Current Research Projects

Listed by Professor Faculty and students in FCHD are conducting research to contribute to the discovery of new knowledge that will ultimately benefit families, consumers, and individuals at all stages of life. This diverse research enterprise spans studying development in young children to understanding the causes of cognitive impairment in later life. Some current areas of research in the department include: prevention programs with at-risk youth; developmental outcomes for adopted youth; social competence in young children; retirement planning for women; parent-child attachment; child development and early childhood education cross culturally; school readiness and success; parent youth relationships; bankruptcy prevention; adolescent identity development; effective models of marriage and family therapy; marital and family relationships; cognition and mental health in the elderly; and consumer policy and housing issues.

Projects include:

Utah Marriage (Scot M. Allgood, Linda Skogrand, Brian Higginbotham)

Child Development. My research insterests focus on children's development in out-of-home care an on children's cognitive development in developing world countries. I have several funded grants addressing the following: professional development for child care providers; parenting stress and children's cognitive development in child care; parent and child care provider communication; development school readiness skills at home and in child care. (Ann M. Berghout Austin)

Cognitive Autonomy and Self-Evaluation in Adolescence. This line of research examines the developmental trajectories in cognitive autonomy of high school youth and young people in residential treatment centers. (Troy E. Beckert)

4-H Mentoring: Youth and Families with Promise Juvenile criminal activity continues to be a problem in Utah. Utah's Youth and Families with Promise (YFP) program addresses this issue through multiple interventions that target at-risk youth and their families. (Brian Higginbotham, Kevin Kessler, Craig Dart, Thomas R. Lee)

Relationship Quality and Stability in Rural Newlywed Remarriages. The purposes of this longitudinal study are to identify and evaluate the influences of spousal characteristics, family attributes, and couple interactive processes on the quality and stability of newlywed remarriages in rural Utah counties. The results of the study are informing educational programming and fill a gap in the existing research base. (Brian Higginbotham)

Teaching Healthy Marriage Skills to Ethnically Diverse, Low Income Couples in Stepfamilies. Stepfamilies are becoming an increasingly common family formation in Utah. There are, however, few educational programs that help couples prepare for remarriage and/or enhance their relationships in the context of stepfamily-living. This program encompasses the implementation and evaluation of remarriage/stepfamily enhancement classes throughout Northern Utah. (Brian Higginbotham, Scot M. Allgood, Linda Skogrand)

Utah Debtors: Who Files for Bankruptcy Protection and What Factors Identify Successful Chapter 13 Debtors? USU Community/University Research Initiative Grant. $11,244. (Jean M. Lown)

Guidebook to Help Late Savers Prepare for Retirement. National Endowment for Financial Education, $26,233. (Jean M. Lown)

Foundation for Financial Planning,"Financial Planning for Women: What motivates women to plan for their financial future?" Foundation for Financial Planning $18,000. (Jean M. Lown)

Financial Planning for Women: Women to Plan and Invest. Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards. Funded August 2006, $25,104. (Jean M. Lown)

A Profile of Utah Small Business Bankruptcies: A Rural - Urban Comparison. Utah Agricultural Experiment Station. 2006-2008, $9,746. (Karen Biers & Jean M. Lown)

Financial Planning for Women. Zions Bank Smart Woman Grant. Funded September 2005, $3,000. (Jean M. Lown)

Marriage and Family Therapy Core Competencies. Investigating the development of the AAMFT Core Competencies and their place in graduate and postgraduate training. (Thorana Nelson)

The Cache County Study on Memory, Health and Aging. This is a $20 million NIH-funded ongoing study (since 1995) on the genetic and environmental factors that predict cognitive decline and dementia in late life, including psychological, social, cognitive and biological dimensions, with additional emphases on late-life depression, longevity and quality of life. (Maria Norton)

PICCOLO (Parenting Interaction with Children: Checklist of Observations Linked to Outcomes). Development and use of an observational parenting measure that is reliable, valid, and easy to use for practitioners working with parents of infants and toddlers. Four domains, affection, responsiveness, encouragement, and teaching/talking, are linked to children's cognitive, language, and social development. (Lori Roggman)

G5 (Grade Five Follow-up of the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project Sample). Assessing families with a fifth grade child who had previously applied for the local Early Head Start program when the child was under the age of 1. Assessments include child academic and social competence, school and home environment quality, and parent well-being and perceptions. (Lori Roggman)

The Role of Spousal Support in Transcending a Traumatic Childhood: Analyzes responses of approximately 100 adults who survived and transcended a traumatic childhood. (Linda Skogrand)

The Role of Spirituality in Surviving and Transcending a Traumatic Childhood: Analyzes responses of approximately 100 adults who survived and transcended a traumatic childhood. (Linda Skogrand)

Strong Marriages in the Latino Culture: This ethnographic research will identify the components of strong marriages from the context of the Latino culture. (Linda Skogrand)