Study highlights urgent need for robust research into adult adoptee outcomes

The urgent need for comprehensive research into adult adoptee outcomes has been thrown into sharp focus by a recent unpublished study that has resonated widely within UK adoptee communities. Whilst there are many caveats to the study which makes it hard to generalise the findings, the strong response to this research reinforces just how many adoptees feel their experiences have not been fully recognised or understood. 

Adoption comes with trauma. This won't surprise anyone who is adopted, who loves someone who is adopted, or who has had a child placed for adoption. However, widespread beliefs - such as that "biological kin doesn't matter" and "adoption solves everything" - seem to prevail. 

The unpublished study by a doctoral researcher with lived experience as a first mother highlighted concerning mental health statistics for adult adoptees. These findings were alarming and reinforced ongoing questions about the potential underestimation of poor mental health outcomes for adopted people. The study has been widely shared on social media, suggesting that many adoptees resonate with its findings.  

Background to the study and key findings 

Results from the research survey, conducted by Dr Lynn Zubov of Winston Salem State University in the United States, were recently presented at a YouTube webinar organised by the UK-run Adult Adoptee Movement. In the presentation, Dr Zubov explains that her study was conducted predominantly in the US through recruitment via Facebook groups and forums, with some international participants. 

Notably, the sample includes adoptees who were removed at birth and who had no reported experiences of neglect or abuse in their first families (except, potentially, in utero). Dr Zubov suggests that the experience of growing up away from birth parents presents significant challenges for many adoptees in its own right, additional to or separate from experiences of early neglect or abuse. This hypothesis echoes the language of adoptees such as Zara Philips as well as psychotherapists and doctors with an interest in adoption, including Paul Sunderland and Dr Gabor Maté. 

Dr Zubov shares that adoptees in this sample reported higher rates of mental health challenges compared to the general population. In terms of emotional distress, 82.7% of the respondents answered "yes, definitely" to the question of whether they experience pain and loss, and 55.7% reported a pervasive lack of belonging. Approximately 80% of adoptees reported using "unhealthy coping mechanisms" to manage complicated feelings. 

What do these findings mean? 

These findings suggest that, at least among the sample of over 600 adoptees and first parents who participated, many adults reported high levels of unmet emotional need. Some of these findings align with those from other large-scale surveys, such as Adoption UK's annual "Adoption Barometer". For example, in 2024, the Adoption Barometer found that only 18% of English adult adoptees surveyed felt confident that appropriate therapeutic services were available for them, whilst 67% completely disagreed that mental health and NHS services have a good understanding of their needs. 

These findings also point to a potential systemic underestimation of the emotional needs of adopted people throughout their lifespan for various reasons. As one adoptee in the Barometer noted, "It really is a lifelong journey that impacts your life in small ways all the time". 

However, it is important to note that we cannot generalise findings from any one study or suggest that this represents the majority of adoptees. Why? Because isolated studies typically rely on self-selected samples recruited through online forums or support groups. Since adoptees who are struggling are more likely to be in these forums or to want to participate in such studies, we cannot be completely sure if such findings represent the majority of adoptees without carefully testing these hypotheses with controlled methods of research and recruitment. This is why it is so important that further comprehensive research is carried out. 

Additionally, we cannot conclude that the reason for greater distress in this sample is separation from birth parents, first, since we do not know what proportion were separated at birth, and second, since myriad other factors could be at play.  

Other factors that may impact adoptee wellbeing include early disruption of caregiving and length of time in the care system, the quality of adoptive parenting, openness about adoption history, family narratives about adoption, the meaning attributed to separation, connection to culture and ethnicity, genetics (including neurodivergence), and how the person's identity as an adoptee is nurtured. Nevertheless, this study demonstrates that the impact of growing up away from birth parents is something that needs to be studied in its own right. 

Here are some other factors to bear in mind when interpreting the research: 

• Survey methodology: The research relies on self-reported data without the depth or rigour of controlled studies or in-depth interviews.
• Limited demographic information: Adoption practices vary significantly across time, cultural and geographical contexts, making it difficult to generalise these findings.
• Unpublished status: This research has not yet undergone peer review or been published in a scientific journal. 

The urgent need for comprehensive research 

Whilst Dr Zubov's study cannot be generalised to all adoptees at this point, it joins other preliminary research in highlighting critical themes that demand our urgent attention. In particular, the widespread sharing of this research and the strong resonance it has found within certain adoptee communities underscores how much the findings resonate with adopted people, and just how many adoptees and first parents feel their experiences have been consistently minimised, invalidated or ignored. Regardless of the study's limitations, then, the pain and experiences described should rightly concern us and capture our attention.  

At Adoption UK, we are seeking to work with academic partners to conduct the full-scale research that's needed to investigate outcomes for adopted people thoroughly. This will be our predominant research priority, as such robust research is critically needed to:

• Understand the mental health outcomes of adoptees and establish how prevalent poor outcomes are – for example, whether they represent some or the majority of adult adoptees.  
• Validate the experiences of adoptees and first families.  
• Inform evidence-based policy and practice.  
• Ensure appropriate support services are developed and funded.  
• Update public understanding of adoption-related challenges. 

Though we must approach any single study with appropriate caution, the broader message of Dr Zubov aligns with our views at Adoption UK: many adoptees are struggling in silence in adulthood, and there is an urgent need to fund peer-reviewed, longitudinal research on lifelong outcomes. Such research is vital to shift societal attitudes about the lifelong impact of adoption, and to help make the case for the services many adult adoptees badly need. In the meantime, all of us working in adoption have a responsibility to update public understanding of adoption-related experiences so that adoptees and first families have their voices centred and receive the validation, empathy and support they deserve.