers. An attachment framework was used to interpret these associations.
Amygdala, hippocampal and corpus callosum size following severe early institutional deprivation: the English and Romanian Adoptees study pilot
2009 · United Kingdom; Romania (origin)
An MRI pilot compared 14 adolescent adoptees exposed to Romanian institutional deprivation with 11 non-adopted UK controls. The exposed group had smaller total grey and white matter volumes. After adjustment for overall brain volume, amygdala volumes differed, while hippocampal volume and corpus callosum area did not.
An auto-ethnographic account of interactional practices in adoptive family relationships.
2019 · United Kingdom
An adoptee researcher used autoethnography to examine kinship and interactions with birth relatives and her adult adopted children. Accounts from ten women described as adoptees or adoptive mothers also informed the work. The thesis explores how relationships, gendered experiences and sensory memories shape negotiated and changing family identities across adulthood.
An eight-year prospective study of older boys placed in permanent substitute families: a research note
1995 · United Kingdom
A prospective study followed sixteen boys placed in permanent substitute families at ages five to nine, with assessments up to eight years after placement. Conduct and emotional problems declined during the first year, while relationship difficulties and overactivity changed little. Some placements disrupted or had poor outcomes. Greater pre-placement adversity was associated with poorer outcomes, with more positive parenting associated with better outcomes among boys with high adversity.
An Evaluation of Neuro-Physiological Psychotherapy for Adopted Children and Young People with Neurodevelopmental Trauma and Prenatal Alcohol Exposure Who May Meet Criteria for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder
2026 · England
This evaluation extends earlier Family Futures research to a larger treatment group and examines prenatal alcohol exposure. Parent and teacher ratings indicated differences favouring treated children on selected executive-function and behavioural measures compared with a non-equivalent control group. Improvements in behavioural regulation were also observed among children with prenatal alcohol exposure.
An evaluation of Neuro-Physiological Psychotherapy: An integrative therapeutic approach to working with adopted children who have experienced early life trauma
2016 · England
Researchers evaluated an integrated therapy with 31 adopted young people and their parents using repeated measures and interviews. Measures showed changes in behaviour regulation, executive functioning, internalising and externalising difficulties, and social and thought problems during treatment.
An evaluation of the AdOpt parenting programme
2017 · England
This evaluation examined a parenting programme in seven English local authorities using pre- and post-programme questionnaires about adopted children and supplementary interviews. The main analysis covered 91 children. Parent-rated total and conduct difficulties decreased; emotional, hyperactivity and peer difficulties and prosocial behaviour did not show statistically significant changes.
An exploration of the effectiveness of Educational Psychology consultation in supporting the development of emotional regulation skills in young people who have been adopted: A series of single subject case histories
2014 · United Kingdom (regional recruitment not established)
Four adopted young people aged 10–14 were studied in a mixed-methods evaluation of educational-psychology consultation. Young people, parents and school staff completed measures before and after consultation and weekly ratings; adults were also interviewed. The repository abstract describes the design but does not give the measured outcomes.
An Exploration of the Psychological Impact of Receiving Information from Genetic Testing and Screening for Adopted and Cared-For Individuals
2026 · United Kingdom
A review of five studies examined adopted and care-experienced adults’ responses to genetic information. Information could help fill identity gaps but could also create uncertainty and further searching. An empirical component interviewed six health and social care professionals about hypothetical genomic screening and later disclosure, identifying concerns about identity, relationships and isolation.
An exploratory study of pathological processes in latency care-experienced children. Implications for assessment and treatment
2023 · UK clinical context; recruitment region unverified
This professional doctorate analysed specialist assessment notes for four looked-after or adopted children using grounded theory within a psychoanalytic framework. The researcher interpreted patterns concerning separation anxiety, control and difficulties with relationships, and developed four categories describing the children’s states of mind.
Analysis of Costs in Traditional and Early Permanence Adoption Routes
2023 · England
Researchers compared 213 children on traditional and early-permanence adoption routes in the Midlands, using administrative records and staff time estimates. Early-permanence children had fewer moves, shorter care journeys and lower estimated costs. These children were also younger, so the differences cannot be attributed solely to the placement approach.
APPG Adoptee Voices Inquiry
2026 · England
The inquiry drew on evidence from more than 300 adoptees aged 13–25, focusing on identity, health and wellbeing, and education.
Are the early benefits of the Adoption Support Fund (therapeutic support for adoptive families) sustainable?
2019 · England
Researchers examined whether early benefits of England’s Adoption Support Fund could be sustained. A two-year mixed-method evaluation included surveys of parents and professionals and local-authority case studies. It reported modest early family benefits alongside administrative pressures, gaps in wider support and uncertainty about maintaining gains.