The Association between Birth Mothers' Satisfaction with Relinquishment and Perceived Social Supports

Introduction: Research has shown that social support has positive benefits on mental and physical health (Taylor, 2011) and that connection to others positively impacts mental health and well-being (Klussman et al., 2020). Krahn and Sullivan’s (2015) research found that family and friends were sources of support for birth mothers’ post-relinquishment. Moreover, Lapidus et al. (2023) found that a lack of familial and other social support networks caused distress for birth mothers prior to placement and as they contemplated their options. This analysis seeks to add to the knowledge about the relationship between social support at the time of decision-making and how birth mothers later perceive their decision to place their child for adoption.

Methods: The current analysis relies on secondary data from a larger study of birth mothers that examined the pre- and post-placement experiences of 223 birth mothers who relinquished a child for adoption in the United States post-1989. Institutional Review Board approval was received prior to data collection efforts. Participants in the study completed a modified Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) that allowed for retrospective examination of mothers’ support when deciding about relinquishment of their child for adoption. An ordered logistic regression (OLR) was performed to assess whether perceived social support, as measured by the birth mothers’ scores on the MSPSS, was associated with their overall satisfaction with their decision to relinquish.

Results: More than half of the participants (n=114, 51.1%) reported a lack of social support as one of their reasons for relinquishing their child. Of the 117 participants who expressed they felt pressured to relinquish their child for adoption, almost two-thirds (n=84, 73.0%) expressed their concern about the possible loss of emotional or social support. The OLR analysis found that perceived social support was positively associated with an individual’s satisfaction with their decision to relinquish. The odds of having high satisfaction were 2 times greater than not having high satisfaction with every one unit increase in perceived social support.

Discussion and Implications: This analysis focused on understanding the association between social support and how birth mothers’ perception of their decision to relinquish their child for adoption. Birth mothers were split on their satisfaction with their decision to relinquish but those who reported they had more social support at the time of their decision-making had two times greater odds of having high satisfaction with their decision. This analysis suggests that for expectant mothers without sufficient social supports, the role of professionals may be paramount in ensuring that mothers have access to adoption professionals and resources that can help them navigate the decision-making process. Additionally, for those who relinquished their child without adequate support, the involvement of adoption professionals may be important during the immediate and long-term post-relinquishment periods to help mothers navigate difficult emotions related to their decision. Increasing opportunities for youth and adults to build connections within their communities may help ensure supportive networks are in place before a crisis or unintended pregnancy occurs. Additional practice and policy recommendations will be addressed.