Interdisciplinary Perspectives On Family Processes
PRI researchers are blazing five innovative paths in family research: (1) Individual Development, which seeks to integrate the fields of development and demography to examine how family change affects children, youth, and adults; (2) Family Solidarity, which advances knowledge of the individual, social, and economic factors that account for family relationship instability and its aftermath; (3) Racial and Ethnic Differences in Family Processes and Their Outcomes; (4) Biodemography and the Family, which extends research at the interface between hormones and family relationships to topics ranging from marriage and parenthood to child development; and (5) Fertility and Family Change in Developing Countries, which features PRI's emerging portfolio in developing countries.
Individual Development: How does family change affect development across the life course?
Over the last half century, U.S family structure has diversified due to changes in family processes. Several recent trends (e.g., the rise in divorce, single parenting, and non-marital childbearing) have negative consequences for development, behavior, and the availability of family support, while others (e.g., the decline in adolescent childbearing) are positive or neutral. PRI researchers are charting new territory by integrating developmental and demographic perspectives to address three topics: the causes of changes in family structure; the processes by which changes in the family influence well-being in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood; and the impact of development in early life on later economic well-being, psychological adjustment, and intimate relationship quality.
Researchers working in this area include:
- David Almeida
- Paul Amato
- Clancy Blair
- Alan Booth
- Chalandra Bryant
- Ann C. Crouter
- Francis Dodoo
- David Eggebeen
- Rukmalie Jayakody
- Nancy Landale
- Stephen Matthews
- Robert Schoen
Family Solidarity: What factors influence family solidarity? What are the consequences of a decline in family solidarity for adults and their offspring?
Family solidarity refers to the propensity for romantic and parent-child relationships to be created, remain intact, or dissolve. Demographic trends including the rise in divorce, cohabitation and single motherhood, and the entry of women into the labor force have brought unprecedented challenges into family relationships. PRI researchers are studying the causes and consequences of family solidarity during this period of family change.
Researchers working in this area include:
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Family Processes and Their Outcomes: How do race/ethnicity and socioeconomic resources jointly influence family patterns and processes?
Race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status are closely related to each other and to family structure and process. Efforts to understand racial/ethnic differences in cohabitation, marriage, childbearing, and family stability typically focus on the structural positions of men and women in different racial/ethnic groups. However, when socioeconomic differences are controlled, racial/ethnic differences in family patterns generally remain, although they are somewhat attenuated. The same can be said of the relationship between socioeconomic status and family outcomes when race/ethnicity is controlled. In order to advance our understanding of these interrelated phenomena, researchers need to move beyond simple main effects models to consider complex interactions and intervening processes. Racial and ethnic subgroups may exhibit varied responses to similar circumstances because of long-standing group differences in the organization of family life.
Researchers working in this area include:
Biodemography and the Family: The role of behavioral endocrinology. How do hormones inform our knowledge of family events and relationships?
The interface between hormones and social behavior is a rapidly growing research area. During the past two decades, improvements in the measurement of hormones in saliva have led to opportunities to test biosocial models in natural settings involving repeated sampling and special populations. Conceptual shifts since 1980 have placed new emphasis on the contributions of both nature and nurture to understanding social processes and individual and family development. The link between hormones and behavior is no longer regarded as a simple cause-and-effect mechanism. Today, researchers emphasize bi-directional relationships between hormones and behavior that operate in the context of social perception, previous experience, and the propensity for specific behavior, as well as the demands of the social context. The focus of PRI's research program is the creation of detailed mid-level models that will enable us to test and refine hypotheses about the integration of hormones and behavior under specific social influences.
Researchers working in this area include:
Fertility and Family Change in Developing Countries: How are social and economic changes linked to fertility and family change?
PRI researchers have made significant contributions to research on the profound changes that have occurred in familial behavior in Asia, Africa, and Latin America over the past four decades.
Researchers working in this area include:
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