Providing Summaries of Research Findings Relevant to Improving the Lives of Idaho Families

A guiding theme of the Family Studies Initiative is that there is value in using research-based approaches to seeking solutions or developing recommendations for supporting families, for improving family lives. In addition to using a data-based approach to monitoring the well-being of Idaho families, the Family Studies Initiative serves to promote the use of research findings to guide the development of programs and policies designed to improve the lives of Idaho families. Toward that end, the meetings and activities of the Advisory Board of the Family Studies Initiative are designed to bring together researchers (Boise State faculty) with community leaders dedicated to promoting healthy families.

While simultaneously working toward promoting civic engagement of Boise State University students, the Family Studies Initiative oversees programs and activities designed to encourage faculty and students to "give their disciplines away" in the public interest. Emphasis on the importance of sharing research findings with the public is not new to most disciplines. For example, back in 1969, George Miller stressed the importance of "giving psychology away in the public interest" in his Presidential Address to the American Psychological Association. The following was written by Raymond Fowler in 1999 when he was Chief Executive Officer for the American Psychological Association (APA):

The Family Studies Initiative seeks to generalize this concept to numerous disciplines with research findings with potential significance for diverse individuals and groups (e.g., parents, community agencies, legislators) interested in the well-being of families. Specific Initiative activities in this area include a program for soliciting student contributions (thus also promoting civic engagement), promoting the use of speakers who can address the community about the relevance of diverse family research areas, and maintaining access to other summaries of research findings relevant to the public interest.

Promoting Civic Engagement - Student Contributions:

Through a program initiated by the Family Studies Initiative, students in select classes are asked to write short (one-page) summaries of important research findings that include clear examples of how those findings could be used in the public interest (for example, in helping parents, in developing family-support programs, in developing legislative policy). The student authors of the best papers will be invited to contribute their work to this web site.

Six research summaries recently submitted for this program are listed below by student author and title (of the research articles being summarized):

Carrie Carmody (Department of Psychology)

Human capital, physical health, and mental health of welfare recipients: Co-occurrence and correlates (PDF)      

Taryn Nenow (Department of Psychology)

Prediction of violence perpetration among high-risk youth (PDF) 

Keri Smith (Department of Psychology)

The "family" context of HIV: A need for comprehensive health and social policies  (PDF)

Jessica Winn (Department of Social Work):

Speakers for Areas Relevant to Family Studies:

The Boise State Speakers Bureau maintains a listing of speakers from BSU who are available for free presentations in the community. The following is a listing of some of the speakers in areas relevant to family studies:

DR. LINDA J. ANOOSHIAN, Professor, Psychology
Phone 426-1960 or lanoosh@boisestate.edu
Effects of Poverty on Children
The Invisible Homeless: Children Without Homes

DR. CYNTHIA CLARK, Professor, Nursing
Phone 426-3589 or cclark@boisestate.edu
Adolescent Health and Mental Health Issues--Substance Abuse,
Violence, Teen Suicide and Family Systems

PAM GEHRKE, Associate Professor, Nursing
Phone 426-1651 or pgehrke@boisestate.edu
Childhood Immunizations

DR. CRAIG HEMMENS, Associate Professor and Department Chair, Criminal Justice
Phone 426-3251 or chemmens@boisestate.edu
Juvenile Justice

DR. JUANITA HEPLER, Professor, Social Work
Phone 426-3146 or jhepler@boisestate.edu
Social Development of Children
Social Skills Programs in School Settings
Social Skills Programs for Learning Disabled and Emotionally Disturbed Children
Divorce and Parent/Child Adjustment

DR. LYNN LUBAMERSKY, Assistant Professor, History
Phone 426-3358 or llubame@boisestate.edu
Women's History
Family History

DR. SARA LARIVIERE, Associate Professor, Health Sciences
Phone 426-3970 or slarivi@boisestate.edu
Alcohol and the Family

DAVID MUELLER, Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice
Phone 426-2645 or dmueller@boisestate.edu
Juvenile Delinquency/Juvenile Justice
School Crime and Violence

DR. STEVEN PATRICK, Associate Professor
Phone 426-3225 or spatric@boisestate.edu
Juvenile Crime

MARY PRITCHARD, Psychology
Child, Adolescent and Family Health Issues

DR. PETER WOLLHEIM, Associate Professor, Communication
Phone 426-3532 or pwollhe@boisestate.edu
Suicide Prevention
Family Money, Disinheritance

Other Summaries:

Overall, the Family Studies Initiative maintains a commitment to reinforcing the value of research-based approaches to designing programs for families, legislating policies influencing families, formulating parent practices, and in a variety of domains relevant to improving the lives of families. In this section, the emphasis is on the value of research-based approaches to seeking solutions to family problems and/or developing recommendations for improvement.

Dr. Robin Allen’s (Department of Social Work) research represents a good example of research efforts that can improve the lives of Idaho families.  For example, together with a colleague, she published a theoretical article in the Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work that emerged from preparation for leading a roundtable discussion at the National Child Welfare Challenge: Creating Partnerships to Strengthen Families and Children.  A summary of the session was published in the conference proceedings.  The resulting article used Field theory to analyze the movement of children welfare services into a managed care model and examined the role of social workers during this shift away from traditional delivery models.

Dr. Allen’s continuing work in the area of domestic violence has been presented twice at the highly competitive Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education and published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work.  This project includes both theoretical and empirical components.  She identified a discrepancy in social work practice models related to interventions with victims of domestic violence who are from non-majority populations/cultures.  Specifically, culturally sensitive practice and empowerment practice were providing conflicting information.  Dr. Allen and her co-author presented suggestions for developing a model of practice that is both culturally sensitive and empowering.  A follow-up qualitative study was conducted, funded by a College Of Social Sciences And Public Affairs faculty research award, that further explored the above mentioned conflict from the perspective of providers in domestic violence shelters that served predominantly South Indian women. 

Good examples of summaries of research findings relevant to improving the lives of families can also be found in writings of Harriet Shaklee, Ph.D., a member of the Family Studies Initiative Advisory Board:
  • Harriet Shaklee, Extension Family Development Specialist, University of Idaho Boise Initiative, 364-4016, hshaklee@uidaho.edu

Other examples of publications from organizations dedicated to research-based approaches to developing recommendations for programs and/or policies for families can be found in Dr. Shaklee's listing of other web sites for "Parents and Kids."

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