The psychological implications of forced adoption: A scoping review
Bibliographic record
Abstract
Forced Adoption is an under-researched phenomenon with impactful psychological implications for those affected. In the context of an identified gap in empirical research on forced adoption, this scoping review aimed to systematically chart empirical studies and distinct grey literature on the psychological impact of forced adoption on birth mothers and adoptees. The databases PsycINFO, CINAHL, SAGE, Scopus, ProQuest, Sociological Abstracts and Google Scholar were used to screen for operationally defined search terms that align with the research question. Following title and abstract screening (k = 2515) and full-text screening ( N = 61), a final selection of 27 studies met the inclusion criteria, emphasising the scarcity of empirical research in this area. The studies reviewed were conducted in the United States ( N = 13), the United Kingdom (N = 1), New Zealand ( N = 2), Australia ( N = 3), Canada ( N = 4), Colombia (N = 1), South Korea (N = 1), Ireland (N = 1), and Scotland (N = 1). The findings of this review indicate that the existing evidence base leans more heavily toward studies exploring birth mothers' experiences ( n = 18) than studies exploring adoptees' experiences ( n = 9) and qualitative studies ( N = 23). The psychological implications of forced adoption reported for birth mothers include grief and loss, social stigma and isolation, trauma and emotional distress and lack of autonomy at the time of adoption. Adoptees report challenges navigating subsequent trauma and attachment difficulties, identity loss, lack of belonging and experiences of social isolation and otherness. This review indicates the need for silent voices to be amplified and practices to be critically reviewed. It also emphasises opportunities for methodological and theory-informed advancements. • This is the first scoping review that synthesises studies on forced adoption and the psychological implications for birthmothers and adoptees. • Forced adoption can lead to attachment difficulties, grief, and identity loss in birthmothers and adoptees. • Only one study appeared in psychology or psychiatry journals, despite the focus on emotional and psychological outcomes. • Key concepts and terminology on forced adoption do not accurately represent birthmothers and adoptees' experiences. • Policy reform and survivor-centred, trauma-informed support that values survivors’ voices are urgently needed.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.019 | 0.092 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.003 | 0.004 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.020 | 0.022 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.002 | 0.003 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.008 | 0.005 |
| Open science | 0.002 | 0.004 |
| Research integrity | 0.004 | 0.003 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.003 | 0.000 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".