CD-52146d
Birth Mothers Now Birth Grandmothers: Intergenerational Relationships in Open Adoptions.
Wyman Battalen, Adeline.
Sellers, Christina M.
McRoy, Ruth.
Grotevant, Harold D.
Journal Article
Copyright
Published: January-March 2019
Adoption Quarterly
Vol. 22, No. 1
, p. 53-74
DOI: 10.1080/10926755.2018.1488327
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Despite growing trends in openness between birth and adoptive families, little is known about what happens when adopted children become parents and birth mothers become birth grandmothers. These new and unique relationships between birth mothers and their grandchildren were examined through intensive case study analyses of in-depth interviews with birth mothers who placed infants for adoption more than 25 years ago (N = 11). Findings revealed enjoyment in their role as grandmothers and emphasized the significant role the adult adoptee (parent) played in influencing communication with their grandchild and families’ incorporation of technology-mediated contact to overcome geographic barriers. Implications for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers are discussed. (Author abstract)
Keywords:
open adoption; grandparents; birth mothers; intergenerational relationships