This data set contains information from 169 birthmothers on 35 variables from the study, Openness in Adoption and Birthmother Adjustment. This study is designed to examine the consequences of variations in openness for all members of the adoption triad: birthmothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children. This project was initiated in 1987 with funding from the U.S. Office of Population Affairs (OPA), Department of Health and Human Services. In 1990, additional funding was obtained from OPA and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to expand the study. A total sample of 720 individuals (169 birthmothers, 190 adoptive mothers, 190 adoptive fathers, and 171 children) was secured with the assistance of 35 adoption agencies from across the United States. Children were all placed as infants through adoption agencies four to twelve years prior to the time of the study. In 1995, funding was obtained from the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health to conduct a longitudinal follow- up study of openness outcomes for the study sample, 12 to 20 years post-placement. This longitudinal investigation ends in 1999.

The present data set represents one part of the total study still being conducted. Data from 169 birthmothers includes demographic measures such as birthmother age, education, occupation, marital status, income, ethnicity, and religious affiliation; number of birth children; and adopted child's sex. Data set M7 also includes scores from the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Adults.