Study Participation

Project FLIGHT

Families Learning Interacting Growing Healthy Together

 

Project FLIGHT is a multi-method study focused on identifying how conflict between parents spills over to influence interactions within the parent-child relationship. The project will follow 250 families with a three year old child over the course of a three year period, in hopes of better understanding the impact of interparental conflict on parenting styles. Using self-reports, interparental problem-solving tasks, parent-child interaction tasks, and neurobiological assessments, Project FLIGHT plans to:

  • Examine whether parent’s neurobiological responses to stress during arguments impact parent-child interactions.
  • Identify how positive aspects of the interparental relationship may serve as an explanation for spillover to the parent-child relationship.
  • Explore how parents handle conflict among themselves, and how they interact with their child as a result potential spillover.

The primary goal of our research is to determine how and why interparental conflict affects parenting skills, thus ultimately impacting the parent-child system. Understanding why this happens may lead to new interventions for helping families who experience these problems.

For more information regarding this study, please contact Brianna DiLuigi at 585-275-2991 ext. 302.

Project THRIVE

Teamwork & Happiness In Relationships & Its Intergenerational Value & Effectiveness

 

Project THRIVE is a multi-method study that will test a new integrative process model of constructive interparental conflict (IPC) and its implications for children’s mental health. The project will follow 250 4-year-old children and their parents over three years.

The purpose of the project is to see whether prospective associations between constructive IPC and children’s psychological adjustment are influenced by their:

  • Preferences in attention to different negative and positive emotional displays;
  • Increases in social-cognitive understanding as identified through emotion knowledge and social problem-solving abilities; and
  • Greater emotion regulation

The goal of this research is to understand which children may benefit the most in this supportive environment and why.

For more information regarding this study, please contact Lovia Feliscar at 585-275-2991 ext. 195.

Project TIK

Tuning In To Kids

 

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) often have problems regulating their emotions and behavior. The goal of this study is to learn how parents and caregivers can help!

This study is testing a program for parents and caregivers called Tuning in to Kids (TIK). TIK is an eight-week group intervention for parents and caregivers. It teaches families effective ways to respond to their children’s emotions, using what is called an “emotion coaching” approach. The goal of this approach is to improve children’s emotion regulation skills and reduce behavior problems.

All eligible families who enroll in this study will receive the TIK program. Some receive it right away and others after a delay. There are 3 research visits that take place over a 6-month period.

Families can participate in this study if:

  • They have a child between the ages of 4 and 12 who has been diagnosed with an FASD
  • The primary caregiver is an adoptive or foster parent, legal guardian, or relative of the child

To learn more about this study, contact our research team at 585-275-2991 at ext. 219 or 220. You can also reach us at tik@urmc.rochester.edu

Project FMF-Connect

Families Moving Forward – Connect

 

Most families raising children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) have difficulty finding appropriate services. A major reason for this is that there are not enough providers who are knowledgeable about FASD. Another challenge is that the few services available tend to be only in large urban areas. This is very stressful for families.

The goal of the FMF Connect project is to increase access to FASD-informed care. We are approaching this problem by developing a new mobile health (mHealth) intervention for caregivers raising children with FASD. Through an app on their smartphones, caregivers will be able to access information and tools that can help them learn new skills to manage their children’s behavior. They will also be able to connect with other caregivers for support and to share ideas. The app, called “FMF Connect,” is based on the scientifically validated Families Moving Forward (FMF) Program.

This project is enrolling parents and caregivers from all over the United States to test the FMF Connect app.

If you are interested in learning more, contact Jenn Parr at 585-275-2991 ext. 190 or Jennifer_parr@urmc.rochester.edu.

FASD Research Registry

Are you interested in participating in future research studies on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)?

Our research interests include:

  • Testing new treatments for children and adults with FASD
  • What supports and services are most helpful for families
  • How prenatal alcohol exposure affects learning and behavior
  • And more!!

By joining our secure research registry, we can contact you when we have new studies available. You can then decide if you or your family want to participate in that study.

Click here for to join our FASD Research Registry!

For more information, call us at: 585-275-2991 ext. 190

Project PROMISE

Promoting Successful Parenting

 

Project PROMISE is a Community Partnered Participatory Research project with a clinical intervention that will follow pregnant moms and their infants until their child’s 1st birthday. PROMISE partners with Baby Love, a community health program at Strong Memorial Hospital that works with pregnant women and their babies in under-served populations to address barriers to care and social determinates of health. All PROMISE families participate in Baby Love, and some receive Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) through PROMISE. CPP is an evidence-based preventative therapy that is shown to improve parent-child relationships, prevent child maltreatment, and result in more sensitive parenting and healthier child development.

Project PROMISE will look at two essential research questions:

  • Whether the effects of CPP differ when performed prenatally vs. postnatally
  • Whether CPP is comparably effective in a shortened time frame of 6 months vs. the standard 12 months

Project PROMISE will use self-report measures, research interviews, observational paradigms, biological measures of stress, and birth outcomes to better understand who can benefit from CPP, when CPP is most effective, and, if under resource constraints, if a shorter therapeutic window can be helpful.

For more information regarding this study, please contact Project PROMISE at 585-275-2991 ext. 233 or at PROMISE@URMC.Rochester.edu.

Adult Health Study

The consequences of child maltreatment on allostatic load, epigenetics, physical health, and mental health in adulthood: A follow up study

 

This study is recruiting adults who previously participated in the Mt. Hope Family Center summer camp program when they were children.  800 for camp attendees have been selected for follow-up participation now in adulthood (ages 25-45).  Because this is a follow-up study, new participants are not being recruited.

For more information regarding this study, please contact the Adult Health Study team at 585-275-2991 ext. 287 or at Adult_Health@urmc.rochester.edu.

TGNC Teen Study

Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Teen Study:  Examining Suicide Risk Among Transgender Youth

 

The TGNC Teen Study is an American Psychological Foundation-funded project on gender identity and suicide risk in youth. This research project aims to improve our understanding of how gender identity and parent-child relationships influence suicidal thoughts and behaviors in transgender and gender-diverse teens.

Who is eligible?

Adolescents 12-17 years old living in New York State who identify as transgender, gender-diverse, gender nonconforming, or any other gender minority and who experienced a suicidal crisis within the past year.

What does the study include?

  • Teens and a parent complete a 2-hour assessment over a secure videoconference (i.e., Zoom) to assess history of psychological difficulties and treatment.
  • Teens complete short daily surveys on their phone for the next 2 weeks. Daily surveys include questions about gender identity, daily events, and self-injurious and suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Teens and parents will be compensated in gift cards for each part of the study completed. Teens have a chance to earn up to $125 and parents may earn up to $75.

Interested in learning more? Contact our research team at (585) 210-9885 and refer to the “TGNC teen study” or email our team at TGNC_Teen_Study@URMC.rochester.edu