International Adoption Project

As of 2024, we have closed the International Adoption Project Registry. We want to thank all the families for volunteering their time in helping us with the International Adoption Project research work. Your participation has helped us learn about growth and development of individuals who have experienced international adoption as well as improving lives of others with similar experiences.

The International Adoption Project (IAP) is led by Dr. Megan Gunnar, Regents Professor, Institute of Child Development and Dr. Richard Lee, Professor, Department of Psychology, both at the University of Minnesota.

Since 1997, the International Adoption Project's mission is to connect families and individuals in the international adoption community with research opportunities so we can continue to increase our knowledge about pre- and post-adoption development. Our aim in all aspects of our research work is to develop a clearer picture of the successes, challenges, and perhaps unmet needs of individuals who joined their families through international adoption.

With the support and assistance from adoptive families, physicians, local organizations and state agencies, a lot of our energy went into developing the Parent and Adult Adoptee Registry.

IAP Facts:

Over 5500 internationally adopted children are enrolled on the registry.
40% of members have participated in a least one or more study.
70% of members resides in Minnesota
The registry reflects a diverse population from more than 55 countries.
58% of kids were adopted before 12 months old.

Publications

Initial Survey Study (1999-2003)

Gunnar, M. R., van Dulmen, M. M. H. (2007). Behavior problems in post-institutionalized internationally adopted children. Development and Psychopathology. 19, 129-148.

Hellerstedt, W. L., Madsen, N.J., Gunnar, M.R., Grotevant, H.D., Lee, R.M., Johnson, D.E. (2008). The International adoption project: Population-based surveillance of Minnesota parents who adopted children internationally. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 12, 162-171.

Eckerle, J.E., Hill, L.K., Iverson, S., Gunnar, M.R., Johnson, D.E. (2014). Vision and hearing problems in international adoptees and associations with behavioral and developmental disabilities. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 18(3):575-83.

Minnesota/Wisconsin Study (2004-2009)

Gunnar, M.R. & Pollak, S.D. (2007). Supporting parents so that they can support their internationally-adopted children: The larger challenge lurking behind the fatality statistics. Child Maltreatment, 12, 381-382.

Gunnar, M.R., Frenn, K., Wewerka, S.S., Van Ryzin, M.J. (2008). Moderate versus severe early life stress: Associations with stress reactivity and regulation in 10- to 12-year old children. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 34(1):62-75.

Loman, M.M., Wiik, K.L., Frenn, K.A., Pollak, S.D., & Gunnar, M.R. (2009). Post institutionalized children’s development: Growth, cognitive, and language outcomes. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 30 (5):426-34.

Pollak, S.D., Nelson, C.A., Schlaak, M., Roeber, B., Wewerka, S.S., Wiik, K.L., Frenn, K., Loman, M.M., & Gunnar, M.R. (2010). Neurodevelopmental effects of early deprivation in post-institutionalized children. Special issue Child Development, 81,224-36.

Loman, M., & Gunnar, M.R. and the Early Experience, Stress and Neurodevelopment Center Team (2010). Early experience and the development of stress reactivity and regulation in children. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 34(6):867-876.

Wilbarger, J., Gunnar, M.R., Schneider, M. & Pollak, S. (2010). Sensory processing in internationally- adopted, post-institutionalized children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51(10):1105-14.

Wiik, K., Loman, M.M., Van Ryzin, M.J., Armstrong, J.M., Essex, M.J., Pollak, S.D. & Gunnar, M.R. (2011). Behavioral and emotional symptoms of post-institutionalized children in middle childhood: Parent and child perspectives. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 52(1):56-63.

Johnson, A.E., Bruce, J., Tarullo, A.R., & Gunnar, M.R. (2011). Growth delay as an index of allostatic load in young children: Predictions to disinhibited social approach and diurnal cortisol activity. Development and Psychopathology.23, 859-71.

Guler, O.E., Hostinar, C., Frenn, K.A., Nelson, C.A., Gunnar, M.R., & Thomas, K. M. (2012). Electrophysiological evidence of altered memory processing in children experiencing early deprivation. Developmental Science, 15, 345-58

Loman, M.M., Johnson, A.E., Westerlund, A., Pollak, S.D., Nelson, C.A., & Gunnar, M.R. (2013). The effect of early deprivation on executive attention in middle childhood. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 54: 37-45

Roeber, B.J., Gunnar, M.R., & Pollak, S.D. (2014). Early deprivation impairs the development of balance and bilateral coordination. Developmental Psychobiology, 56 (5): 1110-8.

BDNF Study (2008-2013)

Gunnar, M.R., Wenner, J.A., Thomas, K.M., Glatt, C.E., Morgan, M.C. & Clark, A.G. (2012). The BDNF Val66Met polymorphism moderates early deprivation effects on attention problems. Development and Psychopathology. 24, 1215-1223.

Pitula, C., Thomas, K., M., Essex, M.J., Armstrong, J.M., Crick, N. R. & Gunnar, M. R. (2014). Peer victimization and internalizing symptoms among post-institutionalized, internationally adopted youth. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 42(7):1069-76

VanZomeren-Dohm, A.A., Pitula, C.E., Koss, K.J., Thomas, K., Gunnar, M.R. (2014). FKBP5 Moderation of depressive symptoms in peer victimized, post-institutionalized children. Developmental Psychobiology. 51:426-30

Transition into the Family Study (2008-2014)

Hostinar, C.E., Stellern, S.A., Schaefer, C., Carlson, S.M., Gunnar, M.R. (2012). Associations between early life adversity and executive function in children adopted internationally from orphanages. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. 109 Suppl 2:17208-12. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1121246109

Stellern, S., Esposito., E. Mliner, S., Pears, K., Gunnar, M. (2014). Increased freezing and decreased positive affect in postinstitutionalized children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55, 88-95.

Carlson, E. A., Hostinar, C.E., & Gunnar, M.R. (2014). The emergence of attachment following early social deprivation. Development and Psychopathology, 26(2):479-89. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579414000078

Lawler, J. M., Hostinar, C. E., Mliner, S., & Gunnar, M. R. (2014). Disinhibited social engagement in post institutionalized children: Differentiating normal from atypical behavior. Development and Psychopathology, 26(2):451-64. DOI: 10.1017/S0954579414000054

Doom, J.R., Gunnar, M.R., Georgieff, M.K., Kroupina, M.G., Frenn, K., Fuglestad, A.J., Carlson, S.M. (2014). Beyond stimulus deprivation: Iron deficiency and cognitive deficits in postinstitutionalized children. Child Development, 85(5):1805-121. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12231

Doom, J.R., Georgieff, M.K., & Gunnar, M.R. (2014). Institutional care and iron deficiency increase ADHD symptomology and lower IQ 2.5-5 years post-adoption. Developmental Science. 18(3):484-494. DOI: 10.1111/desc.12223

Nguyen, D. J. & Gunnar, M.R. (2014). Depressive symptoms in mothers of recently-adopted postinstitutionalized children. Adoption Quarterly, 17, 280-293. http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10926755.2014.895464

Koss, K. J., Hostinar, C. E., Donzella, B., & Gunnar, M. R. (2014). Social deprivation and the HPA axis in early development. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 50, 1-13.

Koss, K. J., Mliner, S. B., Donzella, B., & Gunnar, M. R. (2016). Early adversity, hypocortisolism, and behavior problems at school entry: A study of internationally adopted children. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 66, 31-38. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2015.12.018

Esposito, E.A., Koss, K.J., Donzella, B. and Gunnar, M.R. (2016). Early deprivation and autonomic nervous system functioning in post-institutionalized children. Developmental Psychobiology, 58, 328-340. DOI: 10.1002/dev.21373

Frenkel, T. I., Koss, K. J., Donzella, B., Frenn, K. A., Lamm, C., Fox, N. A., & Gunnar, M. R. (2016). ADHD Symptoms in Post-Institutionalized Children are Partially Mediated by Altered Frontal EEG Asymmetry. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. DOI: 10.1007/s10802-016-0208-y

Lawler, J. M., Koss, K. J., Doyle, C. M., & Gunnar, M. R. (2016). The course of early disinhibited social engagement among post-institutionalized adopted children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 57, 1126-1134. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12606

Lawler, J. M., Koss, K. J., & Gunnar, M. R. (2017). Bidirectional effects of parenting and child behavior in internationally-adopting families. Journal of Family Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/fam0000309

Pitula, C.E., DePasquale, C.E., Mliner, S.B., Gunnar, M.R. (2017). Peer Problems Among Postinstitutionalized, Internationally Adopted Children: Relations to Hypocortisolism, Parenting Quality, and ADHD Symptoms. Child Development. DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12986

Pubertal Stress Recalibration Study (2013-2018)

Reid, B.R., DePasquale, C.E., Donzella, B., Leneman, K.B., Taylor, H., & Gunnar, M.R. (2021). Pubertal transitions with current life stress and support alters longitudinal diurnal cortisol patterns in adolescents exposed to early life adversity. Dev Psychobiol. 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22146

Gunnar, M. R., DePasquale, C. E., Reid, B. R., Donzella, B. (2019). Pubertal stress recalibration reverses the effects of early life stress in postinstitutionalized children. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909699116

DePasquale, CE, Donzella, B, Gunnar, MR. (2018). Pubertal recalibration of cortisol reactivity following early life stress: a cross-sectional analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12992

Leneman, K. B., Donzella, B., Desjardins, C. D., Miller, B. S., & Gunnar, M. R. (2018). The slope of cortisol from awakening to 30 min post-wake in post-institutionalized children and early adolescents. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 96: 93-99. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.06.011

Reid, BM, Miller, BS, Dorn, LD, Desjardins, C, Donzella, B, Gunnar, M. (2017). Early-growth faltering in post-institutionalized youth and later anthropometric and pubertal development. Pediatric Research. 82: 278-284. PMID 28170387 DOI: 10.1038/pr.2017.35