title: Adopted children: core issues and unique challenges.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Psychological impact of adoption and resulting core issues for adopted children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To raise awareness of the psychological impact of adoption.
  
  
  METHODS
  Published literature and personal observations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adoption raises unique issues and challenges for the child and adoptive parents. Resolving the issues of adoption is a lifelong process. Through an awareness of the issues inherent in adoption, nurses and parents can use strategies that will enhance children's self-esteem and decrease their emotional vulnerability. Search terms: Adoption, intervention, loss, self-esteem, strategies
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA. esmit@nmu.edu
authors.forename: Eileen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Smit
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000300:Adoption / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States