Birth Parents: Participate in a Research Survey

Editor’s Note: Birth parents: We recently received notification of this research project and are excited about sharing this information with you. This survey provides an opportunity for you to use your experiences to help other people who find themselves contemplating the adoption option. Following is the text of the letter that is being used to recruit birth parents for the project.  

Dear Birth Parents,

You are invited to take part in a research study about the experiences of birth parents in the United States who have placed a child for adoption. The study aims to investigate the context and effectiveness of counseling practices offered to birth parents prior to placement. The survey is expected to take approximately 20-25 minutes.

Eligibility: Women and men who have relinquished a child for adoption in the United States during the last 25 years (after 1989) and who are over the age of 18 years of age.
Compensation: If you complete the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of six $100 gift cards when the survey concludes. By following the link below and completing the survey, you confirm that you are 18 years of age or older, have read this document, and agree to participate in the study.

Benefit to You: Your will have an opportunity to speak about your experience. This will help us to identify gaps in existing practices and help us to develop better approaches to helping birth parents through the adoption process.

To participate in the survey, please follow this link
//tinyurl.com/AdoptionOptionsSurvey

Information gained in this survey will be completely confidential. That is, no individuals will be identified in the results or reports that come from the study. If you questions about participating in this study, please contact the researchers directly via email or phone: Elissa Madden, PhD – (254) 723-4545 or adoptionstudy@uta.edu.

Please note that this study has been approved by the University of Texas at Arlington Institutional Review Board (IRB# 2016-0174).

Do you want contact with your child through an open adoption? SelectYesNo

Do you want to choose a family you love to adopt your child? SelectYesNo

Do you need medical and/or financial support during your pregnancy? SelectYesNo

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In what state do you live? Select StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict Of ColumbiaFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

When is your due date?

Do you need help working through issues with the father of the baby? SelectYesNo

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How can we help you?

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Step 4 of 4

Please enter your contact information so we can contact you about your personalized adoption plan.

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We sincerely appreciate your time and effort to help establish better practices and make a difference in the experiences of other birth parents.

Regards,
Elissa Madden, PhD, LMSW
School of Social Work
University of Texas at Arlington

Scott Ryan, PhD, MSW, MBA
School of Social Work
University of Texas at Arlington

Note: If you do not qualify for this study but know someone who might, please feel free to forward this message to them; however, we also ask that you keep the content of the message intact so that birth parents have all of the necessary information regarding the study. Thank you!