New figures from Ireland's Adoption Board show that around 500 children are being adopted from other countries each year.
It is the first national study into inter-country adoptions and it shows that the number of children adopted from abroad far exceeds the number of annual domestic adoptions.
During the two-year study 180 children who were adopted from outside Ireland were interviewed with their parents.
The authors of the report say there is a lack of support for the needs of these children - some of whom are struggling with the consequences of early neglect.
There were mixed feelings among those interviewed as to whether their adoptions made a difference to their lives and the majority indicated they wished to know more about their birth families.
