| Family heritage | | | | cultural stigmas have been cited by many |
| Preserving an adopted child's heritage | | | | women who claim to have been coerced, |
| has become an issue in adoption. Recent | | | | deceived and pressured into surrendering |
| work on openness in adoption has | | | | infants into adoption without informed |
| attempted to address this issue. These | | | | consent or adequate representation. |
| efforts are relatively recent, and full | | | | Abuse and neglect |
| openness, while on the upswing, is still | | | | Some studies indicate that parental |
| not the norm in adoption. | | | | neglect, carelessness and abuse is |
| International adoptees face additional | | | | dramatically higher for adopted |
| challenges. Some adoptive families in | | | | children, the majority of whom are |
| international adoptions commit to | | | | adopted through the child welfare system |
| integrating the child's birth nation | | | | in the UK, Canada, and the U.S. As such, |
| cultures, traditions, stories, languages | | | | adopted children are much more likely to |
| and relationships. Some countries | | | | die prematurely, on the whole, than |
| require that adoptive parents keep the | | | | those raised in birth families. (The Red |
| birth names of their adoptive children. | | | | Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human |
| Other adoptive parents may choose to do | | | | Nature, 1995, Penguin Books, ISBN |
| this.[citation needed] | | | | 0-14-024548-0, chapter 7, claims 65 |
| For all adopted people in adoptions | | | | times increase in risk of death) (For |
| where information about the family of | | | | additional citations see: Google |
| origin is withheld, secrecy may disrupt | | | | Answers: Research on Child Abuse of |
| the process of forming an identity. | | | | Adopted Children) |
| Family concerns regarding genealogy can | | | | The National Adoption Center found that |
| be a source of confusion [9]. Another | | | | 52% of adoptable children (meaning those |
| common concern is the lack of a medical | | | | children in U.S. foster care freed for |
| history, which can affect the adopted | | | | adoption) had symptoms of attachment |
| person and also his/her subsequent | | | | disorder. A study by Dante Cicchetti |
| children. | | | | found that 80% of abused and maltread |
| Adoption may be problematic for some | | | | infants exhibited attachment disorder |
| birthparents. When a parent chooses to | | | | symptoms (disorganized subtype). |
| place the child, the separation can be | | | | Children with histories of maltreatment, |
| difficult. | | | | such as physical and psychological |
| Adoption may also pose questions for | | | | neglect, physical abuse, and sexual |
| adoptive parents. There are various | | | | abuse, are at risk of developing severe |
| schools of thought about openness, | | | | psychiatric problems. These children are |
| maintaining connections to the child's | | | | likely to develop Reactive attachment |
| birth family, answering a child's | | | | disorder (RAD). These children may be |
| questions and helping a child deal with | | | | described as experiencing |
| birthparents who may not maintain | | | | trauma-attachment problems. The trauma |
| regular contact. | | | | experienced is the result of abuse or |
| Coerced adoption | | | | neglect, inflicted by a primary |
| Women pregnant in circumstances that | | | | caregiver, which disrupts the normal |
| their cultures deem to be undesirable | | | | development of secure attachment. Such |
| (such as out of wedlock) have faced | | | | children are at risk of developing a |
| varying degrees of societal and/or legal | | | | disorganized attachment. Disorganized |
| pressure to place their children for | | | | attachment is associated with a number |
| adoption. There is also a growing | | | | of developmental problems, including |
| concern that increasing financial | | | | dissociative symptoms, as well as |
| motivation is creating a climate in | | | | depressive, anxiety, and acting-out |
| which adoption professionals and | | | | symptoms. |
| intermediaries are placing undue | | | | Effective treatment for children who |
| pressure on pregnant women, using | | | | have experienced early chronic |
| increasingly sophisticated tactics. | | | | maltreatment generally must be |
| Financial motivation and religious and | | | | multi-modal and family-based. |