This is a very interesting recent study on open adoption. Here's the abstract:
"
Very few studies have captured the voices of large groups of adult adoptees, particularly of those who are not an active part of the adoption community. A total of 281 adult adoptees were surveyed about open adoption. The majority of respondents came from non-adoption specific avenues such as Craigslist and Backpage. Participants' responses show that there are many different definitions of open adoption as well as different levels of desire for contact with birth family members. Potential benefits are weighed in terms of importance and some assumed benefits, such as impact on identity, are shown not to be widely held as very important by participants. Similarly, some assumed challenges were seen as not as challenging as one might assume, although others such as a sense of loss were reported by many to be challenging. Finally, the majority of adult adoptees surveyed state that they do not think that open adoption is for everyone and provide examples of situations that they believe might make openness impossible or inappropriate. "

http://www.heartofthematterseminars.com/images/stories/pdf_files/adult-adoptees.pdf