Past Projects
The Prenatal Study
Prenatal, also known as EGDS-Phase 2, was unique because it increased the size of our adoptive and birth parent sample by 200 sets, bringing the total sample size to 561 sets of families. This study was funded by a National Institute on Drug Abuse grant, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), Office of the Director. The adoptive families were interviewed in-person at child ages 9, 18, and 27 months and completed an online and mailed interview when the child was 4½ years old. The birth parents were interviewed in-person shortly after the birth and placement of the child for adoption and about a year later.
EGDS-Phase 2, also known as EGDS-Prenatal, added an additional element to the study of nature and nurture in regard to child development. DNA was collected from all 561 sets of families in order to better understand how genes might influence the development of personality and behaviors. This information allowed us to disentangle the effects of genetic influences from the effects of the prenatal and postnatal environments.
The Toddlers Study
The toddlers study, also called EGDS-Toddlers, focused on how infant and toddler behaviors are influenced by their genes and their relationship with their parents by studying families where the child is not raised by anyone from their biological family. This study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and ran from 2002-2007.
The School Study
EGDS-School included the original 361 sets of children, adoptive parents, and birth parents. The University of Oregon worked with Penn State University and The University of California at Riverside to assist in nationwide data collection efforts. This study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), Office of the Director.
In this study, we interviewed participants as the children enter the early school-aged years and again during the child’s transition into middle school. At each phase, we looked at the connection between nature and nurture on children’s behavioral development and looked at such influences on children’s regulatory systems by measuring salivary cortisol levels. During the early school-aged years, each birth parent was visited once, and each adoptive family was visited three times (ages 4½, 6, and 7 years). During middle school (age 11), birth parents completed an interview online, children participated in a child phone interview, and adoptive parents completed questionnaires. In addition to these assessments, we conducted brief check-ins with participants via telephone or survey assessments. School and teacher data were also collected for each child.
The Mental Health Study
The Mental Health study, also known as EGDS-NIMH, was a nationwide, prospective study of 561 sets of adoptive families and was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The 361 children from EGDS-School were seen at age 8 years, and the 200 children from EGDS-Phase 2 were seen at age 6 years.
EGDS-NIMH examined the interplay between genetic, prenatal, and postnatal environmental influences on early pathways to conduct, anxiety, and depressive behaviors by interviewing parents about child behavior and symptoms between ages 6 and 8 years. We also interviewed adoptive parents about their own mental health.
EGDS-NIMH involved a combination of phone and in-person interviews. One parent was interviewed in the home, with the child present, and completed a phone interview. The other parent completed a phone interview. School and teacher data were collected for each child. The sample was drawn from the entire nation, and assessment staff members were based in Oregon, Pennsylvania, and California. The data collected in this project provides a unique opportunity to examine how nature and nurture influence child adjustment through age 8 years.
The Health Study
The health study, also known as EGDS-Health, focused on the eating habits and behaviors of both cohort I and II, examined family dietary habits, food preferences, physical activities, and child growth patterns from birth to middle childhood. The particular focus of this study was to identify the environmental and genetic factors that promote physical growth and a healthy weight over time. This study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and ran from 2011-2016.
The Early Parenting of Children Study (EPOCH)
EPOCH, also known as the Early Parenting of Children Study, utilized a naturalistic human cross-fostering design to advance the understanding of childhood pathways to risk for drug use by identifying nuances in the rearing environment that are associated with child risk behaviors and competencies. In this quasi-experimental study, the sample consisted of 215 sibling pairs in which one sibling was reared from birth with an adoptive family, and the other sibling was reared from birth by the biological mother or father of the sibling pair. Similar to nonhuman cross-fostering studies, this design allowed for the differentiation of the effects of the rearing environment from the effects of shared genes between parent and child.
The assessment included child risk behaviors (e.g., externalizing problems, inhibitory control deficits) and social competencies (social skills, prosocial peer relations) known to be predictive of later drug use. The assessment of the rearing environment includes both risk-promoting (harsh parental discipline, parental drug use, conflictual partner relations, and parent psychopathology) and competence-promoting (e.g., parental sensitivity, warmth, effective monitoring, and warm marital relations) factors. This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and ran from 2013-2018.
The Middle School Study
The middle school study, also known as EGDS: MSHC, furthered the research done during EGDS-School by re-assessing the participants from the original study, Toddlers, at age 11. The study examined the interplay between genetic, and environmental influences on child adjustment as participants begin their transition into middle school. The study was funded by The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and ran from 2014-2017.
Adolescence COVID-19 Project
This project focused on the impact of COVID-19 on teens. Eligible children were asked to share their experiences with COVID-19 and related events over the course of one year. This project ran from 2020 to 2021.
COVID-19 Child Well-Being Project
This short-term project examined the importance of family, community, and school as it relates to positive health in children. We hope to better understand what social and emotional supports need to be in place for families and communities. This project ran from 2020 to 2021.
Past Projects
Toddlers
EGDS-Toddlers focused on how the behaviors of infants and toddlers from 3 to 48 months old are influenced by their genes and their relationship with their parents. By focusing on adoptive families, we were able to study how genetics, the stuff you are born with, and your environment, the stuff around you work together and separately to influence child development. This study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and The National Institute on Drug Abuse and ran from 2002-2007.
Prenatal
EGDS-Prenatal was unique because it increased the size of our adoptive and birth parent sample by 200 linked families, bringing the total number of EGDS families to 561.
The adoptive families were interviewed in person when their child was 9, 18, and 27 months old, and they completed surveys when their child was 4½ years old. The birth parents were interviewed shortly after the child was born and placed for adoption and again about a year later.
EGDS-Prenatal introduced a new approach to understanding how the child’s genetics, the stuff they are born with, and their environment, the stuff around them, work together and separately in their development. DNA was collected from all 561 sets of families. This helped us explore how genes might affect the child’s developing personality and behaviors by allowing us to separate genetic influences from prenatal and postnatal environmental factors. This study received funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research, Office of the Director and ran from 2007-2013.
School
EGDS-School included the original 361 sets of children, adoptive parents, and birth parents. The University of Oregon worked with Penn State University and The University of California at Riverside to assist in nationwide data collection efforts. This study was funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR), Office of the Director.
In this study, we interviewed participants as the children enter the early school-aged years and again during the child’s transition into middle school. At each phase, we looked at the connection between nature and nurture on children’s behavioral development and looked at such influences on children’s regulatory systems by measuring salivary cortisol levels. During the early school-aged years, each birth parent was visited once, and each adoptive family was visited three times (ages 4½, 6, and 7 years). During middle school (age 11), birth parents completed an interview online, children participated in a child phone interview, and adoptive parents completed questionnaires. In addition to these assessments, we conducted brief check-ins with participants via telephone or survey assessments. School and teacher data were also collected for each child.
Mental Health
The Mental Health study, also known as EGDS-NIMH, was a nationwide, prospective study of 561 sets of adoptive families and was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. The 361 children from EGDS-School were seen at age 8 years, and the 200 children from EGDS-Phase 2 were seen at age 6 years.
EGDS-NIMH examined the interplay between genetic, prenatal, and postnatal environmental influences on early pathways to conduct, anxiety, and depressive behaviors by interviewing parents about child behavior and symptoms between ages 6 and 8 years. We also interviewed adoptive parents about their own mental health.
EGDS-NIMH involved a combination of phone and in-person interviews. One parent was interviewed in the home, with the child present, and completed a phone interview. The other parent completed a phone interview. School and teacher data were collected for each child. The sample was drawn from the entire nation, and assessment staff members were based in Oregon, Pennsylvania, and California. The data collected in this project provides a unique opportunity to examine how nature and nurture influence child adjustment through age 8 years.
Health
The health study, also known as EGDS-Health, focused on the eating habits and behaviors of both cohort I and II, examined family dietary habits, food preferences, physical activities, and child growth patterns from birth to middle childhood. The particular focus of this study was to identify the environmental and genetic factors that promote physical growth and healthy weight over time. This study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and ran from 2011-2016.
Early Parenting of Children
The Early Parenting of Children Study, also known as EPOCH, utilized a naturalistic human cross-fostering design to advance the understanding of childhood pathways to risk for drug use by identifying nuances in the rearing environment that are associated with child risk behaviors and competencies. In this quasi-experimental study, the sample consisted of 215 sibling pairs in which one sibling was reared from birth with an adoptive family, and the other sibling was reared from birth by the biological mother or father of the sibling pair. Similar to nonhuman cross-fostering studies, this design allowed for the differentiation of the effects of the rearing environment from the effects of shared genes between parent and child. The assessment included child risk behaviors (e.g., externalizing problems, inhibitory control deficits) and social competencies (social skills, prosocial peer relations) known to be predictive of later drug use. The assessment of the rearing environment includes both risk-promoting (harsh parental discipline, parental drug use, conflictual partner relations, and parent psychopathology) and competence-promoting (e.g., parental sensitivity, warmth, effective monitoring, and warm marital relations) factors. This study was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and ran from 2013-2018.
Middle School
The middle school study, also known as EGDS: MSHC, furthered the research done during EGDS-School by re-assessing the participants from the original study, Toddlers, at age 11. The study examined the interplay between genetic, and environmental influences on child adjustment as participants begin their transition into middle school. The study was funded by The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and ran from 2014-2017.