• Summary: Adults adopted as infants (N = 130) in the United States were surveyed to determine the degree to which they experienced psychological effects of adoption during adolescence and adulthood and the relationship between psychological effects and whether or not they had contact with their birth parents.
• Findings: Those who were in contact reported more psychological issues than those who were not in contact. A qualitative analysis of comments made by the respondents demonstrated differences in the types of issues associated with difficulties depending upon whether they had contact with their birth parents or not.
• Applications : The results are discussed in light of the literature on searching behaviors among adopted individuals.
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