Family relationships influence child development from infancy to adulthood. CCFP researchers examine how biological, cultural and familial processes, practices, and characteristics impact child and youth development both in the US and around the world. Our teams also develop programs and services and work to affect systems change to ensure that families and parents have the supports they need to provide safe, stable, nurturing relationships for their children.
The present qualitative study explored home visiting providers’ perceptions of the behaviors they use to promote enrollment and engagement and reduced attrition for families. Implications suggest that workforce structure and training include behavioral strategies to improve enrollment, engagement, and retention in programs to promote program and familial success.
Picky eating commonly co-occurs with disruptive behaviors in young children. This study found that parent child interaction therapy decreased picky eating.
Using data from Baby’s First Years, this paper assesses the causal impact of monthly, unconditional cash transfers on child-directed speech and child vocalizations among a large, racially diverse sample of low-income U.S. mothers and their 1-year-olds.
Examination of whether cultural values, conformity and parenting behaviours were related to child adjustment in middle childhood in the United States.
This project will produce research and policy reports on four megatrends identified by the United Nations related to families and (1) climate change, (2) technology, (3) migration and urbanization, and (4) demographic trends.
learn more about Megatrends and the FamilyThis research project will collect data from youth enrolled in universities across Ukraine during the winter of 2023. Data will include changes in adjustment, wellbeing, and optimism, along with substance use. Data will provide insights into how best to support the mental health of young people during a global crisis.
learn more about Risk and Resilience in Ukraine: Individual, Family, and Community Predictors of Adolescent and Young Adult AdjustmentProject Description This study of the postive parenting app tests the feasibility and effectiveness of a mobile-based app intervention designed to enhance home visiting by providing in-the-moment parenting tips with the goal of increasing healthy parent-child interactions leading to resiliency in high-risk children. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) profoundly influence brain and behavioral development and long-term…
learn more about Positive Parenting App StudyThe Durham Navigation Study is a randomized control trial to evaluate the impact of Community Navigation on outcomes for young children and their families.
learn more about Durham Navigation StudyYouths who enter emerging adulthood with a background of familial relations grounded in positive parent-child interactions are better equipped to cope with transitional stressors, to voice effectively their opinions with parents, and to resist engaging in risky activities. The study reveals filial self-efficacy beliefs as central to the benefits conveyed to teens by parents in reducing their sexting behaviors.
Previous research shown that parental self-efficacy plays a protective role for children’s rule-breaking behaviours (i.e., parent-driven process), but rule-breaking also can reduce parents’ parental self-efficacy over-time (i.e., child-driven process). This study delves into the bidirectional longitudianl associations between parental self-efficacy and children’s rule-breaking behaviors.
This study—the first randomized controlled trial of early childhood poverty reduction in the United States—investigates how increased economic resources affect 1,000 low-income US mothers’ breastfeeding, child-care, and employment practices and the ability to meet their intentions for these practices in the first year of their infant’s life.
This study examines the association between political identity and young adults’ fertility desires from 1989 to 2019. Results show political identity has become increasingly salient for fertility desires.