This spring, a team of researchers comprised of BYU professors and students are beginning to study how daily family processes have an impact on children's school performance, relationships and health.

The research will study day-to-day family processes between the child and both parents, assistant professor Laura Walker said. Previous research tended to focus more on dyadic [two-person] relationships.

"We hope to be able to demonstrate that family processes, like marital interaction, routines and rituals and parent-child interaction, have a significant effect on important outcomes," said professor Rick Miller.

The research will follow participating families for six or seven years. Project director Randy Day said there is little existing longitudinal research on inner family life.

Families with a child 10 to 13 years old are recruited for the research and interviewed in Seattle. The interview process involves a videotaping session in which parent-child interactions are observed, and a paper and pencil questionnaire for each individual involved.

Observers will code behaviors they see on the tapes, said field director Alisa Van Langeveld. Some behaviors the coders will be looking for are exchanges of affection or aggressive behaviors.

After the initial data gathering, researchers will stay in contact with the families. During that time, the team will gather information from the family on children's academic performance, family relationships, health and perhaps delinquent behaviors like alcohol and tobacco use, said assistant professor Jeremy Yorgason.

Day said the team's primary interest is with flourishing children, who tend to have an attitude of hope, the ability to solve problems and good decision-making skills.

So far, participating undergraduate researchers have recruited and interviewed about 40 families, Van Langeveld said. Researchers hope to interview about 300 families by July.

Findings will be made available in the future on the project's Web site, flourishingfamilies.org, a site designed for potential participants.

Copyright Brigham Young University 3 May 2007