Center for Families

Harnessing the power of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends to improve our quality of life.

December 1, 2022

Developmental pathways linking obesity risk and early puberty: The thrifty phenotype and fetal overnutrition hypotheses

We outline an operationalization and extension of the thrifty phenotype and fetal overnutrition hypotheses, two developmental hypotheses stemming from the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) perspective, for developmental pathways from preconception and prenatal risk through child growth to...

December 1, 2022

A data-driven validation of mobile-based care (mCARE) project for children with ASD in LMICs

In this study, we have validated the aims of the NIH project mCARE (mobile-based care for monitoring the milestone and behavioral parameters for children with ASD) by data-driven techniques. This project was developed and deployed for remote monitoring of the...

December 1, 2022

Drivers of Lexical Processing and Implications for Early Learning

Understanding words in unfolding speech requires the coordination of many skills to support successful and rapid comprehension of word meanings. This multifaceted ability emerges before our first birthday, matures over a protracted period of development, varies widely between individuals, forecasts...

November 14, 2022

Disciplinary Roots of 300 Top-Ranked Scientific Contributors to Gerontology: From Legacy to Enriching Our Discovery

Gerontology is viewed by many as a multidisciplinary field of inquiry, but which disciplines have had the greatest impact on research in the field? Combining data from a composite score incorporating multiple citation indicators with information on the highest degree,...

November 6, 2022

Sourcebook of Family Theories and Methodologies: Relational (in) Justice in Context

Limited focus on binary notions of gender and nuclear family forms has restricted our understanding of how family members often revise and reconstruct relationships to challenge traditional reward and dependency structure in relationships.

November 3, 2022

Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review and Systematic Update

Sleep problems are a common comorbidity for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and research in this area has a relatively long history. Within this review, we first outline historic patterns in the field of sleep and ASD. Second, we...

November 1, 2022

Aging couples’ satisfying relationships and we-talk promote cardiovascular health during conflict

Marital conflict poses health risks that intensify as couples grow older. Dyadic stress theories suggest spouses’ marital satisfaction and communication patterns alter cardiovascular function, a key pathway from troubled relationships to poor health.

November 1, 2022

Do cross-race friendships with majority and minority peers protect against the effects of discrimination on school belonging and depressive symptoms?

Although cross-race friendships seem to benefit racially minoritized students, especially in mitigating the adverse impact of racial discrimination, past research has rarely distinguished between cross-race friendships with majority and minority peers.

October 31, 2022

Purdue Public Health research lab explores digital options for children seeking help from domestic violence

Schwab Reese’s overall work looks at violence in society. However, her most recent projects examine domestic violence and intimate partner violence. Although often used interchangeably, the latter is defined as any violence between current or former intimate partners. Domestic violence...

October 24, 2022

Faculty and students invited to apply for funding for research about families

The Center for Families’ annual funding program supports the study of families from a cross-disciplinary, life course perspective. Faculty and students from all departments and colleges are encouraged to apply.