A new siblings reared apart study is underway that extends the EGDS parent-offspring adoption study (discussed earlier) by assessing the biological siblings of EGDS adoptees. Of the extant siblings reared apart designs, this study is uniquely aligned to inform prevention research because the family environment was measured in both birth and adoptive family homes in detail, beginning in early childhood. In this study (Early Parenting of Children Study; EPoCh), a subset of the EGDS biological parents are parenting their own biological child(ren). These families are recruited into EPoCh, with n = 142 families recruited and assessed to date. The EGDS adoptees and their biological siblings have been reared apart since birth, never sharing the same postnatal rearing environment. When a child in either home turns age 7, the study team conducts an in-depth assessment of their rearing environment, child behavior, and prenatal events (e.g., exposure to toxins, substances, stress). When data collection is complete, there will be equivalent measures of the rearing environment and child behavior at age 7 for the adoptee and the sibling reared by the biological parent(s).
