Lf. Cushman et al., OPENNESS IN ADOPTION - EXPERIENCES AND SOCIAL-PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES AMONG BIRTH MOTHERS, Marriage & family review, 25(1-2), 1997, pp. 7-18
This article describes the experiences of young, American birth mother
s with regard to openness in adoption process and arrangement. General
ly, larger proportions of the sample have experienced moderate, or sem
i-open, arrangements than those involving direct contact with the adop
tive family The associations between these experiences and a series of
social psychological outcomes are examined at four years post-relinqu
ishment. The data reveal that features of open adoption, e.g., visitin
g/phoning the adoptive family, have strong associations with long-term
, positive outcomes for birth mothers. Perhaps equally important is th
e finding that several moderately open features which do not require d
irect or ongoing contact between birth mothers and adoptive families,
e.g., birth mothers having a role in choosing the adoptive couple, are
also strongly associated with positive outcomes. Policy implications
are discussed.