Sondra Research indicates that individuals who have been adopted face a significantly higher risk of suicide attempts compared to their non-adopted peers. Multiple studies have estimated that adoptees are approximately four times more likely to attempt suicide. Some studies have suggested even higher risks, with preliminary research indicating potential for significantly elevated risk factors, particularly in international adoptees.
Key Findings on Suicidal Behavior in Adoptees
Significantly higher risk. A 2013 Pediatrics study found that the odds of a reported suicide attempt were about 4 times greater for adopted adolescents (13-17) than for non-adopted peers.
Attempt rates. In studies, roughly 4.7% to 8.1% of adoptees reported attempting suicide, compared to much lower rates in general population samples.
Gender differences. Studies have shown that female adoptees may have higher rates of reported suicide attempts than male adoptees.
International vs. domestic. International adoptees have been found to have higher odds of suicidal behavior, with one Swedish study finding a 4.5 times increased risk for suicide attempt.
A huge body of research acknowledges that separation from one’s mother is trauma. Children separated from their mothers sometimes struggle with trust and attachment as a result of separation. Even children placed for adoption as infants can feel the impact of separation from their original mothers.
I’ve known many adoptive families where the parents love their children and the children love their parents but the children still struggle with the fundamental losses inherent to adoption. We humans are biologically hardwired to depend on our mothers for survival. If there is an end to that basic relationship, children can suffer — even if they are infants, even if there are new, loving, overjoyed parents.
In cases where the separation is the result of neglect, abuse, or death, the trauma is intensified. Neglect and abuse are among the reasons children are placed for adoption.
Grief and trauma may not emerge in obvious or predictable ways. Some adoptees may have minimal struggles. Others struggle for a lifetime.
From Adoptees and Suicide Risk — Maureen McCauley
Factors Contributing to Elevated Risk
Research suggests that the increased risk is not necessarily caused by adoption itself, but is correlated with several factors:
Early childhood trauma. Separation from birth parents and potential institutionalization (orphanage care) can cause deep trauma and attachment wounds.
Genetic predisposition. Adoptees may inherit vulnerability to mental health issues from biological parents, including depression, bipolar disorder, or impulsivity.
Adoption-related factors. Feelings of abandonment, identity issues, and adoption stigma-discrimination are associated with higher risk.
Lack of family history. Many adoptees do not have access to their medical or genetic histories, making it harder to anticipate and treat hereditary mental health conditions.
Persistence of Risk
Age factor. While some studies show risks are highest in adolescence and young adulthood, elevated risk can persist for international adoptees into their 30s and 40s.
Age at placement. A higher age at adoption placement is associated with higher death rates from all causes, including suicide.
Research Context
Correlation vs. causation. Researchers emphasize that while there is a strong correlation between being adopted and higher suicide attempt rates, this does not mean adoption itself causes suicide.
Limitations. Many studies, particularly older ones, have been criticized for not accounting for the high percentage of domestic, relative adoptions or for using narrow datasets.
Newer research. Recent, as-yet-unverified, or preliminary data from 2025 has suggested that the risk for suicide attempts could be even higher in certain, more recent studies, though this data is still emerging.
Research
Campo-Arias, A., Egurrola-Pedraza, J., & Herazo, E. (2020). Relationship between adoption and suicide attempts: A Meta-analysis. International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction.
Hjern, A., Palacios, J., Vinnerljung, B., et al. (2020). Increased risk of suicidal behaviour in non-European international adoptees decreases with age: A Swedish national cohort study. EClinicalMedicine.
Keyes, M., Malone, S., Sharma, A., et al. (2013). Risk of suicide attempt in adopted and nonadopted offspring. Pediatrics.
Levin, A. (2012). When adoptees become suicidal, do genes come into play? Psychiatric News.
Murray, K., Williams, B., Tunno, A., et al. (2022). What about trauma? Accounting for trauma exposure and symptoms in the risk of suicide among adolescents who have been adopted. Child Abuse & Neglect.
O’Neill, S., & Nomura, Y. (2023). Prenatal stress exposure amplifies effect of maternal suicidal ideation on early childhood behavioral trajectories. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology.
Orri, M., Gunnell, D., Richard-Devantoy, S., et al. (2019). In-utero and perinatal influences on suicide risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry.
Slap, G., Goodman, E., & Huang, B. (2001). Adoption as a risk factor for attempted suicide during adolescence. Pediatrics.
von Borczyskowski, A., Hjern, A., Lindblad, F., et al. (2006). Suicidal behaviour in national and international adult adoptees: A Swedish cohort study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.
Utilizing Vagus Nerve Stimulation to Soothe Trauma
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) helps soothe the pain of trauma by activating the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system, reducing chronic “fight-or-flight” stress responses, and enhancing neuroplasticity to process emotional memories. Techniques range from slow breathing and singing to using noninvasive auricular devices, which can diminish emotional pain and foster a sense of safety.
Natural Vagus Nerve Stimulation Techniques
These methods can be used to increase vagal tone and regulate the nervous system after experiencing stress or trauma:
Breathing exercises. Slow, deep diaphragmatic breathing (e.g., inhale for 5, hold, exhale for 10) or Ujjayi (throat-constricted) breathing.
Vocalizations. Humming, singing, chanting, or gargling water triggers the vagus nerve in the back of the throat.
Cold exposure. Splashing freezing cold water on the face, holding ice against the face, or taking a cold shower triggers the “diving reflex,” immediately slowing the heart rate.
Physical movement. Gentle yoga, neck stretches, or ear-tapping (the outer ear is a major branch of the vagus nerve).
Vagal stretch. A specific exercise involves laying on your back, locking fingers behind your head, and moving only your eyes to the right until you sigh/yawn/swallow, then repeating on the left.
Noninvasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation Devices (nVNS)
Auricular devices. Transcutaneous auricular VNS (taVNS) uses electrodes on the ear to stimulate vagal projections, reducing anxiety, depression, and pain.
Wearable devices. Devices like Alpha-Stim use microcurrent electrical therapy on the ears to promote relaxation and enhance mood.
Why VNS Helps with Adoption Trauma
Adoption, particularly in cases involving early separation, can create deep-seated trauma that keeps the body in a state of high alert.
Emotional regulation. VNS decreases activity in the brain’s “emotional pain centers” that are associated with fear and anxiety.
Rewiring the brain. VNS encourages neuroplasticity, allowing the brain to build new, calmer neural pathways and move past traumatic memories.
Calming the body. By strengthening vagal tone, the body moves from a sympathetic (stressed) state to a parasympathetic (relaxed) state, reducing feelings of constant vigilance.
Additional Information
4 vagus nerve exercises to transform how you handle stress | Apollo Neuro
Adoptees and suicide risk | Belonging Network
Can stimulating the vagus nerve improve mental health? | Northwell Health
Can vagus nerve stimulation help combat traumatic memories? | The University of Texas at Dallas
Enlisting the vagus nerve to help the body heal itself | Association of American Medical Colleges
External vagal nerve stimulators are a cool way to address anxiety and the body feelings it causes | Advocare
Research on adoptees and suicide | Harlows Monkey
The mental health effects of being adopted | Newport Institute
Suicides among Korean Adoptees in Minnesota | Minnesota Department of Health
Vagus nerve breakthrough erases PTSD | The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry
Vagus nerve stimulation: 5 techniques that really work | Origin Physical Therapy
Vagus nerve stimulation may ease emotional and physical pain | Psychology Today
