Birth Parents in Adoption

Research, Practice, and Counseling Psychology

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8912905
AutoresMary O’Leary Wiley (Independent Practice, autor de correspondencia), Amanda L Baden (0000-0003-0360-606X, Montclair State University)
Año2004
Volumen33
Número1
Páginas13-50
Fecha de publicación2004-12-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaThe Counseling Psychologist (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0011-0000 • E-ISSN: 1552-3861
EditorialSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0011000004265961
OpenAlexW2111576964
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas40
Referencias citadas45

This article addresses birth parents in the adoption triad by reviewing and integrating both the clinical and empirical literature from a number of professional disciplines with practice case studies. This review includes literature on the decision to relinquish one’s child for adoption, the early postrelinquishment period, and the effects throughout the lifespan on birth parents. Clinical symptoms for birth parents include unresolved grief, isolation, difficulty with future relationships, and trauma. Some recent research has found that some birth mothers who relinquish tend to fare comparably to those who do not relinquish on external criteria of well-being (e.g., high school graduation rates). However, there appear to be serious long-term psychological consequences of relinquishment. Limitations of the current literature are presented, and recommendations for practice and research are offered

Clinical Practice · Developmental psychology · Graduation (instrument · Grief · Isolation (microbiology · Psychotherapist · Triad (sociology · Child Welfare and Adoption · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Reproductive Health and Technologies