Featuring children's voices describing the trauma and suffering they feel when their parents leave, Abandoned explores psychological theories of mothers' and fathers' roles in children's lives and offers practical advice to those who care for children traumatized by parental abandonment.

Parents leave their children for many reasons, including divorce, work, imprisonment, mental health, and domestic violence. While children may appear to understand these reasons, their hearts are often broken; they are traumatized and grieve their parent's absence. Their pain shows itself in a variety of maladaptive behaviors and emotions, such as anxiety, panic attacks, self-injury, low self-efficacy, anger, and excessive or inappropriate online use.

In Abandoned, counseling psychologist Andrea Francis draws on classic and current research to describe the critical roles of mothers and fathers in their child's development. Stories told by children and family members are woven throughout the book to demonstrate the social, emotional, and psychological impact of parental abandonment. The children represent different ethnicities and socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, highlighting that the pain of parental abandonment is felt keenly by all children regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or culture. Francis's theory of "twoness" helps explain how children often cope.

Along with its study of children's trauma, this book offers interventions derived from the author's experience, including multicultural activities that offer hope, resilience, and healing for abandoned children.