September: Suicide Prevention, Kinship Care, Hispanic Heritage, and FASD awareness
Published 2 months ago • 15 min read
⚠️ September is Suicide Prevention Month. If you or someone you know is in distress, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Recently, research published by Dr. Lynn Zubov (2026) brought important visibility to mental health outcomes in adult adoptees and first mothers. In her sample, 18.7-21% of adoptees reported having attempted suicide and 22% of first mothers reported a lifetime suicide attempt.
Prior to Zubov the most quoted number came from an article in Pediatrics in 2013; Keyes et al., found that adopted adolescents had an odds ratio of ~4x for suicide attempts compared to non-adopted peers in the same household. After Zubov's data was released, adoption land was widely stating that adoptees are 35x more likely to attempt suicide. However, there are problems with using that odds ratio both statistically and because the number is so large that people do not know how to interpret it. It emerged by comparing lifetime attempt rate of Zubov's predominantly female sample against a single-year national baseline (NSDUH data).
In Keyes' research, information was gathered by teen and parent report. Parents may not be aware of all attempts and teens still have a lot of life to live. Grief, identity integration, and relinquishment trauma often evolve over time, particularly during major life transitions. So it makes sense to me that the actual lifetime attempt numbers could be higher.
Some of our best objective, longitudinal data on adoptees and suicide comes from Hjern et al. (2020) and the Swedish national registry data—which tracks hospital admissions/discharge records (suicide attempts) and mortality records and death certificates. Intercountry and domestic adoptees showed approximately 3.5x to 4x higher risk of suicide attempts requiring medical admission compared to non-adopted peers. Adoptees showed approximately 3.5x to 5x higher risk of dying by suicide compared to the general Swedish population.
CDC and SAMHSA data establish that roughly 4% to 5% of the general US population will attempt suicide in their lifetime (approximately 1 in 20). I personally find 1 in 20 - or 1 in 5 when it comes to the adoption constellation - a lot easier to conceptualize. It is also really concerning considering I speak to more than 5 adoptees every day.
More research is needed, more research by adoptees, more research by first parents, more research that is adult self-report or objective. I would not be surprised to find out the US attempts are higher than found in Sweden. We also have to take into account that numbers based on hospital admissions don't include attempts that don't seek medical care.
September is National Kinship Care Month, an opportunity to recognize and support the millions of grandparents, extended relatives, and fictive kin raising children when biological parents are unable to do so. Kinship caregivers navigate unique relational challenges and dynamics, often without the financial support provided to other foster caregivers. You can learn more at Child Welfare Information Gateway and Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Networkoffers resources including a Kinship Care Month toolkit.
Starting college is a major transition, and amidst the excitement, freedom, and uncertainty, for adoptees it can bring a unique mix of unexpected emotions. Campus Adoptees is a 6-week virtual support group designed specifically for college freshmen navigating this new chapter. Connect with other adoptees as we explore the complexities of starting college and consider how adoption fits into your evolving identity through conversations about: You don’t have to figure out the transition to college alone. This group offers an opportunity to slow down, talk honestly, listen, laugh, and connect with other adoptees who are finding their way through similar experiences. Running Sept. 17th – Oct. 22nd on Thursdays from 11:00am-12:00pm Mountain Time, facilitated by Dr. Chaitra Wirta-Leiker, a licensed psychologist, international and transracial adoptee, and adoptive parent.
Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related.: A Memoir by Jenny Heijun Wills was a raw and honest read about the highs and lows of reunion. It is a memoir I would recommend for any intercountry adult adoptee considering reunion, and of course for any therapist that works with adult adoptees.
From Amazon: Delving into gender, class, racial, and ethnic complexities, as well as into the complex relationships between Korean women--sisters, mothers and daughters, grandmothers and grandchildren, aunts and nieces--Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related. describes in visceral, lyrical prose the painful ripple effects that follow a child's removal from a family, and the rewards that can flow from both struggle and forgiveness.
JENNY HEIJUN WILLS was born in Seoul, South Korea, raised in Southern Ontario, Canada, and currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is the author of Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related.: A Memoir, which received the 2019 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Award for Nonfiction and the 2020 Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book. She is a professor of English at the University of Winnipeg.
For more recommendations, check out my (affiliate) Amazon Storefront
Hosted by FindSelf Counseling, and Kathryn Perkins (Katy Perkins Coveney), LCSW-S
The experience of being separated from original family is an isolating one. Left alone with thoughts unexpressed, it's hard to 'be ourselves' if we're not sure who that is, and limits our ability to freely explore our feelings in relative safety*.
This retreat is meant to be an opportunity for people who have experienced family separation trauma to reflect, heal, and participate in deliberate community with others who share a core experience. Adults who were adopted as children and/or who experienced foster care are welcome. Connect with other like minded folks, deepen your self care skills, learn new ways to express yourself, and have fun. You're also welcome to just not think about it for a bit!
Did you know that only 8.14% of adoptees rate their therapist as adoption-competent? Dr. Abby Hasberry and I built this training specifically to move that number and equip clinicians with the deep, nuanced insights needed to truly support the adoption constellation.
We'll cover the full constellation — first parents, adoptees, adoptive parents, and those impacted by foster care — alongside neurodevelopment, diagnosis and conceptualization, research, systems, racism, and adoption history.
To support systemic equity and continuing education access for clinicians within the community, an Access & Inclusion Rate is available for all adoptee and first-parent therapists.
To participate, you must be 18 years or older, be adopted, and have underwent residential treatment in the Troubled Teen Industry as a teenager.
Michelle Anderson, Gordon Limb, Jill Burgon, Examining Spirituality’s Influence on Resilience among Adopted or Fostered Native American Emerging Adults, Social Work, 2026;, swag034, https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swag034
Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spirituality and resilience among Native American emerging adults who were adopted or fostered as children—an understudied population at heightened risk for adverse outcomes due to the intersection of poverty, intergenerational trauma, cultural assimilation, and out-of-home care experiences. Utilizing a retrospective survey, data were collected from 405 Native American emerging adults ages 18 to 30 who were either adopted or fostered as children at any point from birth to age 17. Regression analysis revealed a small but statistically significant relationship between spirituality and resilience. Gender differences were also observed, with male respondents scoring significantly higher on resilience than female respondents. These findings support the role of spirituality as a modest protective factor, affirming Indigenous cultural/spiritual inclinations and the humanistic framework of interconnected well-being. Implications include the necessity for social work practitioners to incorporate spirituality-informed, culturally congruent interventions, such as facilitating access to traditional ceremonies and spiritual mentors. This study highlights the importance of reclaiming spiritual connections as part of resilience frameworks for Native American youth and emerging adults navigating the challenges of adoption and foster care.
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Janes, E., Paine, A.L., Anthony, R. et al. A comparative study of mental health and wellbeing in adopted children, children in foster and kinship care, and the general population. BMC Pediatr26, 769 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-026-07104-x (full text)
ABSTRACT
Background: Children with care experience are at elevated risk of poor mental health and wellbeing, yet large-scale comparative studies of placement type, particularly including adoption following a period in care, remain limited. This study examined mental health and wellbeing outcomes across different care arrangements using population-level data from children attending secondary school (age 11 to 16) in Wales, UK.
Methods: Data were drawn from the School Health Research Network 2023 Student Health and Wellbeing Survey, completed by 129,761 children across 202 mainstream schools in Wales, UK. Analyses included 103,316 children in the general population and 2384 care-experienced children, comprising those in kinship care (n = 1,460), non-relative foster care (n = 589), and adoptive families (n = 335). Groups were compared on youth self-reported measures including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ), and the Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (SWEMWBS).
Results: Children in the general population had better mental health and wellbeing outcomes than care-experienced peers. Adopted children reported the poorest mental health outcomes across all domains, exhibiting significantly higher total SDQ difficulties, internalising and externalising difficulties, depressive symptoms, and the lowest wellbeing scores. Children in foster care had better mental health and wellbeing relative to the other care experienced groups, followed by children in kinship care.
Conclusions: Findings highlight substantial disparities in mental health and wellbeing among care-experienced youth, with adopted children showing the most elevated difficulties. These results underscore the need for policies to include targeted mental health support for care-experienced children across all settings, including post-adoption contexts.
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Charlotte Dupont & Éric Feugé (29 Jul 2026): Peer Victimization at School in Quebec: A Comparative Study of Children Adopted by Gay Fathers, Children Adopted by Heterosexual Parents, and Non-Adopted Children, LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, DOI: 10.1080/27703371.2026.2706759 (full text)
ABSTRACT
Peer victimization at school has consequences for children’s psychosocial adjustment, yet little is known about the school experiences of children adopted by gay fathers in Quebec. This study examined whether children adopted by gay fathers experience more peer victimization than children adopted by heterosexual parents and non-adopted children with heterosexual parents. The sample included 128 children aged 6 to 17years (40 adopted by gay fathers, 42 adopted by heterosexual parents, 46 non-adopted). The analyses considered anxiety, reactive aggressivity, and disclosure of family status. Multilevel models indicated that family structure was not a predictor of peer victimization once individual characteristics were considered. Higher levels of reactive aggressivity and anxiety were associated with more frequent victimization. Among adopted children, disclosure of adoption status showed a quadratic pattern: children who disclosed their status to a few friends reported lower victimization than those who disclosed it to nobody or to their entire class. No significant differences were found between children adopted by gay fathers and those adopted by heterosexual parents in adoption-related victimization, nor between adoption-related and parental sexual-orientation remarks among children with gay fathers. Overall, peer victimization appeared to be shaped more by socio-emotional characteristics and peer dynamics than by family structure.
Come see Me
NAAP announced they will host a conference in Indianapolis, so of course I will be there. Let me know if you're coming! April 22–24, 2027 Call for Proposals opens July 30, 2026 - Due September 8, 2026. Registration opens November 2026. http://bit.ly/4vWxxNu
Currently available in six languages: English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Haitian Kreyol, and French
Unlike paper or PDF-based emergency plans, ReadyNow! is built for real-time response. If users have a run-in with ICE, they simply press the big red alert button and ReadyNow! will send out those emergency messages via SMS to pre-assigned contacts. All data is encrypted, stored only on the user’s device, not on the Cloud, and deleted after an alert is sent—preventing access by ICE if the phone is seized.
Adoptees United’sCitizenship Clinic assists intercountry adopted people with US citizenship or immigration issues. The clinic’s services include legal screenings, consultation and advice about legal options, and legal representation to secure a Certificate of Citizenship or, if needed, a Certificate of Naturalization.
This website collects community-submitted information about possible ICE activity to help inform the public and raise awareness. All reports are reviewed by a moderator team before appearing on the map and the map is cleared at the end of each day.
AFFCNY has put together two really thorough lists of resources. The Immigration Resources pictured below includes a listing of several legal resources and other information. The Citizenship Resource for Intercountry Adoptees resources is also full of very helpful links. They have also invited Greg Luce to be a Keynote for their May conference.
NAKASEC also has a 24/7 hotline, where you can call and receive live confidential assistance in English or Korean. If you or someone you love is confronted by police/ICE/CBP or has been detained, you can call 1 844 500 3222 for immediate support. For non-emergency calls, such as requesting help determining your immigration status, please contact legal@adoptees4justice.org.
Thank you for your commitment to practicing excellence!
