Openness in adoption : Experiences and social psychological outcomes among birth mothers

SUMMARY This article describes the experiences of young, American birth mothers with regard to openness in adoption process and arrangement. Generally, larger proportions of the sample have experienced moderate, or semi-open, arrangements than those involving direct contact with the adoptive family. The associations between these experiences and a series of social psychological outcomes are examined at four years post-relinquishment. The data reveal that features of open adoption, e.g., visiting/phoning the adoptive family, have strong associations with long-term, positive outcomes for birth mothers. Perhaps equally important is the finding that several moderately open features which do not require direct 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.