“How Could You Give Your Child Away?” Birth Parents’ Experiences of Microaggressions

Amanda L. Baden, Sunanda M. Sharma, La Shawn M. Adams, Rebecca Randall, Mary Lee Agrusti, Elliotte S. Harrington, Amy M. Kobus, Marcus Jasmin, Da Yeon Kwon, Kafi Nsenkyire, Ricardo Carias, Samantha Balducci

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Birth parents are the most stigmatized and least researched part of the adoption triad and they experience microaggressions from a number of sources. With the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, birth parents’ needs and stories deserve to be elevated. Using the adoption microaggressions framework, this qualitative study examined birth parents’ lived experiences and the microaggressions they have heard and internalized. Microaggressions specific to birth parents and the adoption process were identified. The most frequently occurring microaggressions against birth parents included: Shameful Inadequate, Institutional Microaggressions, and Phantom Birth Parents. Implications for counseling and training are provided for working with members of the adoption triad.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)960-990
Number of pages31
JournalCounseling Psychologist
Volume52
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2024

Keywords

  • adoption
  • birth parents
  • first parents
  • microaggressions
  • stigma

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