Baylor research reveals effects of time, age, education, and income on birth mothers’ satisfaction following ‘life-altering decision’.
New research finding from the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work could change the adoption landscape for birth mothers.
Baylor states there is a consensus among researchers that for many birth mothers the experience of placing their children for adoption brings negative feelings of satisfaction.
They ask how that level of satisfaction is affected over time.
The study surveyed 223 birth mothers who relinquished an infant up for adoption over the last 25 years.
The study found that the satisfaction was not static, age had an inverse relationship with satisfaction, higher education and higher income led to decreased satisfaction, birth mothers who have current contact with their child were more satisfied, and birth mothers who work full time expressed increased satisfaction.
The author of the research, Elissa Madden, PH.D., said there are long-term consequences for all members of the adoption triad – birth mothers, those seeking to adopt, and the adoption professionals making the arrangements. She said, specifically, that adoption professionals need to be well-versed in the positive and negative repercussions for birth mothers.
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