ABSTRACT
Most adoptions achieve the intended goal of stability and permanence, but there are cases where the connection between adopters and adoptees becomes unstable, at times ending in permanent breakdown. The aim of this chapter is to analyze different levels of adoption instability and different types of adoption breakdown. Research difficulties in the identification and analysis of cases of instability and breakdown are first analyzed. The incidence of instability and breakdown as reported in international research is then examined, although it is well known that the reported rates underestimate the magnitude of the problem. The chapter then provides a summary of the main findings regarding the causes of unstable adoptions. Research consistently indicates that, rather than being linked to a single cause, adoption instability and breakdown are the result of a critical accumulation of risk factors in three different domains: the child, the adopters and family life, and the support and services involved. The chapter ends with a reference to policy and practice implications derived from the existing knowledge on the topic.
