Center for Families

Elizabeth Day – Four-day school weeks have become increasingly common in Oregon over the past two decades, even though they appear to worsen academic performance, attendance and graduation rates, according to a research review by the University of Oregon College of Education’s HEDCO Institute.

Leanne Nieforth – Sleep disturbances are well-documented for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Increasingly, veterans are turning to service dogs for assistance. Service dogs may positively influence veteran sleep.

Travis Dorsch – Physical activity is well-established as beneficial for children’s physical and mental health, yet limited research has explored how different activity types impact psychosocial outcomes. This is a cross-sectional study that examined associations between youth participation in organized sport, unstructured physical activity, and land-use recreation and their psychosocial health.

A.J. Schwichtenberg – Over the past 25 years, several aspects of infant sleep remain unchanged including infant sleep need and the developmental, neurological, and physiological processes that influence sleep-wake regulation. However, our understanding of these processes has grown along with our understanding of how sleep can be developmentally consequential.

CFF Distinguished Family Scholar, Ellen Ernst Kossek answers “What would happen if employees had more control over setting boundaries in both separating and integrating their work and personal lives?”

Leanne Nieforth – The current global mental health crisis highlights a need for a focus on culturally relevant and accessible mental health and education services. One such sector is incorporating horses into mental health and learning interventions.

David Purpura – Findings from previous work show that caregivers’ math anxiety moderates the positive association between caregiver–child math activities and child math outcomes. Most of this research, however, has focused on elementary school children, primarily White populations, and used mainstream measures.

Ellen Ernst Kossek – MEN’S JOURNAL – For millions of workers in corporate America, benefits are often the decisive factor when it comes to deciding between jobs. Some jobs offer more comprehensive health coverage, while others provide employees with the opportunity to further their education at a reduced cost.

Breanya Hogue – First Opinion: White Symbols of Hope or Threats to Black Youth’s Self-Perception. Toni Morrison. The Bluest Eye. The Bluest Eye is set in the 1940s following the Great Depression and captures the raw experiences of African American characters (past and present) in the midwestern and southern regions during the twentieth century.

Kimberly Updegraff – This pre-registered randomized clinical trial examined the efficacy of a prevention program on parenting of siblings and sibling relationships among Latinxs. Families were randomized to Siblings Are Special or an alternative academic skills program. Significant effects were detected for sibling-focused parenting in the expected direction for authoritarian control and non-intervention in sibling conflicts, but there were no effects for sibling relationship quality. Implications of COVID-19 and future directions are discussed.