Mapping the Life Course of Adoption Project (Survey CLOSED)

Thank you to everyone who completed the survey! We are so sorry we have been slow to get compensation out because of the survey being overrun by robots and fraudulent participants. Now that the survey is closed (as of April 30), we will work to compensate eligible and legitimate responders as soon as possible. We will be looking for opportunities to share and disseminate findings in the upcoming months, so please stay connected.

WELCOME to Mapping the Life Course of Adoption Project (MAP): Health, Well-Being, and Adoptee Connections in Adulthood 

Brief Summary of the Project

This project “Mapping the Life Course of Adoption Project(MAP)”, is a national adoptee-led and community-engaged project aimed at mapping the life course of adoption in adulthood and the role of adoptee-led groups/connections as a resource for thriving adulthoods. Watch the video on the launch of the project!

Guiding Principles

This project is guided by the belief that those who are adopted are experts in their lived experiences and that these experiences should be guiding adoption practices and policies. 

This is an ADOPTEE-LED project, meaning it is being led by an adoptee scholar, Dr. Hollee McGinnis (hamcginnis@vcu.edu), in collaboration with other adoptee researchers (Drs. Amanda Baden, JaeRan Kim, Adam Kim, and Gina Samuels) and adoptee groups, including Boston Korean Adoptees (BKA), International Korean Adoptee Association Network (IKAA) and IKAA network organizations Asian Adult Adoptees of Washington (AAAW), Association of Korean Adoptees San Francisco (AKASF), Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH), Also-Known-As, Inc. (New York).

This is a COMMUNITY-ENGAGED project, meaning participants are seen as co-creators of the knowledge, actively engaged in all aspects of the study development, interpretation, and use of the knowledge generated by the project. This means this project is COMMUNITY-EMBEDDED and that you will have access to the information gathered with the intention of building a practice of collaboration and co-creation of knowledge and wisdom by and for adoptees.  

To this end, we have created a permanent home for this project to meaningfully stay connected and engaged in the project at the Collaborative on Adoption & Alternative Care Research (CAARE) website and social media channels at: https://caare-research.org

Importance of the Project and Impact

It is our hope that this initial study will be a beginning to help us start to map out the experiences of adoption as adults and help us understand the nature of adoptee groups (formal and informal) as a potential resource for thriving adulthoods. Additionally, it is our hope that this study will launch a line of inquiry that actively engages and co-creates knowledge with adoptee individuals and groups for their benefit. How? Information on adoptee groups can be used by organizers to improve programs. Information about how we are doing as adults can help us identify what our needs are.

Study Aims

This initial study is an in-depth exploration focusing on adults (18+) adopted to/in the United States (domestic, international, foster care) to understand the scope of (1) our physical and mental health as we age, and whether these are related to experiences of traumas in childhood, adult stressors, racism, and adoption stigma; and (2) the nature of adult adoptee groups and spaces, and how connections with other adoptees (or not) help us with our adoptive or racial/ethnic identities, sense of social support, and other aspects of adult well-being.

Survey Info (closed April 30, 2023)

  • Who Benefits? Information from this study will be shared on this website, so the intention is that the ultimate benefactors will be adoptee organizers and adoptees seeking to have a better understanding of our collective experiences. In addition study results will also be published in academic journals where the knowledge of our collective experiences will preserved.

  • Who is Eligible? If you are an adoptee 18 years old or older who was adopted to/in the United States you are eligible to take the survey. It will take you approximately 60 to 90 minutes to complete the survey (you may start and pause) and you will be compensated with a $20 e-gift card for your knowledge and time.

  • Who has Access to the Data? Only the lead researcher and study team will have access to the data that is collected. All information you provide is collected anonymously and any identifying information (i.e. email address) given to receive compensation are kept separate from your responses. In addition, study procedures have been reviewed and approved by Virginia Commonwealth University’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) to ensure they meet ethical standard procedures (VCU IRB Protocol Number: HM20020010).

  • How do I take the Survey? The survey is now closed as of April 30, 2023.

MAP Collaborators

►Research Partners: Dr. Amanda Baden (Montclair State University); Dr. JaeRan Kim (University of Washington, Tacoma); Dr. Adam Kim (Wesleyan University); Dr. Gina Samuels (University of Chicago)

►Community Partners: Boston Korean Adoptees; International Korean Adoptee Association (IKAA) Network U.S.-based organizations  Asian American Adoptees of Washington (AAW), Association of Korean Adoptees-San Francisco, AK Connection (Minnesota), Also-Known-As, Inc. (New York), Korean Adoptees of Chicago (KAtCH )

►Funding: Virginia Commonwealth University Presidential Research Quest Fund (PeRQ).

VCU IRB Protocol Number: HM20020010