Overview of our Research Approach

Our research applies a Bioecological approach to understanding children’s well-being, including the examination of:

A Bioecological Model:

A holistic perspective on children’s well-being recognizes the inter-dependence of children’s physical health, physiological stress systems, social, emotional and cognitive competence, and academic readiness and success. Children’s development in these areas is shaped by the influences of their own characteristics, parents, family, teachers, schools, sports coaches, and neighborhoods, all within the context of socioeconomic, political, social and cultural forces.

Faculty in the Child and Family Well-Being Research Group are working toward understanding children’s development and well-being from a Bioecological perspective that takes a “whole child” approach, addressing individual, family, and contextual factors at multiple levels of influence. The interactions among these factors can influence whether children become vulnerable, developing adjustment problems in the response to their experiences, or resilient, emerging well-adjusted, socially and emotionally competent. Each developmental stage from infancy through adolescence brings with it new capabilities, as well as challenges, for children and families alike.

Our faculty and affiliates examine children’s cognitive, emotional, social and behavioral adjustment along the full spectrum, from typical development to perturbations in children’s experiences, from behavioral and emotional problems to well-being and social competence, and from infancy to adolescence and emerging adulthood.

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