Q: What is adopted child syndrome?

&quot;Adopted child syndrome&quot; is a controversial term used to explain some problems that adopted children may encounter. It was created to describe the various psychological and emotional hardships that an adopted child may go through. It is characterized by attachment disorders and deviant behaviors such as inability to accept authority, stealing, lying, and violence. Typically, there are times adopted children cannot be expressive enough to share their trauma with other people, including foster parents, and will find other negative ways to express their deep-seated emotions. Symptoms of adopted child syndrome include: <ul role="presentation"> <li>Feelings of grief and rejection</li><li>Anxiety</li><li>Identity crisis</li><li>Depression</li><li>Low self-esteem</li> </ul> <hr/>Need to find a therapist near you? Check out the Monarch Directory by SimplePractice to <a href="https://meetmonarch.com/therapists/adoption/near-me" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">find licensed mental health therapists</a> with availability and online booking.<hr/>

Question 1

What is adopted child syndrome?

Accepted Answer

"Adopted child syndrome" is a controversial term used to explain some problems that adopted children may encounter. It was created to describe the various psychological and emotional hardships that an adopted child may go through. It is characterized by attachment disorders and deviant behaviors such as inability to accept authority, stealing, lying, and violence.

Typically, there are times adopted children cannot be expressive enough to share their trauma with other people, including foster parents, and will find other negative ways to express their deep-seated emotions.

Symptoms of adopted child syndrome include:

Feelings of grief and rejection
Anxiety
Identity crisis
Depression
Low self-esteem

Need to find a therapist near you? Check out the Monarch Directory by SimplePractice to find licensed mental health therapists with availability and online booking.

Question 2

What are some negative aspects of adoption?

Accepted Answer

Some potentially negative aspects of adoption include:

Mental health issues. Adopted children are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues. According to a study by the University of Minnesota, the most common mental health issues in adopted children are:
- oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
- attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- conduct disorder
- major depressive disorder
- separation anxiety disorder
Poor academics. Research suggests that adopted children tend to score lower on standard achievement tests than their non-adopted siblings in math, reading, and other subjects. Adoption is known to hamper the educational performance of adopted kids if they don't receive proper support.
Feelings of rejection. When the child learns about their adoption status, they may feel a strong sense of rejection and abandonment. It is essential to make your child feel a critical element of your family to fight off negative feelings of rejection.
Mourning for their birth culture. The adopted child may express grief for the loss of their birth parents in many ways, including numbness, fear, anxiety, anger, and depression. Mourning for birth culture is more common in transracial adoption than in normal adoptions.
Striving for identity. Adopted children usually want to learn more about their biological family, siblings, and relatives. They may also want to know the social, cultural, and educational class to which they belong originally.
Emotional and behavioral problems. Stressful situations can trigger adopted children to act out and throw violent tantrums. According to research, older children may struggle reading social cues such as other people's emotions, which can lead to misconceptions and behaviors that aren't very useful in social situations.

Need to find a therapist near you? Check out the Monarch Directory by SimplePractice to find licensed mental health therapistswith availability and online booking.

Question 3

What are the challenges of adopting a child?

Accepted Answer

Adopting a child can sometimes have some unexpected challenges. For one, the adoption process is long and usually involves a lot of waiting, like waiting for medical clearance, waiting for approval from the adoption agency, and waiting to be placed with a child.

Adoption, in particular international adoption, can also be quite expensive because of the travel and other necessities involved.

It can also be difficult at first to break down barriers that you may face when you finally do adopt a child. They may have a different culture or background than you do, so that may take some adjustment. And then there's the question of whether you'd like them to have contact with their birth parents.

This can be an emotional subject for everyone involved, and the situation could leave you, the child or their birth parents feeling insecure or unsure about where they fit into each other’s lives.

In addition, some parents and children may have a little trouble bonding at first. There will usually be a period of adjustment that can last longer for some adoptive families. A counselor who specializes in adoption may be able to help provide your family with insight on how to improve communication and form a stronger emotional bond.

Need to find a therapist near you? Check out the Monarch Directory by SimplePractice to find licensed mental health therapists with availability and online booking.

What is adopted child syndrome?

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