International adoption is an increasing, global phenomenon involving over 40,000 children a year moving between over a hundred countries. International adoptees often experience early physical, medical and socio-emotional deficits before adoptive placement: inadequate prenatal and perinatal medical care and maternal separation, often combined with psychological deprivation, insufficient health services, neglect, abuse and malnutrition in poor families or orphanages.

Animal models have shown that early maternal separation and deprivation can seriously harm infant functioning and later development. In the same vein, psychological deprivation in orphanages does result in maladjustment in children, as we have shown in our study on the Metera institution in Athens (Greece). In addition, after adoptive placement, adoptees have to cope with ‘adoption losses’: integrating the loss of their culture and birth family into their lives. In contrast to local adoptees who are adopted within the same country, international adoptees may face problems regarding their identity as most international adoptees are raised by parents who do not share their racial and cultural background. These accumulated risks may result in higher incidences of mental health problems in international adoptees.

In the current research programme we study adoption from the perspective of attachment theory as adoption implies the breaking and making of emotional bonds. Central questions are:

1. What are the long-term sequelae of adoption for the children involved? 
2. How can adoptive parents be supported in their difficult task to raise their adopted children?