Family & Child development Lab
The Family & Child Development studies family, peer, and romantic relationships and their impact on child development, including emotional and behavioral health problems. Specific topics of interest include but are not limited to sleep, stress responses, personality, emotion regulation, problem drinking, and substance use. Our team is led by Dr. Peggy Keller and is comprised of graduate and undergraduate student researchers at the University of Kentucky. Ultimately, the lab seeks to understand the underlying mechanisms that contribute to child development and familial factors that can mitigate or exacerbate risk for developmental problems.
Couple Who Raised Me
A study exploring the long-term effects of exposure to marital conflict in childhood among college students. Specifically, exploring how exposure to marital conflict serves as a risk factor for adjustment problems in emerging adulthood (i.e., emotional insecurity, emotion dysregulation, and emotion recognition).
Extended Couple Who Raise Me
An in-person addition to the The Couple Who Raised Me Survey aimed to explore the impact of marital conflict on the sibling relationship.
Navigating College Using Substitute Objects
Explores attachment behavior in college students through reports of relationships, use of objects as a substitute for attachment figures, and mental health and well-being.
IPV and Parental Substance Use in American Samoa
This project examines childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) by identifying its forms, frequency, and consequences, as well as assessing children’s involvement and reactions. It also evaluates the links between parental alcohol and drug use and IPV, and examines how police and other authorities respond to these situations, with particular attention to the quality and effectiveness of the support provided. This research will recruit from American Samoa and will serve to better understand understudied U.S. populations.
