The Center for Families
The Center for Families harnesses the power of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends to improve our quality of life. We increase and enhance collaboration among academic disciplines, professionals, policymakers, corporations, and community organizations to build a better world for all families.
How we bring about change focused on families . . .
Opportunity
Promote the study of families from a multidisciplinary, life course perspective while also increasing the opportunity for new knowledge.
Recognition
Identify high-quality family research from around the world, used to inform decisions that impact families.
Collaboration
Foster collaboration among academics, policymakers, and practitioners to identify where research about families is needed.
LATEST RESEARCH AND NEWS
- A Moderated Mediation Model to Predict Adolescent Resistance to Peer Influence: Evidence From an Adoption StudyKristine Marceau – Adolescents are particularly susceptible to peer influence and at higher risk of engaging in problematic behaviors through peer interactions, but also vary in the extent to which they are influenced by their peers. Resistance to peer influence, the tendency to refuse undesired peer pressure, is one key factor for this variation.
- Peer Victimization in Childhood and Timing of Substance Use Initiation: Evidence from a Twin StudyKristine Marceau – Previous studies robustly link childhood peer victimization experience to the timing of substance use initiation. However, no study has investigated the contributions of genetic and environmental factors to this link.
- Maternal Characteristics and U.S. Prenatal Care: Associations with Neonatal Health and Postpartum Maternal WellbeingKameron Moding; German Posada – Prenatal care provides an opportunity for the promotion of healthy parent and neonatal outcomes, but there are gaps in understanding the consequences and antecedents of prenatal care experiences during pregnancy. The objective of the current study was to provide insight into the mediational processes of sociodemographic and pregnancy characteristics on neonatal health and postpartum maternal wellbeing outcomes through prenatal care experiences.
CURRENT INITIATIVES
Families, in all their diverse forms, are the foundation of society. No culture has been able to provide anything better than the family for producing strong individuals for the journey of life.
—Dr. Donald Felker, Dean of School of Consumer and Family Science, 1987-1992
150+ Faculty Members
have engaged in projects that have added to the creation and dissemination of new knowledge
Who are our Faculty Partners?$700 Thousand+
of funding provided directly to support over 150 students and faculty and their research
Read about funded research30 Years
of harnessing the power of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends to improve our quality of life
Learn about Center milestonesYOUR SUPPORT MAKES AN IMPACT
Every gift, no matter how large or small, makes it possible for the center to be involved in innovative initiatives that impact individuals and families.
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