Behavioral Economics & Child and Family Policy: A Research Primer
March 22, 2022
Behavioral economics (BE) combines economics with social psychology and cognitive decision-making to offer a broader framework for understanding factors that affect people’s decisions and actions. It provides a way to examine how decisions can be shaped not only by information and costs but by how choices are designed, as well as the context and circumstances of the moment in which decisions are made.
Electronic Health Record Tools to Identify Child Maltreatment: Scoping Literature Review and Key Informant Interviews
February 4, 2022
We conducted a scoping literature review and key informant interviews of child maltreatment experts to (1) document the existing research evidence on the performance of EHR-based child abuse screens (EHR-CA-S) and clinical decision support systems (EHR-CA-CDSS )and (2) examine clinical perspectives regarding the use of such tools and factors that affect uptake. We find that current evidence does not support adoption of a particular CA-S or CA-CDSS and that further refinement of these tools is necessary.
The impact of a poverty reduction intervention on infant brain activity
January 24, 2022
Data from the Baby’s First Years study, a randomized control trial, show that a predictable, monthly unconditional cash transfer given to low-income families may have a causal impact on infant brain activity.
Effects of Daily School and Care Disruptions During the Covid-19 Pandemic on Child Mental Health
Working Papers |
COVID-19
Early Care and Education
K-12 Education
Social Emotional Health and Well-Being
January 15, 2022
The pandemic profoundly affected American children with disruptions to their schooling and daily care. A new study found that service sector workers who had a young child reported disruption on 24 percent of days in fall 2020. The disruptions were more common in remote learning and had a negative impact on children’s behavior and on parenting mood and behavior.
Childhood Gun Access, Adult Suicidality, and Crime
August 18, 2021
Analyses were based on a 20+ year prospective, community-representative study of 1420 children, who were assessed up to 8 times during childhood (ages 9–16; 6674 observations) about access to guns in their home.
Maternal Imprisonment and the Timing of Children’s Foster Care Involvement
Book Chapter |
Child Welfare
Families and Parenting
Poverty and Inequality
Social Emotional Health and Well-Being
May 25, 2021
Beth Gifford, Megan Golonka and Kelly Evans wrote a chapter of the book, Children with Incarceratead Mothers Separation, Loss, and Reunification. The chapter summarized findings of their study that examined the timing of mother’s incarceration in relation to her children’s involvement with social services, contributory factors leading to foster care placement, and foster care discharge outcomes.
Insurance Barriers, Gendering, and Access: Interviews with Central North Carolinian Women About Their Health Care Experiences
May 1, 2021
Women face unique logistical and financial barriers to health care access.
Impacts of Heightened Immigration Enforcement on U.S. Citizens’ Birth Outcomes
April 1, 2021
Key Takeaways: Harsher immigration law enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement leads to decreased use of prenatal care for foreign-born mothers and declines in birth weight. The uptick in ICE activities under the Trump administration may have long-lasting, harmful effects on U.S.-born citizens. Sheriffs and local governments should terminate their 287(g) agreements with ICE…
Lower neural value signaling in the prefrontal cortex is related to childhood family income and depressive symptomatology during adolescence
Journal Articles |
Adolescence to Adulthood
Families and Parenting
Poverty and Inequality
Social Emotional Health and Well-Being
April 1, 2021
Lower family income during childhood is related to increased rates of adolescent depression, though the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.
Clearing gang- and drug-involved nonfatal shootings
March 10, 2021
Clearance rates for nonfatal shootings, especially cases involving gang- and drug-related violence, are disturbingly low in many US cities.
Heightened immigration enforcement impacts US citizens’ birth outcomes: Evidence from early ICE interventions in North Carolina
February 3, 2021
We examine how increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities impacted newborn health and prenatal care utilization in North Carolina around the time Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act was first being implemented within the state.
Work Schedule Unpredictability: Daily Occurrence and Effects on Working Parents’ Well-Being
Journal Articles |
Families and Parenting
Poverty and Inequality
Social Emotional Health and Well-Being
February 1, 2021
Family science has long considered the ways in which parents’ experiences in the workplace can affect families.
Social and Emotional Learning During COVID-19 and Beyond: Why It Matters and How to Support It
February 1, 2021
Social and emotional development was in peril prior to the pandemic. After this time apart, it will take systematic, intentional, and intensive efforts to get social and emotional learning back on track.
Gunshot-victim cooperation with police investigations: Results from the Chicago Inmate Survey
February 1, 2021
Just one in ten nonfatal shootings in Chicago lead to an arrest.
Reimagining Policing: How Community-Led Interventions Can Improve Outcomes for Domestic Violence and Mental Health Calls
January 1, 2021
In response to police killings of Black people and the ensuing protests that took place in communities across the country in 2020, media coverage in North Carolina and in much of the nation this past year has focused heavily on instances of police violence and the protests and counterprotests that have since occurred throughout the…
COVID-19 and Parent-Child Psychological Well-being
October 1, 2020
The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 has changed American society in ways that are difficult to capture in a timely manner.
Brazil’s Missing Infants: Zika Risk Changes Reproductive Behavior
October 1, 2020
Zika virus epidemics have potential large-scale population effects. Controlled studies of mice and nonhuman primates indicate that Zika affects fecundity, raising concerns about miscarriage in human populations.
K-12 Social-Emotional Support During COVID-19: Reflections and Recommendations from a Survey of North Carolina Teachers
August 1, 2020
This Brief Will Cover Emotional and Mental Health Support for Teachers. Survey data from N.C. teachers on their concerns about returning to school in the fall. Recommended strategies for helping school administrators promote wellness among school staff upon their return. Re-envisioning the Way Students and Schools Interact. Recommended practices for promoting relationship building among teachers,…
“New Normal” for Children and Families: Developing a Universal Approach with a Focus on Equity
Policy Briefs |
COVID-19
Early Care and Education
Families and Parenting
Poverty and Inequality
Race Equity
Social Emotional Health and Well-Being
August 1, 2020
This brief provides an overview of the various channels through which COVID-19 has affected the lives of children and families, and proposes 4 key actions to help communities heal and build stronger, equitable systems: Create a “new” public health system centered upon a universal approach to care with a focus on equity. Invest in early…
North Carolina Resilience and Learning Project
May 27, 2020
Katie Rosanbalm wrote the opening chapter of a book entitled, Alleviating the Educational Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences. The book is a collection of approaches to trauma-informed education based on school-university-community collaborations. Rosanbalm’s chapter summarizes the literature on why trauma-informed strategies are important to academic success and describes the specifics of the Resilience and Learning Model. It concludes with preliminary qualitative findings from pilot schools.
Ensuring Vulnerable Children and Families Have Access to Needed Health Services and Supports During the COVID-19 Pandemic
May 1, 2020
This policy brief focuses on how necessary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic alter the health and social service landscape for children and families, particularly those who were already vulnerable, and offers policy guidance.
Devastating Impact of COVID Crisis on Working Families
April 1, 2020
This brief provides an overview of key ways in which COVID-19 has impacted working families, as drawn from our study’s survey analysis. 1. Drastic Reductions in Work Hours and Increase in Job Loss 2. Harmed Well-Being of Both Parents and Their Children 3. Policy Supports Not Reaching Families 4. Employer-Provided Benefits Reaching Some Families
Agricultural Fires and Health at Birth
October 1, 2019
Fire has long served as a tool in agriculture, but the practice’s link with economic activity has made its health consequences difficult to study.
Bringing Organizations Back In: Multilevel Feedback Effects on Individual Civic Inclusion
May 1, 2019
Policy feedback scholarship has focused on how laws and their implementation affect either organizations (e.g., their resources, priorities, political opportunities, or incentive structures) or individuals (e.g., their civic skills and resources or their psychological orientations toward the state).
Professionals, friends, and confidants: After-school staff as social support to low-income parents
March 1, 2019
Policy makers, practitioners, and researchers have emphasized the importance of supportive relationships between staff and parents in early childhood education settings and schools.
WIC Recipients in the Retail Environment: A Qualitative Study Assessing Customer Experience and Satisfaction
November 27, 2018
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program is an important intervention for prevention and treatment of obesity and food insecurity, but participation has dropped among eligible populations from 2009 to 2015.
Impact of a Neuroscience-Based Health Education Course on High School Students’ Health Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors.
October 1, 2018
The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the potential of an innovative high school neuroscience-based health course for implementation feasibility and impact on student outcomes.
Predicting Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration From Late Adolescence to Young Adulthood
August 23, 2018
Saint-Eloi Cadely et al. found longitudinal patterns for the perpetration of both psychological and physical intimate partner violence (IPV), including actively and minimally aggressive patterns.
Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress Report 3: A Comprehensive Review of SelfRegulation Interventions from Birth Through Young Adulthood
February 1, 2016
This is the third in a series of four inter-related reports titled Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress.
Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress Report 2: A Review of Ecological, Biological, and Developmental Studies of Self-Regulation and Stress
February 1, 2015
This report builds on the previous report in this series, Foundations for Understanding Self-Regulation from an Applied Developmental Perspective, which describes a theoretical framework that is utilized in the present review of empirical ecological, biological, and developmental studies.
Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress Report 1: Foundations for Understanding Self-Regulation from an Applied Perspective
January 1, 2015
This is the first in a series of four inter-related reports titled Self-Regulation and Toxic Stress, with subtitles specifying the focus of each report.
Substance Use and Abuse in Durham County 2014
February 3, 2014
According to the North Carolina (N.C.) Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services, approximately 18,000 adults and 1,000 children in Durham County abused or were addicted to illegal drugs, prescription medications, or alcohol in 2012(1). Substance abuse not only impacts the individual and his/her family, but also the community.
Mental Health Outreach Program (MHOP) Evaluation Report
January 1, 2012
This report summarizes preliminary findings associated with the MHOP program that began in Durham County in January of 2011.
Substance Use and Abuse in Durham County 2006
January 1, 2006
The impact of substance use and addiction surrounds us and affects every aspect of our Durham community.