Adoption is a lifelong process for everyone involved, with significant emotional and legal impacts. The classic "Seven Core Issues in Adoption," published in the early 1980s, outlined the seven lifelong issues experienced by all members of the adoption triad: loss, rejection, guilt and shame, grief, identity, intimacy, and mastery/control. Others have built on these core issues. In this section find resources on the core issues in adoption.
7 Core Issues of Adoption
Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition (2016)
Explains seven characteristics that affect children who are adopted, adoptive parents, and birth parents throughout the lifespan.
Connecting With Our Children: 7 Core Issues in Adoption
MacLeod (2017)
Rainbow Kids
Provides insight and information on seven universal adoption issues and four prescriptive tools that adoptive parents can use to support children through these issues.
Lifelong Issues in Adoption
Silverstein & Kaplan (1982)
Explains the seven core issues of adoption experienced by birth families, adopted people, and adoptive families. This publication is the seminal article on core issues in adoption.
Post-Adoption Services: Acknowledging and Dealing With Loss (PDF - 173 KB)
National Council for Adoption (2016)
Adoption Advocate, 93
Provides guidance on the seven core issues in adoption, how loss can impact adopted children, and how to acknowledge and address the losses in adoption.
The Seven Core Issues in Adoption and Permanency
Roszia & Maxon (2019)
Provides information and resources on the seven core issues in adoption and permanency.
Support Matters: Lessons From the Field on Services for Adoptive, Foster, and Kinship Care Families (PDF - 1,379 KB)
AdoptUSKids (2015)
Discusses the importance of effectively understanding, evaluating, and addressing the needs of foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers, including the need for adoption competency.