Research/Areas of Interest
Families and children in challenging circumstances; parenting and family functioning among diverse families; ethnic-racial socialization processes; cultural and contextual influences; child and youth outcomes; adoption and foster care
Education
- PhD, Psychology, Developmental and Clinical Specializations, Yale University, United States
- BA, Psychology, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, United States
Biography
Current Projects:
Adoption and Development Project (ADP)
The ADP examines how families who are raising children adopted internationally and transracially navigate cultural and racial differences. Data collection included interviews and questionnaires; we use quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Our analyses to date have focused on cultural socialization activities, children's understanding of adoption, ethnic identity and self-image and children's public discourse experiences. Our current work focuses on microaggressions that children and parents experience and preparation for bias messages/activities in which parent engage. Microaggressions are common, occurrences that can be slights, insults, attitudes, or actions that communicate negative messages to the target person or group (Sue et al., 2007). Preparation for Bias includes parents' messages about how to deal with microaggressions or similar experiences (Hughes et al., 2006). See below for selected publications.
Fast Track
With Karen Bierman and Mark Greenberg (PSU), Kenneth Dodge and John Coie (Duke U), John Lochman (U Alabama) and Robert McMahon (Simon Fraser U), and funded continuously by NIMH, NIDA. Fast Track is a long-term theoretically based randomized clinical trial designed to prevent the onset of serious conduct disorder and other problematic outcomes in adolescence. Initiated in 1991, the study is ongoing in four (4) sites in the U.S. with 445 intervention youth, a matched group of 446 controls, and another more normative comparison group of 387 youth. Services were delivered to intervention youth from grades 1 through 10. Yearly data collection yielded a dataset with rich in possibilities for data analyses regarding contextual influences, parenting, and youth functioning. Project is in data analysis phase. See www.fasttrack.org for more information, and see below for selected publications.
Lives of Gay Fathers and their Children
With Ellen Perrin, M.D., Emerita, of the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Tufts Medical Center and Sean Hurley of University of Vermont. have a dataset with a sample of over 700 gay fathers in the US. who responded to an internet-based survey. Data collection is ongoing. We are examining the following themes: pathways to fatherhood and parenting experiences, challenges and discrimination experiences and relationships with extended families and friends and children's adjustment. Current projects focus on the impact of state-level legal protections on these experiences. See below for selected publications.
Adoption and Development Project (ADP)
The ADP examines how families who are raising children adopted internationally and transracially navigate cultural and racial differences. Data collection included interviews and questionnaires; we use quantitative and qualitative data analyses. Our analyses to date have focused on cultural socialization activities, children's understanding of adoption, ethnic identity and self-image and children's public discourse experiences. Our current work focuses on microaggressions that children and parents experience and preparation for bias messages/activities in which parent engage. Microaggressions are common, occurrences that can be slights, insults, attitudes, or actions that communicate negative messages to the target person or group (Sue et al., 2007). Preparation for Bias includes parents' messages about how to deal with microaggressions or similar experiences (Hughes et al., 2006). See below for selected publications.
Fast Track
With Karen Bierman and Mark Greenberg (PSU), Kenneth Dodge and John Coie (Duke U), John Lochman (U Alabama) and Robert McMahon (Simon Fraser U), and funded continuously by NIMH, NIDA. Fast Track is a long-term theoretically based randomized clinical trial designed to prevent the onset of serious conduct disorder and other problematic outcomes in adolescence. Initiated in 1991, the study is ongoing in four (4) sites in the U.S. with 445 intervention youth, a matched group of 446 controls, and another more normative comparison group of 387 youth. Services were delivered to intervention youth from grades 1 through 10. Yearly data collection yielded a dataset with rich in possibilities for data analyses regarding contextual influences, parenting, and youth functioning. Project is in data analysis phase. See www.fasttrack.org for more information, and see below for selected publications.
Lives of Gay Fathers and their Children
With Ellen Perrin, M.D., Emerita, of the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at Tufts Medical Center and Sean Hurley of University of Vermont. have a dataset with a sample of over 700 gay fathers in the US. who responded to an internet-based survey. Data collection is ongoing. We are examining the following themes: pathways to fatherhood and parenting experiences, challenges and discrimination experiences and relationships with extended families and friends and children's adjustment. Current projects focus on the impact of state-level legal protections on these experiences. See below for selected publications.