Thank you for participating in this study. We are eager to learn about the experiences of adopted teens and young adults and their families. If you have more than one adopted teen or young adult, please select one to focus on when answering these questions. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete, although you may want to plan on 25-30 minutes. It is much easier if you do it all at the same time, rather than stop and come back to it later.
Please note that, unless otherwise specified, “parent(s)” and “family” refer to the adoptive parent(s) and family.
Before proceeding, please read below:
Title of Study: Survey of Parents of Adopted Teens and Young Adults
Investigator(s): Patricia Ramsey, Mt. Holyoke College, and Doris Bergen, Miami University
Brief description of project:
We are undertaking this study to learn about adoptees and their families. Adopted youth (particularly teens) are overly represented in the mental health system, and there is controversy about whether they are at higher risk for behavioral, emotional, and academic problems. This study is designed to gain a more accurate picture of the successes and challenges that adoptees and their families experience at different periods of their lives and to discover possible effects of factors such as gender, ethnicity, age when adopted, and pre-adoption experiences.
This project has been approved by the Institutional Review Boards of Mount Holyoke College and Miami University. The following informed consent is required for all participants in human subjects research:
A. Your participation is voluntary.
B. You may withdraw your consent and discontinue participation in this study at any time. You will not be penalized in any way if you decide not to participate.
C. The procedures to be followed in the project will be explained to you, and any questions you may have about the aims or methods of the project will be answered.
D. All of the information from this study will be treated as strictly confidential. No names will be associated with the data in any way. If you provide your email address in order to receive a report of this research upon its completion, that information will not be used to identify you in the data. The data will be stored on secure computers and in locked laboratories at either Mount Holyoke College or Miami University and the data will be accessible only to the investigators and their research assistants.
E. The results of this study will be made part of a final research report and may be used in papers submitted for publication or presented at professional conferences, but under no circumstances will your name or other identifying characteristics be included.