Adoption Outcomes: Searching for Birth Parents and Reunion

Introduction

In all of us is a hunger, marrow deep, to know our heritage.
Without this enriching knowledge, there is a hollow yearning.
No matter what our attainments in life, there is still a vacuum,
Emptiness, and the most disquieting loneliness.

— Alex Haley, "Adoption Poetry 4"

Adopted children often go through a variety of emotions while attempting to locate their birth parents. For some, the pursuit of their biological families is an all-encompassing goal. This idea is reflected in the poem above, which speaks to a child still trying to find her birthparents. The journey is often a long and difficult road that can lead to a wide range of emotions and both positive and negative outcomes. The fruits of many adoptees' efforts may sometimes bring joy, but other times may cause sorrow.

The majority of studies conducted on adoption research have indicated that the effects of finding one's birthparents are often positive in nature, not only for the adoptee but for the birthparent as well. Much evidence also indicates that finding one's birthparents may bridge gaps in the relationship within adoptive families and strengthen bonds between adoptive parents and children. There is also a great deal of information showing that most adopted children do at some point seek out their birthparents, and many birthparents readily make identifying information about themselves available. These facts are part of the reason that outcomes are positive for children who do find their birthparents. More information related to reunion outcomes and adoption statistics follows below.

Statistics on Adoption

The most recent formal review of records related to adoption statistics collected by government officials was published between 1990 and 1995, with research conducted by the National Center for Social Statistics (NAIC, 2003). The federal government does not typically collect comprehensive statistics on adoption; thus, independent agencies and individuals have done their best to piece together as much information related to adoption statistics as possible (Stolley, 1993).

According to the National Committee for Adoption (NCFA), the following statistics were collected related to adoptions in 1986: total domestic adoptions included figures broken down by public agency adoptions, private agency adoptions, and individually arranged adoptions (NCFA, 1989; Stolley, 1993).

By far, infant adoptions are the most popular form of adoption. "Infant adoptions currently account for 48.1% of all adoptions," and of those, "public agency adoptions account for 39.2%" of figures (Stolley, 2003; NCFA, 1989). Public agency adoptions are often more easily tracked, and thus adoptees seeking their birth parents are more likely to find success in such situations because more formal record-keeping practices are typically in place. "Private agency adoptions typically account for 29.4% of records, and individually arranged adoptions occur approximately 31.4% of the time" (Stolley, 2003; NCFA, 1989). These statistics are important to note, as they relate to the potential children have for successful reunion with birthparents later in life. Individual or privately arranged adoptions may result in a lower chance of positive outcome later on, if for no other reason than adequate record keeping may not always be ensured, and in these situations it may be more likely that birthparents do not provide identifying information to officials in all circumstances.

Adoption Facts and Search Motivations

Adoption typically occurs through two different types of practices: formal or informal (Stolley, 2003). Formal adoption involves legal recognition of a parental relationship, while informal adoption occurs when the birthmother allows another person to take parental responsibility for her child without legal recognition or approval (Stolley, 2003). Informal adoption practices are also those most likely to result in difficulty when a child seeks out their birthparent in the future.

In 1990, there were a total of approximately 118,529 adoptions in the United States (Stolley, 1993). Unrelated adoptions are those that usually result in a stranger taking care of the birthmother's child (Stolley, 1993). In an unrelated adoption, a child has a much greater chance of having difficulty locating birthparents at a later date.

According to the NCFA, approximately two to four percent of adoptees searched for their birthparents in 1990 (NAIC, 2003; Babb, 1996). In a survey conducted in the late 1980s, as many as 500,000 adults were still searching for their birth families and expected a positive outcome (NAIC, 2003; Groza, 1998). The reasons for searching out birthparents varied:

72% of adolescents searching for their birthparents wanted to know why they were given up at birth (NAIC, 2003; Babb, 1996); 65% wanted to meet their birth parents; and 94% simply wanted to know whether they resembled their birth parent (NAIC, 2003; Babb, 1996).

Psychological and social studies have also been conducted related to adoption, and the majority have revealed that as many as 60–90% of adopted children are seeking out information about their biological parents, mostly as a means to normalize their lives and feel more complete (NAIC, 2003; Babb, 1996). Returning to the poem referenced at the opening of this paper, a large majority of adopted children feel that their life has a void in it, even if they are living in a positive situation with adoptive parents they love and care for. Most will spend some portion of their life looking for their birthparents, if for no other reason than to fill this gap. Not all will contact their birthparents upon locating them, but the majority feels that simply knowing who their birthparents are will make a meaningful difference (AFN, 2003).

Conclusion

Though the collection of statistical data related to adoption has been somewhat scattered in recent years, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence showing that the majority of adoptees will at some point in their lives seek out identifying information related to their birthparents. Most adopted children do feel they need to fill some kind of void in their lives.

Many birthparents also seek out information regarding their children many years after relinquishing them for adoption. The majority of reunions that occur between birthparents and children are positive in nature. Only a small portion of reunions result in negative experiences. This may be due in large part to the fact that, in most cases, birthparents give their children up for adoption because they believe doing so provides their children with the best possible chance for success in the future.

Given the overwhelming amount of positive outcome information, it is likely that adoption agencies and government agencies in the United States will move toward promoting easier access to identifying information in the future.

References

AFN. "Seth's Reunion Story." "Betsy's Reunion Story." Adoption Family Network. Retrieved November 27, 2003, from http://www.adoptionfamilynetwork.com/stories/story_item.asp?NewsID=4

Babb, L. A. Statistics on U.S. Adoption. The Decree, American Adoption Congress, 1996.

Cornellier, K. C. "Adoption Stories." Retrieved November 28, 2003, from http://www.adoptionnetwork.com/

Freundlich, M. "Access to identifying information: What the research tells us." CWL Adoption News, 2(4), 1998.

Groza, V., & Rosenburg, K. Clinical and practice issues in adoption: Bridging the gap between adoptees placed as infants and as older children. Westport, CT: Praeger, 1998.

Haley, Alex. "Adoption Poetry 4." Adoption Library. Retrieved November 26, 2003, from http://library.adoption.com/Poetry/Adoption-Poetry-4/article/2994/1.html

NAIC. "Statistics on Adoption." National Adoption Information Clearinghouse. Retrieved November 28, 2003, from http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/index.cfm

National Committee for Adoption. Adoption Factbook. Washington, D.C.: NCFA, 1998.

Odierno, Nancy. "39 Years and Counting." Adoption Library. Retrieved November 26, 2003, from http://library.adoption.com/information/Birth-Parents-After-Adoption/13/1.html

Stolley, Kathy. "Statistics on Adoption in the United States." Future of Children: Adoption, Center for the Future of Children. Los Altos: Spring 1993.

"Searching for Birth Relatives." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved November 13, 2002, from http://naic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/s_search.cfm