Minnesota / Texas Adoption Research Project
The Minnesota / Texas Adoption Research Project (MTARP) is a longitudinal research study that focuses on the consequences of variations in openness in adoption arrangements for all members of the adoptive kinship network: birthmothers, adoptive parents, and adopted children, and for the relationships within these family systems.
Add Health Adoption Project
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health "Add Health" includes five waves of data from a nationally representative sample of American youth, who are now young adults. Our lab is using Add Health data to understand contexts, processes, and psychological outcomes for adopted and nonadopted participants in the study.
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Genomic Family Health History for Adopted Persons
In collaboration with Thomas May and an interdisciplinary research team from across the United States, we are making the case that adopted persons share a "health disparity," namely, the lack of information about their genetic background and family medical history. Here is a link to the paper presented by Prof. May at the 2018 Rudd conference, explaining the project's progress to date and future aspirations.
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The Contemporary Adoptive Families Study (Rachel Farr, Principal Investigator) is a longitudinal study of adoptive families headed by lesbian, gay, and heterosexual couples, all of whom had completed an infant adoption from a private agency in the United States. Wave 2 of the project was conceptualized and carried out in the Rudd Lab while Dr. Farr was a post-doc with Dr. Grotevant and Research Assistant Professor at UMass Amherst. Her work is now continuing at the University of Kentucky, where she is an Associate Professor of Psychology.
Learn more about the Contemporary Adoptive Families Study
This survey (Jennifer McDermott, Principal Investigator) explores experiences of Massachusetts families with the aim of informing local providers as to what services are most valued and what services are most needed among kinship, foster, and adoptive families.
Learn more about the Mass. Survey of Kinship, Foster, and Adoption Placements
This project, conducted as part of the Adoption Task Force commissioned by the 2013 session of the Massachusetts Legislature, addressed issues involving the length of time it takes to adopt a child in Massachusetts and the costs associated with adoption.