Life Course Intervention Research NetworkLife Course Intervention Research NetworkThe concept of family is more than the aggregate of each member. Families have their own developmental trajectory. To date, the construct of family has been conceptualized as qualities of a family, typically conceptualized cross-sectionally rather than longitudinally. We propose a new construct that examines and measures family ages and stages.
To use user-centered design to develop and pilot test a new measurement construct to understand the dynamic nature of families, how they develop over time, and how that might influence prevention or intervention.
Products
Compendium of family functioning measures : 40 validated family functioning tools that measure different aspects of how families function, including organizational processes, belief systems, and communication.
Publications
Ramaswami SB, Jensen T, Berghaus M, De-Oliveira S, Russ SA, Weiss-Laxer N, Verbiest S, Barkin S. Family Health Development in Life Course Research: a Scoping Review of Family Functioning Measures. Pediatrics (Suppl). May 2022; 149: S410-24
1. Ground truthing our family ages and stages concept model with a diverse group of families
2. Development of a suite of measurement tools (for research, clinical, policy use)
3. Pilot testing data on usability
Shari Barkin (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Ali Crandall (Brigham Young University)
Clarissa Hoover (Family Voices)
Todd Jensen (UNC)
Karen Kuhlthau (Harvard/Boston University)
Elizabeth Ozer (UCSF)
Sash Ramaswami (UCLA)
Edward Schor (Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health)
Vivian Tamkin (Santa Clara University)
Sarah Verbiest (UNC)
Nomi Weiss-Laxer (Buffalo)
If you are interested in joining, please contact jensen@unc.edu.