The Family Study Center at USF St. Petersburg, directed by Dr. James McHale, is the home of both basic and applied research studies concerned with understanding, support, and advocating for families with young children. In 2006, the Center administers several different studies supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Development totaling over a million dollars. Each of the currently active NICHD studies is examining the relationship adults share as coparents to infants and young children, and the impact of coparental functioning on the social and emotional adjustment of children from 3 months to six years of age. To learn more about the centrality of coparenting solidarity as a support for young children’s early adjustment, click here.
A unique aspect of the Center is the opportunities it provides for undergraduate students to participate meaningfully in both cutting edge research studies and in volunteerism serving Pinellas County toddlers and preschoolers. In 2005 and 2006, seventeen different USFSP undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students contributed to regional, national, and international conference papers, most as first or second authors. Students also collaborated with Dr. McHale, who serves as co-Chair of the Pinellas County Early Childhood Mental Health Committee, in supporting the work of the Florida Association for Infant Mental Health’s 2005 and 2006 statewide conferences, and a new 2006 initiative of the Pinellas County Early Learning Coalition in offering comprehensive health and social-emotional screenings for area preschoolers.
For more information on new initiatives and recent research findings from the Center, visit any of the links below, or call 727-873-4848.
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College of Arts and Sciences | Family Study Center 