FactSheet 

For FamilieS 

September 2004 

Disponible en español 

www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/ 

impactoadoptadas.cfm 

Impact of Adoption 

on Adopted Persons 

As discussion of the adoption process becomes 

more open and accepted in American society, and 

as more Americans have experience with adoption, there is also more attention focused on those 

involved in adoption—the adopted person, the 

birth parents, and the adoptive parents (often 

referred to as the adoption triad or, more recently, 

the adoption constellation). People who have 

experienced adoption firsthand are coming forward 

What’s inside: 

• Adoption issues 

• Managing adoption issues 

• Resources 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

Administration for Children and Families 

Administration on Children, Youth and Families 

Children’s Bureau 

Child Welfare Information Gateway 

Children’s Bureau/ACYF 

1250 Maryland Avenue, SW 

Eighth Floor 

Washington, DC 20024 

703.385.7565 or 800.394.3366 

Email: info@childwelfare.gov 

www.childwelfare.gov 
Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

to talk or write about their experiences, and 

researchers are conducting scientific studies 

to find out about the impact of adoption on 

all members of the adoption triad. 

This factsheet examines the impact of 

adoption on adopted persons who have 

reached adulthood. While it is difficult to 

make sweeping statements about such a 

large and diverse group as adopted persons, 

it can be said that adopted persons generally lead lives that are no different from the 

lives of nonadopted persons; however, they 

have experiences that are unique to being 

adopted, and these experiences may have an 

impact on their lives at various times. 

There are several themes that emerge from 

both the personal accounts of adopted 

persons and from the studies of academic 

researchers. This factsheet addresses these 

themes, which include loss, the development of identity and self-esteem, interest in 

genetic information, and managing adoption issues. 

• The Adoption Issues section looks at 

some of the issues that adopted persons 

may face, including developmental and 

emotional issues and the need for genetic 

or medical information. 

•Managing Adoption Issues reviews some 

of the ways that adopted persons handle 

adoption-related issues. 

•Resources for adopted persons includes 

books, articles, websites, and more. 

adoption issues 

loss and Grief 

The loss of the birth parents as a result of 

adoption sets the stage for the feelings of 

loss and abandonment that many adopted 

persons may experience at some point in 

their lives. Even those who are adopted as 

newborns at times experience a loss of the 

early bond to the mother, although this loss 

may not become apparent until the child 

is older and able to understand the consequences. In the book Being Adopted: The 

Lifelong Search for Self, authors Brodzinsky, 

Schechter, and Marantz (199) suggest that 

dealing with the loss of the birth parents, 

coupled with a search for self, are two 

processes that can contribute to shaping 

the psychological development of adopted 

persons. These authors outline developmental tasks that an adopted person should 

address at each stage of life in order to make 

a healthy adaptation and to cope with the 

feelings of loss and the search for self. 

Loss, as well as feelings of rejection and 

abandonment by the birth parents, are 

frequent themes throughout the books 

and articles written by adopted persons 

about their experiences. Adopted persons, 

as children and as adults, may wonder why 

they were placed for adoption or what was 

“wrong” with them that caused their birth 

parents to give them up. Grief is a common 

reaction to the loss of the birth parents, and 

grieving may begin when the child is old 

enough to understand what being adopted 

means. Young children who are able to 

comprehend that they have gained adoptive 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

parents are also able to understand that they 

have lost birth parents, and comprehension 

of this loss may trigger grief. The adopted 

child or adult may have a difficult time 

finding an outlet for this grief, since grieving for birth parents is not a reaction that 

society acknowledges. If the adoptive family 

is a generally happy one, the adopted child 

or adult may even feel guilty for grieving. 

Along with grief and guilt, the adopted 

person may react to the loss through the 

normal feelings of anger, numbness, depression, anxiety, or fear. These feelings may 

occur during childhood and adolescence, as 

well as during later points in life, especially 

during emotionally charged milestones, 

such as marriage, the birth of a child, or the 

death of a parent. In addition, new losses 

may trigger memories of the loss of the birth 

parents. For instance, some adopted persons 

who face divorce or death of a spouse may 

find the experience especially difficult, 

because this new loss reawakens the old 

fears of abandonment and loss. Adopted 

persons who experience feelings of loss or 

abandonment during adulthood may or 

may not recognize a connection between 

their current feelings and their old feelings 

about the initial loss of the birth parents. 

Adopted persons may also suffer secondary 

losses. For instance, along with the loss of 

birth mother and birth father, the adopted 

person may experience the loss of brothers 

and sisters, as well as grandparents, aunts 

and uncles, and cousins. There may be a loss 

of cultural connection or language (in cases 

of intercountry or transracial adoption). For 

those who were adopted as older children, 

there may be a loss of siblings, friends, pets, 

foster families, schools, neighborhoods, and 

familiar surroundings. All of these losses 

may trigger grief and may require some 

outlet or some form of resolution. 

identity Development and 

Self-esteem 

Adopted persons’ questions about identity 

often occur first during adolescence. The 

task of identity development during adolescence is often more difficult for the adopted 

teenager because of the additional adoption 

issues. The adopted adolescent’s identity 

development includes questions about the 

biological family, why he or she was placed 

for adoption, what became of the birth 

parents, whether the adolescent resembles 

the birth parents in looks or in other characteristics, and where the adolescent “belongs” 

in terms of education, social class, culture, 

peer group, and more. The question of the 

influence of nature (inherited traits) versus 

nurture (acquired traits) may become very 

real to the adopted adolescent, who is trying 

to determine the impact of all of these influences on his or her own identity. 

Identity issues may continue into adulthood. The birth of a child to an adopted 

person may bring up some of these issues, 

as the new parent may experience a biological connection to a family member for 

the first time. For this person, there is now 

someone who “looks like me.” This new 

connection may cause the adopted adult 

to revisit earlier issues of identity. The new 

parent may also be prompted to think about 

what his or her birth mother experienced 

in giving birth and what the birth mother 

and father may have experienced in making 

the decision to place the child for adoption. 

Adopted adults who become new parents 

may be sympathetic to the difficulties of 

their birth parents, or they may wonder 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

how their birth parents could ever have 

placed them for adoption. 

Accompanying these issues of identity 

are issues of self-esteem—that is, how the 

adopted person feels about him or herself. 

A number of studies have found that, while 

adopted persons are similar to nonadopted 

persons in most ways, they often score lower 

on measures of self-esteem and self-confidence (Borders, Penny & Portnoy, 000; 

Sharma, McGue & Benson, 1996). This 

result may reflect the fact that some adopted 

persons may view themselves as different, 

out-of-place, unwelcome, or rejected. Some 

of these feelings may result from the initial 

loss of birth parents and from growing 

up away from birth parents, siblings, and 

extended family members; some may also 

result from an ongoing feeling of being 

different from nonadopted people who do 

know about their genetic background and 

birth family and may be more secure about 

their own identity as a result. 

Genetic information 

Adopted persons often lack genetic and 

medical history, as well as other family 

information. A routine visit to the doctor’s 

office, where the adopted person is asked to 

supply medical history information, may 

make adopted persons acutely aware of 

how they differ from those who were not 

adopted. Those who find out only later in 

life that they were adopted as infants are 

sometimes put at risk by their long-held 

assumption of a family medical history that 

they later find is completely incorrect. 

When an adopted person plans to get 

married or become a parent, the need for 

genetic information may become more 

important. Adopted persons have different 

questions about the child they will produce, 

such as what the child will look like, and if 

the child will inherit any genetic disorders 

that were unknown to the adopted person. 

In many cases, nonidentifying information, such as medical history, may be 

placed in the adoption file by the birth 

parents or agency at the time of the adoption. Adoption agencies or attorneys may 

allow adopted persons to have access to 

this nonidentifying information. In some 

States, adopted persons can petition a judge 

to have their adoption records opened, and 

some judges will agree to do so in order to 

provide urgently needed medical information. (See the Information Gateway legal 

factsheet Access to Family Information by 

Adopted Persons at www.childwelfare.gov/ 

systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/ 

infoaccessap.cfm). However, obtaining 

access to information provided by the birth 

parents at the time of the adoption may 

not be sufficient to provide a full medical 

history. It is more useful if birth parents, 

over the years, have updated the file that is 

kept with the adoption agency or attorney. 

In that way, an adopted person may learn 

if a birth parent or grandparent later developed a genetic disease or condition. 

managing 

adoption issues

Research shows that most adopted persons 

are similar to nonadopted persons in their 

adult adjustment (see research papers by 

Kelly, Towner-Thyrum, Rigby, & Martin; 

Borders, Penny, & Portnoy; Feigelman; and 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons	¬ www.childwelfare.gov 

Smyer, Gatz, Simi, & Pedersen). However, 

there is also significant research, along with 

the personal accounts of adopted persons, 

that suggest that many adopted persons 

struggle with issues of loss, identity, and 

self-esteem. There are a number of ways that 

adopted persons manage these issues. 

• Support Groups. Many adopted persons 

are helped by support groups where they 

can talk about their feelings with others 

who have similar experiences. The support 

group may provide a long-needed outlet 

for any lingering feelings of loss or grief. 

Adopted persons may also find support 

for new losses that occur during their 

adult years. In addition, support groups 

may provide help for the adopted person 

with the decision of whether to search for 

birth relatives or other issues. Listings of 

support groups by State may be found in 

Information Gateway’s National Foster 

Care & Adoption Directory at www. 

childwelfare.gov/nfcad. 

• Counseling. Some adopted persons may 

need more help than they find from 

family and friends or through a support 

group. In these instances, adopted 

persons may seek professional counseling. It is important to identify a counselor 

who has experience with adoption issues. 

Sometimes, the original adoption agency 

may be able to provide a referral. Also, 

support groups may have experience 

with local counselors and be able to make 

a recommendation. The Information 

Gateway website carries a factsheet, Tips 

on Selecting an Adoption Therapist, that can 

be accessed at www.childwelfare.gov/ 

pubs/r_tips.cfm. 

• Education. For many adopted persons, 

reading about the experiences of others 

can be a helpful coping mechanism. 

Knowing that there are others who have 

gone through similar experiences can 

provide reassurance that these feelings 

and experiences are normal. A growing 

number of books and websites deal with 

adoption, and the adopted person who 

has the time to seek these out should be 

able to find stories and information about 

people with similar experiences. These 

may include information about persons 

adopted domestically as infants or as 

older children from foster care or persons 

adopted from another country. 

• Searching. More and more adopted 

persons are acting on their desire to 

search for their birth families. This is 

reflected in the number of websites and 

books about searching and even in the 

change in some State laws that regulate 

access to adoption records. Reports of 

adoption reunions are mixed; some lead 

to happy new relationships, and some do 

not. Regardless of the result, most searchers report that they are content to have 

found the truth about themselves and 

that the truth has filled a void for them. 

The searching process actually encompasses a number of steps, from making 

the decision to search for birth parents or 

other birth kin, to conducting the search, 

and, if successful, arranging the reunion 

and establishing a postreunion relationship with birth family members. The decision to initiate a search is a personal one, 

and many adopted persons never search. 

For those who do, the decision may be 

triggered by a life event, or it may be the 

culmination of many years of unanswered 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

questions. The search process itself can be 

stressful and time consuming; however, 

the rewards can be great when it results in 

a reunion that is desired by both parties. 

Adopted persons who are interested in 

searching should refer to the Information 

Gateway factsheet Searching for Birth 

Relatives (www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/ 

f_search.cfm). 

• Searchers will find that there is no Federal 

law that governs whether an adopted 

person can access information about birth 

parents, the adoption, or an original birth 

certificate. Instead, access to adoption 

information is regulated completely by 

the laws of the State in which the adoption took place, and these State laws vary 

dramatically. Information about access to 

birth family information and documents 

can be found in the Information Gateway 

legal factsheet Access to Family Information 

by Adopted Persons (www.childwelfare. 

gov/systemwide/laws_policies/statutes/ 

infoaccessap.cfm); a search about access 

can be conducted on a State-by-State 

basis at the Information Gateway website 

at www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/ 

laws_policies/search/index.cfm. Support 

groups for adopted persons may also be 

a good source of practical information 

about searching. 

resources

The following list of resources is designed to be a starting point for adopted adults who are 

interested in further information about the impact of adoption. The resources include books 

and articles by members of the adoption triad, studies by researchers, and websites. A brief 

description of each resource is included. 

Books 

Brodzinsky, D. M., & Schechter, M. D. (Eds.). (1990). The psychology of adoption. New York, NY: 

Oxford University Press. 

The various chapters of this book are written by leading researchers in the field of adoption, and 

they cover such topics as theoretical perspectives on adoption adjustment, outcomes in adoption, 

identity formation, interracial adoption, family therapy, social policy, and open adoption. 

Brodzinksy, M. Schechter, M. D., & Henig, R. M. (199). Being adopted: The lifelong search for 

self. New York, NY: Doubleday. 

This book outlines developmental tasks at each of seven stages throughout the life of an adopted 

person. 

Eldridge, S. (00). Twenty life-transforming choices adoptees need to make. Colorado Springs, CO: 

Pinon Press. 

The author, a reunited adopted person, interviewed 70 adopted persons for this book, which 

addresses some of the hard questions that adopted persons face, and offers advice about taking 

control through making choices. 

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Child Welfare Information Gateway. Available online at www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_adimpact.cfm. 6 
Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

Freundlich, M. (001). The impact of adoption on members of the triad. Volume 3 in the Adoption 

and Ethics Series. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America. 

This volume examines impact on all members of the adoption triad; for adopted persons, the topics 

of adjustment and well-being for children and adolescents, identity formation, and search and 

reunion are addressed. 

Lifton, B. J. (1998). Lost and found: The adoption experience. New York, NY: Harper & Row. 

The author draws upon her experience as an adopted person and upon her work with all members 

of the adoption triad to explore the psychological issues faced by adopted people before, during, and 

after their search for their birth family. 

Pavao, J. M. (1998). The family of adoption. Boston, MA: Beacon Press. 

The author, an adopted person and an adoption therapist, describes the developmental stages and 

challenges for adopted people, and includes real-life examples to illustrate these stages. 

Rosenberg, E. B. (199). The adoption life cycle: The children and their families through the years. 

New York, NY: Free Press. 

Written by a clinical professor in psychiatry, this book draws on case examples to show how the 

different members of the adoption triad influence each other and to describe developmental tasks for 

those in the adoption circle. 

Schaefer, C. (1991). The other mother: A true story. New York, NY: Soho Press, Inc. 

The author tells her story of being a birth mother and of later searching for and finding her son. 

Schooler, J. (199). Searching for a past: The adopted adult’s unique process of finding identity. 

Colorado Springs, CO: Pinon Press. 

This book was written by an adoption coordinator and discusses the emotional and psychological 

issues that adopted persons face in the different phases of searching for birth parents. 

articles 

Borders, L. D., Penny, J. M., & Portnoy, F. (000). Adult adoptees and their friends: Current 

functioning and psychosocial well-being. Family Relations, 49, 0-18. 

The authors of this study found more similarities than differences when they compared 100 middleaged persons who had been adopted as adults with 70 nonadopted adults. 

Feigelman, W. (199). Adopted adults: Comparisons with persons raised in conventional 

families. Marriage and Family Review, (/), 199-. 

This research article compared adult behavior patterns of 101 adopted persons with those of 3,949 

adults raised in broken families and 6,258 adults raised with both biological parents. Results 

showed that adopted persons resembled nonadopted persons raised in intact families on most 

measures; however, adopted persons did have a higher incidence of adolescent identity crisis issues. 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

Grotevant, H. D., Dunbar, N., Kohler, J. K., & Lash Esau, A. M. (000). Adoptive identity: How 

contexts within and beyond the family shape developmental pathways. Family Relations, 9, 

9-8. 

This paper discusses the development of the adoptive identity in terms of the intrapsychic component, 

family environment, and contexts beyond the family; implications for practitioners are included. 

Kelly, M. M., Towner-Thyrum, E., Rigby, A., & Martin, B. (1998). Adjustment and identity 

formation in adopted and nonadopted young adults: Contributions of family environment. 

American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 68(), 9-00. 

Adopted college students were compared with nonadopted college students on measures of 

adjustment and identity formation, and the two groups were found to be largely similar. 

Lifton, B. J. (001). Shared identity issues for adoptees. In V. Groza & K. F. Rosenberg (Eds.), 

Clinical and practice issues in adoption: Bridging the gap between adoptees placed as infants and 

as older children, (pp. -8). Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey. 

The author discusses the identity issues common to children adopted as infants, those adopted as 

older children, and those adopted from a foreign country. 

Sharma, A. R., McGue, M. K., & Benson, P. L. (1996). The emotional and behavioral 

adjustment of United States adopted adolescents: Part I. An overview. Children and Youth 

Services Review, 18(1/), 8-100. 

In a comparison of adjustment and family functioning in over 4,000 adopted adolescents and over 

4,000 nonadopted adolescents, small but significant differences were found between the groups, 

with one finding showing lower self-confidence and optimism in adopted persons. 

Silverstein, D. N., & Kaplan, S. (1988). Lifelong issues in adoption. In L. Coleman, K. Tolbor, H. 

Hornby, & C. Boggis (Eds.), Working with older adoptees (pp. -). Portland, ME: University 

of Southern Maine. Retrieved April , 00, from http://www.adopting.org/silveroze/html/ 

lifelong_issues_in_adoption.html 

The authors describe seven issues that all members of the adoption triad must address. 

Smyer, M. A., Gatz, M., Simi, N. L., & Pedersen, N. L. (1998). Childhood adoption: Long-term 

effects in adulthood. Psychiatry, 61, 191-0. 

Researchers studied adult outcome variables in 60 pairs of twins who had been separated as infants 

or children, so that one was raised in the biological family and one was raised in an adoptive 

family; results emphasize the impact of socioeconomic status on adult outcomes, such that adopted 

adults were better educated but also showed greater psychological distress. 

Support Groups 

Child Welfare Information Gateway compiles the National Foster Care & Adoption Directory, 

which lists support groups on a State-by-State basis. Go to www.childwelfare.gov/nfcad. 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

Websites and other resources 

American Adoption Congress: www.americanadoptioncongress.org 

The American Adoption Congress (AAC) is an international network of individuals and 

organizations committed to adoption reform. Through education and advocacy, they promote 

honesty, openness, and respect for family connections in adoption, foster care, and assisted 

reproduction. Membership is open to adoptees, birth parents, adoptive parents, professionals, and 

all others who share a commitment to the AAC’s goals. 

Child Welfare Information Gateway: www.childwelfare.gov 

Information Gateway offers information on all aspects of adoption for professionals, policymakers, 

and the general public. Information Gateway develops and maintains a computerized database 

of books, journal articles, and other materials on adoption and related topics, conducts database 

searches, publishes materials on adoption, and gives referrals to related services and experts in the 

field. Information Gateway also maintains a database of experts knowledgeable in various areas of 

adoption practice. 

Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute: www.adoptioninstitute.org 

The Adoption Institute seeks to improve the quality of information about adoption, to enhance the 

understanding and perceptions about adoption, and to advance adoption policy and practice. 

Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network: http://www.kaanet.com 

This organization links adopted persons, adoptive families, and other Korean-Americans, providing 

resources, a newsletter, and a conference. 

Minnesota Texas Adoption Research Project: http://fsos.che.umn.edu/mtarp/ 

This site provides research findings from this major study of variations in openness in adoption and 

the effect of openness on all members of the adoption triad. 

National Resource Center for Foster Care and Permanency Planning’s packet on Searching: 

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/socwork/nrcfcpp/downloads/information_packets/birthright_ 

adoptees_right_to_know.pdf 

This packet for adopted persons includes a factsheet on searching, a list of references and websites, 

and a summary of the debate about searching. 

Stars of David International, Inc.: http://www.starsofdavid.org/ 

This is a Jewish adoption information and support network for all members of the adoption triad. 

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Impact of Adoption on Adopted Persons www.childwelfare.gov 

Information on the issues facing birth parents can be found in the Information Gateway 

factsheet Impact of Adoption on Birth Parents, which can be accessed at www.childwelfare. 

gov/pubs/f_impact/index.cfm. The Information Gateway factsheet Searching for Birth 

Relatives can be accessed at www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_search.cfm. Information on open 

adoption can be found in the Information Gateway factsheet Openness in Adoption, which 

can be accessed at www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_openadopt.cfm. 

This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit 10 Child Welfare Information Gateway. Available online at www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/f_adimpact.cfm.