History of EGDS
The first EGDS study started in 2002 and began recruiting study participants in 2003. We worked with adoption agencies across the United States to recruit birth parents and adoptive families who participated in domestic adoptions shortly after birth. The information collected in our studies can help answer questions about child development and about the adoption process. The primary areas that we are exploring include the following:
- The roles of parenting and heredity on child development
- The effects of the adoption process on children, birth parents, and adoptive parents
- The effects of pregnancy-related events and experiences on birth parents and on child adjustment
- The characteristics of birth and adoptive parents involved in an adoption plan and how the adoption process may reflect and influence these characteristics
Our results will be used to assist families and children in reaching their fullest potential. We hope to develop programs that will assist parents in learning new strategies to enhance child development. The best clues for these programs will come from our participating families.
In addition, we hope to share our knowledge about the adoption process with the adoption community so that all members of the adoption triad (birth parents, adoptive families, and adopted children) receive the best services and support possible. We also want to assist the adoption community in educating the general public about adoption, especially regarding issues such as openness, birth father relationships, and transracial adoption. We produced reports for the participating adoption agencies to summarize the data collected on the adoption process. These reports are posted for reference on this website.
