Dr. Melissa Lippold, coordinator
Researchers in Parenting and Family Processes study the central role of families in promoting positive adjustment in children and their parents. Current research examines multiple aspects of the family (e.g., parent-child interactions, stress and coping in families, shifts in family structure and related processes, connections to military institutions) in promoting a variety of outcomes (i.e., improved physical and psychological well-being; preventing substance use, depression, and maltreatment). Researchers in this area are also engaged in applied research, such as the design, implementation, and evaluation of family-based programs or initiatives to improve family relationships and promote family well-being.
With a social justice lens, researchers identify and harness the strengths of culturally, racially, and economically diverse families; families with varying structures and compositions; and families raising children who have disabilities and children who are neuro-unique. Faculty collaborate frequently with colleagues across UNC-Chapel Hill in psychology, public health, allied health, medicine, the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, and the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, among others. This research core is launched in partnership with the Jordan Institute for Families and the Family Support Program.
Team members include Melissa Lippold, Betsy Bledsoe, Tamara Norris, Blaise Morrison, Todd Jensen, Paul Lanier, Sarah Verbiest, and Katherine Bryant.
