Goals and Objectives of the CHILD Studies Program
The overarching goal of Nicole Letourneau's CHILD Studies Program is to develop and test interventions to support the development of vulnerable infants, children and youth. Subjects of the study within the program include the impact of variables such as parent-child relationship quality, supportive relationships, family violence, and parental mental health on children’s health and development. The focus is on the relationship between the protective factors of quality parent-infant/child relationships and social support. The program seeks not only to improve health and developmental outcomes for at-risk children via support interventions, but also to understand how psychosocial interventions function to improve outcomes. This research will promote understanding of the relationship among social (caregiving) experiences, neural and endocrine systems, and children’s cognitive and social development.
The goal of the program will be achieved by three objectives:
- Determine factors and develop interventions that support vulnerable children’s relationships with their parents and child development;
- Examine the impact of these innovative parenting support interventions on children’s development and neuroendocrine function; and
- In partnership with community stakeholders, advance/disseminate knowledge about innovative parenting support interventions that promote vulnerable children’s development.