Historic forced adoption - scoping study: research findings

Emotional and psychological support

The severe emotional and psychological impact of historic forced adoption was emphasised by research participants.

For mothers, feelings of loss, guilt and shame have stayed with them throughout their lives. Themes in interviews with adoptees included difficulties with their sense of identity and belonging, and a profound emotional and psychological impact stemming from the experience of separation from their mother early in life. In some cases, individuals said their mental health had suffered with examples of anxiety, depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder.

Research participants highlighted the need for more emotional support, advice and guidance, peer support, and creative and alternative therapies to help people deal with the emotional and psychological impact of historic forced adoption.

Emotional support, advice and guidance

Stakeholders identified a range of support needed to address the emotional and psychological impact of historic forced adoption, including:

• advice and guidance on the emotional impact of historic forced adoption; and
• intensive mental health treatments (such as talking therapies like counselling and psychotherapy) that deliver specialist treatment to support individuals with psychological or mental health issues. These services are delivered by counsellors, psychotherapists, psychiatrists or psychologists registered with a professional counselling body, such as COSCA (Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland), the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) or the British Psychological Society.

People with lived experience and stakeholders felt that both advice and guidance, and counselling and other therapies delivered by registered counsellors or therapists are important for people affected by historic forced adoption. We explore this issue further in our separate service delivery paper.

Interviewees who had accessed support from post-adoption support services and local authorities gave positive feedback, but some said they needed more intensive therapy or treatment.

More intensive counselling and therapies are available via NHS Scotland and private services. Some research participants had accessed this, but there were mixed reports about therapy experiences.

Participants noted that the quality of support depends on the understanding of historic forced adoption among GPs, psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists and counsellors. The consensus was that, in general, these professionals would benefit from greater awareness of the impact of historic forced adoption. Crucially, we found no awareness among interviewees of any training or guidelines for GPs or mental health professionals related to supporting people affected by historic forced adoption.

Peer support

Peer support helps people build connections among those who are also dealing with the long-term impact of historic forced adoption and the emotional complexities of search and reunion attempts. It also provides vital advice, validation and acceptance.

We found no evidence of formal peer support groups in Scotland for parents and only a few formal groups for adoptees. However, the Scottish Government commissioned Health in Mind to develop a peer support service, launched in September 2023.

While few research participants had experience of formal peer support groups, many had joined or established informal groups and found these networks crucial. These include the Movement for an Adoption Apology, Scottish Adult Adoptee Movement and Group for Adopted People Scotland.

Creative and alternative therapies

A few research participants advocated for access to creative and alternative therapies, including art therapy, music therapy, drama therapy and hypnotherapy, to help mothers and adoptees address the emotional and psychological impact of historic forced adoption.

Research participants were unaware of creative or alternative therapies specifically for people affected by historic forced adoption, but a few said they accessed effective support through private therapists.