Abstract
Using data from an online survey of 223 birth mothers who had relinquished an infant for adoption during the last 25 years, this analysis examines the influence of the length of time that has passed since relinquishment on birth mothers’ satisfaction with their decision to place their child for adoption. Time since relinquishment, age of the respondent, education level, and income had a significant inverse relationship with birth mothers’ satisfaction to place their child for adoption. Two variables were predictive of increased satisfaction with their decision: having current contact with the child and full-time employment. The findings underscore the importance of agencies and adoption professionals ensuring that birth mothers have access to ongoing postrelinquishment support services throughout the life course.
Highlights
IntroductionWhile the response to relinquishing a child for adoption is highly personal and individualized, findings from prior research suggest that a birth mother’s adjustment and/or satisfaction following the adoption may be impacted by a number of factors
No official federal statistics are kept regarding the number of domestic infant adoptions each year (Simmonds & Likis, 2005; Vandivere, Malm, & Radel, 2009; Zamostny, O’Leary Wiley, O’Brien, Lee, & Baden, 2003); figures from a recent National Council for Adoption survey suggest that slightly more than one quarter (n = 18,329) of the 69,350 unrelated domestic adoptions that took place in the United States in 2014 involved infants (Jones & Placek, 2017)
Consistent with this narrative, other studies have concluded that for a subset of birth mothers, the act of relinquishment is tied to an increased sense of self-efficacy and confidence that their decision was in the best interest of their child (Donaldson Adoption Institute, 2007; Henney, Ayers-Lopez, McRoy, & Grotevant, 2007; Namerow, Kalmuss, & Cushman, 1993)
Summary
While the response to relinquishing a child for adoption is highly personal and individualized, findings from prior research suggest that a birth mother’s adjustment and/or satisfaction following the adoption may be impacted by a number of factors These factors include the circumstances surrounding the relinquishment—that is, whether the birth mother felt pressure to place her child (Cushman et al, 1993; De Simone, 1996; Madden et al, 2017), the availability of a caring support system to help her cope with ongoing feelings related to the adoption (Krahn & Sullivan, 2015; Triseliotis et al, 2005; Wiley & Baden, 2005), and subsequent life transitions and milestones, such as marriage and/or the parenting subsequent children (Henney et al, 2007; Krahn & Sullivan, 2015). postrelinquishment adjustment suggests that the type and frequency of contact between the birth mother and her child in the months and years following the adoption may play an important role (Ge et al, 2008; Henney et al, 2007; Krahn & Sullivan, 2015; McRoy, Grotevant, Ayers-Lopez, & Henney, 2007)
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