Birthmother perceptions of the psychologically present adopted child: Adoption openness and boundary ambiguity

Deborah Lewis Fravel; Ruth G. McRoy; Harold D. Grotevant

doi:10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00425.x

Birthmother perceptions of the psychologically present adopted child: Adoption openness and boundary ambiguity

Deborah Lewis Fravel, Ruth G. McRoy, Harold D. Grotevant

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

60 Scopus citations

Abstract

Secondary analysis of interviews with 163 birthmothers revealed that the adopted child remains psychologically present. Ten indicators of psychological presence were identified. Indicators related to roles were more salient the more open the adoption, and supernatural referents were more salient when a birthmother once had mediated communication but now has none. Degree of psychological presence was highest in fully-disclosed adoptions and lower in ongoing-mediated, confidential, and time-limited-mediated adoptions, respectively. Valence was generally positive, but more so in fully-disclosed adoptions.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	425-432
Number of pages	8
Journal	Family relations
Volume	49
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3729.2000.00425.x
State	Published - Oct 2000
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Adoption
Adoption openness
Birthmothers
Boundary ambiguity
Presence
Psychological presence

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abstract = "Secondary analysis of interviews with 163 birthmothers revealed that the adopted child remains psychologically present. Ten indicators of psychological presence were identified. Indicators related to roles were more salient the more open the adoption, and supernatural referents were more salient when a birthmother once had mediated communication but now has none. Degree of psychological presence was highest in fully-disclosed adoptions and lower in ongoing-mediated, confidential, and time-limited-mediated adoptions, respectively. Valence was generally positive, but more so in fully-disclosed adoptions.",

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AB - Secondary analysis of interviews with 163 birthmothers revealed that the adopted child remains psychologically present. Ten indicators of psychological presence were identified. Indicators related to roles were more salient the more open the adoption, and supernatural referents were more salient when a birthmother once had mediated communication but now has none. Degree of psychological presence was highest in fully-disclosed adoptions and lower in ongoing-mediated, confidential, and time-limited-mediated adoptions, respectively. Valence was generally positive, but more so in fully-disclosed adoptions.

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KW - Presence

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Birthmother perceptions of the psychologically present adopted child: Adoption openness and boundary ambiguity

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Keywords

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