CUR - The Council on Undergraduate Research

Interstate Adoption: Does Openness Influence a Birth Mother’s Decision to Use an Out-of-state Adoption Agency?

Liz Homez Gonzalez, and Dr. Alexander Lancaster, Center for Community Engaged Learning, Weber State University, 3848 Harrison Blvd. Ogden, UT 84408

Although there is research regarding openness and its effects on the birth mother and the adoption process, there is little information concerning in-state and out-of-state adoption, specifically why birth mothers choose one over another. The purpose of this study is to analyze whether openness in the adoption process influences birth mothers’ decision to use an out-of-state adoption agency over an in-state adoption agency. Our goal is to better understand the different reasons why some birth mothers choose to travel outside their home state to place their child for adoption. To achieve this, Weber State University’s Community Research Team is partnering with Forever Bound Adoption to complete this study. We will be using a cross-sectional and self-administered survey to ask birth mothers about their experiences working with both the adoptive family and the out-of-state adoption agency. Previous research shows that openness increases a birth mother’s level of satisfaction, so we expect that openness plays a significant role in the birth mother’s decision to relinquish her child in another state. Adoption agencies can utilize this information to determine how they can help birth mothers with the interstate adoption process, and what they could do to convince birth mothers to choose in-state adoption.    

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