509 - Experiences of placing a child for adoption during adolescence

Poster Number: 509

Laura Kirkpatrick, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Lauren A. Bell, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States; Crystal Tyler, Ci3 at the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States; Margaret R. Russell, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Nicholas Szoko, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Elizabeth Harrison, UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Tahniat S. Syed, UPMC Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Traci M. Kazmerski, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Background: There is little research about the experiences of adolescents who place children for adoption.

Objective: To understand the perspectives of people who experienced pregnancy during adolescence and chose to place their child for adoption.

Design/Methods: From November 2020 through April 2021, we conducted individual semi-structured telephone interviews with United States-based adults ages 18-35 years old who had experienced a prior pregnancy before age 20 years old and placed their child for adoption. We recruited participants through social media and two adoption-related organizations, PACT and Bravelove. We audio-recorded and transcribed interviews. Using thematic analysis, two investigators deductively and inductively coded all interviews and identified key themes and representative quotations.

Results: We conducted interviews with 17 individuals. At the time of interview, participants had a median age of 32 years (range 21-35 years). The median age at time of adoption was 18 years (range 15-19 years). Sixteen participants identified as female and one as non-binary. Three participants reported multiple adolescent pregnancies. Thirteen participants identified as Caucasian, two as Hispanic, one as African American, and one as Asian.

Participants reported a range of adoption experiences including open adoption, closed adoption, kinship adoption, and adoption placement after attempting parenting. We identified the following key themes: 1) Adoption had not been routinely discussed during pregnancy options counseling or discussion was limited; 2) Negative experiences with healthcare and adoption professionals included: feeling judged as unsuitable to parent, feeling rushed or coerced to choose adoption, experiencing a lack of respect for the desire for an open adoption, and receiving limited information about birth parents’ rights; 3) Supportive experiences with healthcare professionals included: unbiased options counseling, support for open adoption, and emotional support throughout pregnancy; 4) Birth parents often experienced emotionally difficult hospital deliveries, in which hospital personnel were either not aware of or insensitive toward the plan for adoption, and 5) Birth parents desire ongoing counseling and emotional support after adoption.Conclusion(s): Individuals who had chosen adoption after their adolescent pregnancy described a plethora of positive and negative encounters with healthcare and adoption professionals that may serve as targets to improve the overall care experience for this underserved and under-recognized population.