I hear heartbreakingly often about adoptees who have died by suicide. I heard about one just today.

I do not want to pathologize adoptees or first/birth parents. I realize that many or most may not struggle with suicide or suicidal ideation. Still. We know that sometimes death by suicide is not reported as having been specifically by an adoptee, or as a cause of death at all. We know that many folks outside the adoption community are shocked that an adoptee would choose to die this way, because many folks have a Hallmark idea of adoption, and a lack of awareness that some (not all) adoptees struggle mightily with trauma, whether their adoptive family is loving or not.

And we know that research is scarce, not only about the role of suicide for adoptees but certainly also for birth/first parents.

A new study came out recently: Long-Term Mental Health Effects of Mother–Child Separation Due to Adoption. The author is Lynn Roche Zubov, Ph.D., a first mother in reunion. Dr. Zubov recently retired as a Professor of Education at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, U.S.

From the Abstract: “Data were collected from 1313 adoptees, first mothers, and first fathers. Study results indicate that adoption has lasting adverse effects on both adoptees and first mothers. Adoptees and first mothers are significantly more likely to attempt suicide (35 times and 37.7 times, respectively), abuse alcohol, display hypersexual behaviors, and restrict their eating compared to their peers.”

Those numbers, 30+% more likely to attempt suicide, are frightening, and have engendered a lot of discussion.

Via AdoptionUK: “At a YouTube webinar organised by the UK-run Adult Adoptee Movement, 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. 

On the YouTube video, 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.”

The data and results have been the subject of much discussion. Take a look at a few viewpoints: a Reddit conversation; an academic research blog “Adoption and Suicide Attempts: A Quick Re-Analysis;” a LinkedIn post by Dr. Liz DeBetta, an adopted person and Ph.D.; a Thread by Brooke Randolph, LMHC, LIMHP, LPC, LPCC-S; a therapist and “adoptee ally;” and a Facebook post on First Mother Forum.

Please do your own research and reflection on the study as well. Note that there is a difference between suicide attempts and suicide itself. While there’s a fair amount of information out there, we need more research.

Here are a few resources:

A 2022 study asked “What about trauma? Accounting for trauma exposure and symptoms in the risk of suicide among adolescents who have been adopted.”

A 2022 Australia study: INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION AND SUICIDE IN AUSTRALIA: A Scoping Review

A commonly quoted study prior to Dr. Zubov’s paper was from 2013, from the American Academy of Pediatrics: Risk of Suicide Attempt in Adopted and Nonadopted Offspring.

A 2006 report from Sweden suggested that “Increased risk of suicidal behaviour in non-European international adoptees decreases with age.”

Finally, we all need to learn about suicide prevention, and decrease the fear of talking about it. Take a look at the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education. We need to share the 988 hotline here in the U.S. We need to listen and learn.