Contact with Birth Parents

Abstract

Adults adopted as infants (N = 130) in the United States were surveyed to determine the degree to which they experienced psychological effects of adoption during adolescence and adulthood and the relationship between psychological effects and whether or not they had contact with their birth parents.• Findings: Those who were in contact reported more psychological issues than those who were not in contact. A qualitative analysis of comments made by the respondents demonstrated differences in the types of issues associated with difficulties depending upon whether they had contact with their birth parents or not.

Behavioral symptoms of eating disorders among adopted adolescents and young adults in the United States: Findings from the Add Health survey

“…However, contact with a biological parent was associated with higher rates of binge eating and lifetime diagnosis of an eating disorder at W3. This finding aligns with prior research suggesting that, among adults who were adopted as children, those who are in contact with biological parents report greater psychopathology than those who are not (Curtis & Pearson, 2010 (Miller, Fan, & Grotevant, 2005). In this study, we operationalized adoption to include adopted individuals who did not live with a biological parent and who knew that they had been adopted; however, this definition of adoption likely included several subgroups that could not be differentiated with the available data (e.g., internationally versus domestically adopted individuals) and the results may not generalize to other adoptive groups (e.g., individuals…”

“…Evidence also indicates that adults who were adopted as children exhibit greater psychopathology than adults who were not adopted (Cubito & Brandon, 2000;Westermeyer, Yoon, Tomaska, & Kuskowski, 2014;Yoon, Westermeyer, Warwick, & Kuskowski, 2012). Factors associated with greater psychopathology among adopted individuals include older age at adoption (Hussey, Falletta, & Eng, 2012;Julian, 2013), prior placement in foster care (Harwood, Feng, & Yu, 2013), and contact with birth parents (Cubito & Brandon, 2000;Curtis & Pearson, 2010;Passmore, Fogarty, Bourke, & Baker-Evans, 2005), although findings are mixed (e.g., Crea, Barth, Guo, & Brooks, 2008). Given that general psychopathology is a risk factor for EDs (Jacobi et al, 2011;Stice, Marti, & Durant, 2011) and that the majority of patients with an ED also meet criteria for another lifetime psychiatric disorder (Hudson, Hiripi, Pope, & Kessler, 2007;Swanson et al, 2011), greater general psychopathology may put adopted individuals at a higher risk for disordered eating than nonadopted individuals.…”

Análisis descriptivo de los servicios posadopción a personas adultas en España

“…En primer lugar, en cuanto a las características de los usuarios que demandan atención a los servicios posadopción, cabe destacar que las dos terceras partes son mujeres. Este dato también es compartido con otros países, donde las mujeres adoptadas tienden a demandar más ayuda o atención que los hombres, sobre todo en relación con la búsqueda de orígenes (Curtis & Pearson, 2010;O'Neill et al, 2016). Este dato no debería interpretarse, obligatoriamente, como que las mujeres estén encontrando mayores dificultades a lo largo de su vida.…”

“…Conocer o contactar con miembros de la familia biológica es una de las necesidades principales y más frecuentes entre los usuarios de los servicios posadopción (Curtis & Pearson, 2010;Docan-Morgan, 2016;Greenhow et al, 2016;Harris, 2014b;O'Neill et al, 2016;Rosset et al, 2013). El motivo principal es la inquietud por saber, una búsqueda, a veces solo interna, para llenar lagunas de información sobre sus vidas.…”

Parenting adopted children and supporting adoptive parents: Messages from research

“…This is a large area of practice and research and a few short lines cannot do it justice. The evidence is conflicting, with some research suggesting contact with birth parents is good but other research indicating negative outcomes from contact (Curtis & Pearson, 2010;Neil, 2009;Parker, 1999). There is new research underway in New Zealand to ascertain views of adoptees and their adoptive parents about the level and benefits of post-adoption contact in intercountry adoptive situations (ICANZ, 2010).…”