Human Development and Family Science

Dr. Anthony Ferraro and his research team conduct basic and applied research involving the intersection of process and context, exploring the roles of various family-level factors during periods of developmental and structural transition. Some current projects in this area include:

• Examining the impact of co-parenting dynamics across households for families that have recently experienced a divorce, nonmarital relationship dissolution, a change in custody arrangement, or change in child support within the past three years.
• Development and validation of multi-context/multi-dimensional assessment tools to measure co-parenting processes and relational sacrifice.
• Program evaluations of the Together We Can (TWC) and Successful Co-Parenting After Divorce (SCAD) programs; development of curriculum for the military adaptation of TWC and development of a childhood trauma module and related assessment tools for SCAD.
• Examining the impact of prior trauma (childhood trauma; combat-related trauma) on later life processes for veterans and active duty service members.

Research Faculty: Dr. Anthony Ferraro

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Ferraro at aferraro@k-state.edu.

Dr. Yelland and her team of students regularly develop, implement, and evaluate Extension and outreach curricula related to topics on health and wellness across the lifespan to promote optimal aging. Some current projects include:

• Opioid misuse prevention and education
• Equipping lay volunteers to implement policy, systems, and environmental changes in local Kansas communities
• Understanding the effects of a sensory aging experience on empathy, attitudes towards aging, and self-care behaviors
• Outreach and education on Alzheimer's disease, and research focusing specifically on the effects of probiotics on cognition

Research Faculty: Dr. Erin Yelland & Dr. Elaine Johannes

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Yelland at erinyelland@k-state.edu.

The HAART Lab is studying ways to promote healthy relationships in adolescence and beyond. We are specifically interested in:

• Examining healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors in adolescence and young adulthood
• Exploring the co-parenting relationships young parents have with their parents and partners
• Developing and implementing healthy relationship programs
• Empowering youth and young adults to reach their full potential

Research Faculty: Dr. Michelle Toews & Dr. Kristin Anders

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Toews at mltoews@k-state.edu or 785-532-1552, or connect with them on Twitter @HAARRT_Lab.

Our unit has been studying the religion of Islam since 2002. Our most recent research effort is a statistical analysis of changes in the qiblas of mosques in the Middle East during the first two hundred years of Islam after Muhammad. We have published a number of reports in Islamic scholarly journals. For example, one of our articles compared nearly 70 doctrines across Christianity and Islam and found that issues of paradox explained a great deal of the doctrinal differences between the two religions.

Research Faculty: Dr. Walter R. Schumm

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Schumm at schumm@k-state.edu.

Our unit has been studying LGBT research issues since 2004. The most recent book was published in 2018:
Same-sex Parenting Research: A critical assessment (London: Wilberforce Press).
Notably, several of the conclusions in that book have been further substantiated since 2018 by newer research. We are actively evaluating recent research on same-sex parenting and also aspects of transgender research.

Research Faculty: Dr. Walter R. Schumm & Dr. Duane W. Crawford

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Schumm at schumm@k-state.edu or Dr. Crawford at dcrawfor@k-state.edu.

Our unit has been studying military families and military readiness issues since 1985. Our most recent article (2019) is:
Military Family Research: Methodological lessons learned, often the hard way. Psychology and Behavioral Science, 10, 4, 1-10.
We have data on veterans' experiences after the First Persian Gulf War along with a number of other military data sets, some of which we think exist at no other locations. Among our discoveries were the adverse effects of combat deployments on military families, the role of pyridostigmine bromide tablets in causing Gulf War illnesses, and the role of premarital counseling in supporting military families, as well as the evaluation of a number of different measurement scales for readiness and family factors. We also have critiqued a number of (bad) examples of military research. We have data from Fort Leavenworth on family stress, family-work conflict, work-family conflict, deployment histories, and marital satisfaction which we have yet to analyze.

Research Faculty: Dr. Walter R. Schumm & Dr. Duane W. Crawford

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Schumm at schumm@k-state.edu or Dr. Crawford at dcrawfor@k-state.edu.

Dr. Mindy Markham conducts research on relationships following divorce or separation. Some current projects include:

• Young Adult Relationships with Grandparents and Siblings Study, quantitative study investigating emerging adults' relationships with their grandparents and siblings both among adults whose parents have divorced and those who have been consistently married
• Divorced Military Family Relationships and Communication Study, mixed methods investigating relationships and communication between parents and children as well as co-parents within divorced military families
• Nonresidential Parent-Adolescent Relationship Study, qualitative study investigating relationships and communication between nonresidential parents and adolescent children following parental divorce

Research Faculty: Dr. Mindy Markham

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Markham at mmarkham@k-state.edu.

Dr. Yelland and her team of students engage in research to better understand sexual expression and consent issues in older adults, particularly among those who have dementia and reside in a long-term care facility. This research has immense implications for both public and long-term care facility policy and practice. Currently, her team is working to advance understanding and provide policy implications for Sexual Advance Directives.

Research Faculty: Dr. Erin Yelland

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Yelland at erinyelland@k-state.edu.

The SHARE Team conducts research related to unique experiences that influence sexual development and health during late adolescence and young adulthood. Some of the current projects we are interested in focus on:

• Understanding emerging adults' experiences of sexual violence in a variety of committed romantic relationships and casual sex relationships
• Examining sexuality differences based on various developmental experiences such as between emerging adults who attend college versus those who do not
• Studying the relationship between sexual beliefs/values, consent, and casual sex behaviors
• Taking an applied approach by using our research to inform sexual education and violence programming

Research Faculty: Dr. Kristin Anders & Dr. Michelle Toews

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Anders at kanders8@k-state.edu.

The work of this research group focuses on issues specific to undergraduate education and pedagogy in Human Development & Family Science. Current work includes a study exploring barriers and opportunities related to undergraduate student involvement in faculty research.

Research Faculty: Dr. Kari Morgan, Dr. Mindy Markham, & Dr. Michelle Toews

For More Information: Please contact Dr. Morgan at kmmorgan@k-state.edu.