What Factors Contribute to a Successful Adoption Experience?

Have you, or someone you know, adopted a child in the past 5 years? With three adopted younger siblings, adoption is special to me, too. My name is Erica Raisanen, and I am a doctoral student at the University of Southern Mississippi. I am studying the experiences and resiliency of adoptive parents in hopes to gain a better understanding of factors that contribute to a successful adoption experience. I hope to collect information that will help to improve counseling interventions aimed at preparing, and assisting, adoptive parents for, and with, adoptive parenthood. *I am looking for parents who: ▪Have participated in at least one legal adoption (not a kinship adoption) since 2006 ▪Have at least one adopted child currently age 17 or younger ▪Have not previously participated in this study ▪Have not had a significant other already participate in this study Will you contribute and help me make a difference for adoption? If you or someone you know meet the criteria for this project, please consider participating in or spreading the word about my research project. Your privacy is important to us so all responses will be anonymous. Please visit the link below by either clicking on it or copying and pasting it into your web browser. [url]http://www.psychsurveys.org/erica_raisanen/successful_adoption_experience[/url] It should take about 30 minutes, and you may choose to discontinue participation at any time. For every survey completed, a $1 donation will be made to The Gift of Adoption Fund, which helps adoptive parents fund their adoptions via grants. The University of Southern Mississippis Institutional Review Board has approved this study. If you have any questions, please contact the primary researcher, Erica Raisanen, by phone at 601-297-3403 or via e-mail erica.raisanen@eagles.usm.edu or my faculty supervisor, Dr. Bonnie Nicholson via e-mail bonnie.nicholson@usm.edu or by phone at 601-266-4598. Thank you very much for your time and consideration in participating in or spreading the word about my research project. *Please consider helping me get the word out about my research project by reposting or sharing this message on your facebook page, emailing others you know who may be able to help spread the word, or posting to any other online website you may have. I would greatly appreciate your help with my project. Sincerely, Erica Raisanen Counseling Psychology Doctoral Student The University of Southern Mississippi

I'll do it!

Becky,Thank you so much! This project means so much to me! I have heard and seen an array of experiences with my family and others that I'm very very excited to contribute in my own way! Please consider spreading the word to other adoptive parents you may know! Thanks again!!~Erica

Am I reading the info on the link correctly that the child/children need to be between 4 y.o. And 17? Good luck...this should be an interesting study.

On this page you say 17 or younger but when I started to fill it out it said between 4 and 17 my daughter is 1 1/2 so I don't think we can participate! Bummer! My partner is a doctoral student in physchology as well and is doing her dissertation on international adoption. I wanted her to focus on foster care!!! Good luck with your study!

Yes ma'am. I had to set the age range that way to match up with the age ranges of the measures I am using...the authors of the measures have only validated their measures on this range of children at this point in time. Thanks for the well wishes!

@ Mama2Gia: Oh yeah, I am sorry about that inconsistency. Thank you for taking the time to look through this though! And congrats on your 1 1/2 year old daughter...I bet she is adorable and such a joy! And that is really neat that your partner is a doctoral student studying adoption as well! International adoption, huh? That's cool! All 3 of my younger siblings (ages 12, 9, and 7) were all adopted internationally!

On this page you say 17 or younger but when I started to fill it out it said between 4 and 17 my daughter is 1 1/2 so I don't think we can participate! Bummer! My partner is a doctoral student in physchology as well and is doing her dissertation on international adoption. I wanted her to focus on foster care!!! Good luck with your study!

Ok somehow I screwed up and reposted. Oops.

I completed it for you. If it makes any difference as well, I raised an adult son (now 28 yrs old), and raised 3 step kids (actively in my life at the time, but now not so much, as they are adults), and our adoption of our daughter was with my second marriage, after my son turned 22 and was already out of the household. I dunno, it seems to me, as second time around parent of choice, it seems there is a lot of knowledge and interest in raising a child that has helped from raising my first son completely first.

Karen,Thank you for you reply and sharing that information. That's a very interesting perspective that you shared. I had thought a lot about that when I was putting together my project as my parents had my twin and I (both 17 when the 1st child was adopted and 20 when the other 2 were adopted). i am hoping that this perspective will come up in the results because I think it would be an interesting spin to have to the project to share. I think it might impact all of the variables I am studying, thus may impact the types of adoption preparation/interventions professionals need to consider. Thanks again for helping me and sharing!~Erica

Good luck with your project. My son is only 6 months old, so I can't help.

I would do it, but I am in Canada and not sure that will help with your survey.

I think that depends on if the OP is specifying the country in the survey. The results of interpersonal relationships between APs and children, it seems, would cross boarders.

MissM, It is most certainly alright if you help me out. I appreciate your willingness to help me!~Erica