Publication by HDFS include graduate contribution

Various representatives from the Department of Human Development and Family Science had articles published in August in journals, each of which included collaboration with a graduate student.

Dr. Eboni Baugh led a paper about parental coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, published in Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science. The title is “Lessons learned during the pandemic: Parental coping and the positive effects of COVID-19.”

Also serving as authors were Dr. Carrie Bergeson in HDFS, and graduate research assistant Chrishay Pearce.

Dr. Jacquelyn Mallette, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, authored “Foster Caregiver Experiences: Implications for Retention and Satisfaction.” It published in the Journal of Family Issues. Mallette co-authored it with a former graduate student in the department, Cherish Elmore-Li.

Results and analyses from their study suggested that foster caregivers fell into two profiles — those who experienced a large amount of challenges, or those who experience few challenges during their time as foster caregivers. The study concludes that it provides important insights into how foster caregivers’ demographic, parenting and agency characteristics are related to the outcomes of retention, satisfaction and overall fostering experience.

The other article addressed the following three questions:

• What impact does parental stress, difficulties with COVID-19, and family functioning have on overall parental experience?
• What did parents identify as coping strategies during COVID-19?
• What were the positive effects, if any, of COVID-19 for parents and families?

The conclusion from the study suggests parents were able to develop coping strategies and find positives even during the early stages of the pandemic.