College of Education and Human Development

Family Social Science

Research Projects and Labs

About our research

Family social science faculty are renowned researchers who use the knowledge and methods of the social sciences to conduct research and outreach in partnership with families, communities, and organizations to address psychological, cultural, social, and economic issues affecting families locally, nationally, and globally.

Faculty mentor undergraduate and graduate students and collaborate with them to examine families and their interactions with – and within – diverse environments and systems. 

Research areas

  • Child adjustment in family context
  • Families and culture
  • Families and financial decisions
  • Family formation and intergenerational studies
  • Families, loss, and trauma
  • Intimate family relationships

Center for Personalized Prevention Research

Faculty: Gerald August

CPPR advances children’s mental health with personalized approaches to healthcare that inform the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of preventive interventions for children and youth at risk for mental health disorders.

Topics:

  • Prevention science
  • Child and adolescent mental health
  • Conduct disorder prevention
  • Drug abuse prevention
  • Digital mental health including mobile technologies

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East Metro American Indian Diabetes Initiative

Faculty: Tai Mendenhall

This community-based participatory research project is designed to better understand and reduce health disparities.

Topics:

  • Community-based participatory research
  • Citizen health care
  • Families and chronic illness
  • Trauma and fieldwork
  • Medical family therapy

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Learning from Experts: Having a Dialogue with Financial Counselors/Coaches of Color about their Best Practices

Faculty: Virginia Zuiker

This research agenda is designed to understand the needs of professionals of color who work in financial wellness programs with clients of color to achieve goals of financial stability and sustainable homeownership.

Topics:

  • Family Financial Counseling
  • Financial Delivery Methods
  • Financial Professionals of Color
  • First-time Homebuyers

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