Trauma
Research discussing trauma and traumatic stress in adoption. These entries do not all examine PTSD or complex PTSD; check each study’s measures and population.
These entries are grouped by terms in their titles, summaries and topics. This is a route through the database, not a systematic review.
Ask the Adoptee Rights Assistant
Please leave out names and identifying details.
Adopted children’s mental health needs beyond attachment and trauma: A comparison of social work and mental health conceptualisations
2026 · England
Researchers compared 153 consecutive social-worker referral letters with diagnoses following specialist mental-health assessment of adopted children. Assessments commonly identified behavioural and neurodevelopmental conditions. Agreement between referral descriptions and clinical diagnoses was low, suggesting that the two services described children’s difficulties differently.
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.
Attachment state of mind and trauma in mother and baby home adoptees
2022 · United Kingdom / Ireland
Five adults aged over 55, adopted from mother and baby homes in the UK and Ireland, completed the Adult Attachment Interview. Researchers classified attachment states of mind and analysed interview themes. All five were classified as insecure and four as unresolved/disorganised. Their accounts concerned identity and belonging, trauma, silenced coping and adverse parenting.
Being taken in: How can psychoanalytic psychotherapy lead to better relationships for an adopted child?
2013 · United Kingdom
A clinical case study examined psychotherapy with a nine-year-old adopted boy and the relationship developing between child and therapist. The analysis interpreted patterns connected with earlier adversity and explored changes in emotional regulation and ways of relating within therapy.
Dyadic developmental psychotherapy for children with developmental trauma histories: An exploration of children’s therapeutic experiences
2025 · United Kingdom
Six children aged 8–12, five adopted and one under special guardianship, used play-based interviews and visual activities to describe ongoing therapy. Interpretative phenomenological analysis identified trust, feeling understood, repair after difficult interactions and perceived closeness to caregivers. Most children expressed benefits, alongside discomfort or uncertainty.
Family-based psychological interventions for domestically adoptive families: a systematic review
2024 · United Kingdom; international
A review of 20 papers describing 18 studies examined family-based psychological interventions for domestic adoptive families, including UK services. It reported some improvements in child and family outcomes with integrated approaches using play, attachment-focused therapy and trauma interventions, but judged the available studies to have high risk of bias.
Fast Feet Forward: Early intervention protocol using bilateral movements to reduce stress and increase positive cognitions in adopted children with complex trauma presentation
2022 · United Kingdom (regional recruitment not established)
Researchers examined a running-based intervention for adopted children with complex trauma. Recorded ratings showed reduced subjective distress and increased endorsement of positive cognitions after one session and after twelve sessions. The protocol used running as bilateral stimulation within a systemic formulation.
Identity as experienced and explored in therapy with adopted children: An IPA study
2021 · United Kingdom
Eight therapists in a specialist CAMHS clinic were interviewed about adopted children’s identity. Interpretative phenomenological analysis described themes around evolving selfhood and different facets of identity. Therapists reported trauma-related difficulties, fragmented self-perceptions, family adjustment and stigma, and valued space to reflect on their work.
Intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy with looked after and adopted children: Exploring the experiences and perspectives of trainee Child and Adolescent Psychotherapists
2021 · United Kingdom (regional recruitment not established)
Five trainee child and adolescent psychotherapists were interviewed about intensive treatment of looked-after and adopted children in CAMHS. Reflexive thematic analysis described trauma and loss, ambivalence and violence in therapy, pressures on professional collaboration, and the role of supervision and developmental work.
Patterns of adversity and post-traumatic stress among children adopted from care
2022 · United Kingdom
Researchers classified early adversity using records for 374 children adopted from care and examined later post-traumatic stress symptoms in a longitudinal questionnaire sample of 58 children. Multiple complex perinatal and postnatal adversity was associated with higher avoidance and arousal symptoms four years after placement.
Post adoption support needs and implications for future practice – a systematic review
2026 · International (UK-led review)
A systematic review examined 76 English-language primary studies published during 2002–2025 about adoptees’ and families’ post-adoption support needs. Recurring subjects included attachment, identity, neurodevelopment, mental health, trauma, education, loss and birth-family contact. The synthesis described barriers to obtaining support and understanding adoptees’ earlier adversity and neurodevelopmental needs.
Sensory Regulation, Theraplay®, Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing, and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy Integration (STEDi) for Adoptive Children who have Experienced Developmental Trauma and Attachment Disruptions: A Mixed-Methods Preliminary Evaluation
2026 · England
An extended case study of eight adoptive families assessed an integrated therapy combining sensory regulation, play-based work, EMDR and DDP. Child-outcome questionnaires showed reductions in average scores on several trauma, behaviour and executive-function scales. The authors described these as tentative trends rather than conclusive treatment effects.
The Impact of a Brief Neuro-Collaborative Play-Based Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in Adopted Children: A Service Evaluation
2022 · England
Forty-seven adoptive families received a ten-week package combining parent–child play therapy, parenting sessions and children’s sensory and mindfulness activities. Parent questionnaires before and after treatment recorded reductions in several trauma-related, behavioural and relationship difficulties. Not all measured domains showed statistically significant changes.
The Impact of a Neurocollaborative Theraplay-informed Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Children: A Pilot Study
2026 · England
Fourteen care-experienced children with diagnosed or suspected ADHD were compared with 14 children without ADHD after both groups received a 30-hour therapy package. Parent/carer ratings in the ADHD group improved on selected behavioural and anxiety scales. Adjusted comparisons found no statistically significant difference in changes between groups.
The Impact of a Neurocollaborative Theraplay® Informed Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in Adopted Children with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: An Extended Case Study
2025 · England
Sixteen adopted children with prenatal alcohol exposure received a therapy package combining play-based family work, sensory activities and parenting support. Parent ratings before and after treatment showed a statistically significant reduction in depression scores on one trauma measure; changes on other measures varied.
The Impact of a Neurocollaborative Theraplay®-Informed Intervention on the Presentations of Developmental Trauma and Attachment Difficulties in a Sub-Group of Autistic Looked after Children: a Retrospective Service Evaluation
2026 · England
Researchers compared parent/carer ratings before and after a 30-hour therapy package for 35 autistic and 172 non-autistic care-experienced children. Most children in both groups were adopted. The full sample and non-autistic group improved on some measures. Changes in the smaller autistic group were not statistically significant, and adjusted comparisons found no difference between groups.
The psychological implications of forced adoption: A scoping review
2025 · International (includes UK studies)
This scoping review mapped 27 publications on psychological experiences following forced adoption. Nine concerned adoptees and eighteen birth mothers. The adoptee-focused evidence described trauma and attachment difficulties, identity loss, limited belonging and isolation. Most included studies were qualitative and came from several countries, including UK research.
What developments can be seen in a year’s intensive psychotherapy with a ten year old adopted boy with Mild Learning Difficulties
2017 · United Kingdom
A retrospective clinical study examined a year of three-times-weekly psychotherapy with a ten-year-old adopted boy who had experienced neglect before age six. Thematic analysis of therapy material considered family relationships, missing information and sequencing. Nightmares resolved and other behavioural changes were reported by parents.