Research Opportunities
Transition in to the Family Research Study
The International Adoption Project at the University of Minnesota is currently enrolling participants for the Transition into the Family Study. This is a research project examining young children’s adaptation and development following international adoption, as well as the family experiences post-adoption that support the child during this time of transition and decrease subsequent risk of emotional and attention problems.
Eligible participants are families with a toddler who will be or has recently been adopted internationally, and who spent at least some time living in an orphanage or institution overseas. Children may be eligible for participation if they are between 18 - 36 months of age and were adopted less than 3 months before beginning the study, or if they are between 26 - 44 months of age and were adopted 8-10 months before beginning the study.
This research study will continue to enroll new participants from summer 2008 – summer 2011.
If you are interested in participating in the Transition Study, please join the registry. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Meg Bale at balex002@umn.edu or 612-624-9322.
Currently Recruiting!
Attention Training Study
The goal of the current study is to understand how we can improve attention and self-control in children who have been adopted internationally from institutions. To do this, we will compare two different ways of training attention: directly training attention by playing attention games and indirectly training attention with mindfulness meditation. We will be offering free attention training classes that take place twice a week for six weeks this summer. Before and after the training period, families will come to the laboratory for a 90-minute research session so that we can measure the effects of the training on attention and self-control.
If you have a 6 to 8-year-old child who was adopted from an orphanage or institution between 12 and 48 months of age, your family may be eligible to participate in this study. If you are interested in participating in the Attention Training study, please contact us at 612-624-0321 or by e-mail at attentiontrain.umn@gmail.com for more information.
Attention, Reward and Behavior Study
Has your child been diagnosed with ADHD?
If you have an 11 to 15-year-old child who has been diagnosed with ADHD, he or she may be eligible to participate in a research study.
The Attention, Reward, and Behavior Study is currently recruiting children and adolescents with ADHD (either adopted or non-adopted.) The goal of the study is to learn whether what is labeled and treated as ADHD in post-institutionalized children is really the same as ADHD that arises in children who do not have early experiences of deprivation. This study focuses on the behavior and cognitive processing of youth ages 11- to 15-years. Participants will be compensated for their time. If you are interested in participating or know of someone who might, please call or have them call us at 612-624-2561 and leave a message for our research team.
The Emotion Regulation Study
This study seeks to examine how internationally-adopted children in middle childhood regulate their emotions in the face of stress, many years after experiencing institutional care and/or foster care. We are also interested in how adoptive families teach their children about coping with negative emotions. A group of children born into their families here in Minnesota also participate to help guide us in examining the recovery of children adopted from
orphanages/foster care abroad.
Children 8- to 9-years-old come with their mothers for a one-time research session lasting 2 hours. During this visit, children and their mothers are asked to engage in conversations about things that make them feel happy (e.g., planning a dream vacation) and mildly upset (e.g., why child got a low grade in school). Children are also asked to play challenging computer games that are both rewarding and frustrating. During parts of the session, we monitor children’s heart rate and sweat. We also collect 3 samples of the child’s saliva to test levels of the hormone cortisol and ask mothers and children to fill out questionnaires. Children in this study receive a gift certificate to Target for $15 and a goodie bag full of small prizes.
If you have an 8-to 9-year-old child who might be interested in this study, please contact us at 612-624-0234 or by email at emotion.umn@gmail.com for more information. Adopted and non-adopted children are invited to participate so spread the word!
Thanks for your support!
The Emotion Regulation Team
Adriana Herrera, MA
Anna Johnson, MA
Camelia Hostinar, MA
Megan Gunnar, PhD
"International adoption brings children with varied backgrounds into our state and as professionals who care for children we need to understand the whole range of experiences they bring to their families.
Dr. Dana Johnson, Co-investigator
"The IAP allows us ask and seek to answer some of the challenging and overlooked questions that confront adoptive families, from how to raise a child of a different race and ethnicity to how a child's brain works. "
Dr. Rich Lee, Co-investigator
As a parent of children adopted from another country, I'm excited about the groundbreaking research initiatives of the IAP. Important studies are underway that enhances our knowledge and understanding of children from around the globe whom we've chosen to include in our families.
Patti Bower, IAP Parent Advisory Board Member
IAP researchers are busting myths, learning new facts, and exploring uncharted territory in the field of child development – all for the benefit of orphaned children, adoptive families, and those considering international adoption.
Patti Bower, IAP Parent Advisory Board Member
As parents (and prospective parents) of internationally adopted children, we have an unprecedented opportunity to help further vital research by volunteering to include our own children in IAP studies. No one else can provide access to children who meet the study criteria, our participation is crucial.
Patti Bower, IAP Parent Advisory Board Member
Please consider joining the IAP’s registry of adoptive families. By partnering with the IAP, we can play a key role in developing valuable scholarly resources for the adoption community in the years ahead.
Patti Bower, IAP Parent Advisory Board Member
I was eight years old when I came to the US to join my new family. My parents didn’t understand why I acted the way I did. I also didn’t understand why they didn’t understand me. I think all of the testing I did will one day help parents understand a kid like me in a different way, I’m glad I had a chance to play a part.
Katia, 18 years old
Some of the testing I did was boring and some were cool. I did one test where I chewed gum and then spit in a little bottle. I also did tests where I played games I think all of the testing I did will one day help parents understand a kid like me in a different way, I’m glad I had a chance to play a part.
Katia, 18 years old
Working with children who joined their families through international adoption has proven to be some of the most challenging and gratifying research of my career.
Dr. Megan Gunnar, Principal Investigator
The IAP allows us ask and seek to answer some of the challenging and overlooked questions that confront adoptive families, from how to raise a child of a different race and ethnicity to how a child's brain works.
Dr. Rich Lee, Co-investigator
International adoption brings children with varied backgrounds into our state and as professionals who care for children we need to understand the whole range of experiences they bring to their families.
Dr. Dana Johnson, Co-investigator