Session: Unpacking the Family Context; Three Studies with Unique Samples across Development That Examine Family Factors and Their Link to Outcomes of Public Health Concern (Society for Prevention Research 26th Annual Meeting)

This symposium brings together a group of researchers from three distinct institutions who are examining the role of the family for a diverse set of outcomes of public health concern. Each presentation will examine the role of the family context in a unique population; a young clinical sample, a middle school dating sample, and a high risk community sample. The symposium is in line with the specific theme of “Targeting research to more efficiently and effectively serve individuals, communities and geographies” for this years conference.

The first paper, “Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Functioning in Young Children,” examines the family context in a clinical sample of children ages 2 to 11. Specifically, the authors establish a relation between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and internalizing and externalizing symptoms, as well as physical health. This paper highlights the importance of examining the intermediate outcomes of ACEs for children that lead to the adult outcomes predominantly addressed in the literature.

The second paper, “The Family Context and Adolescent Dating Violence: A Latent Class Analysis of Family Risk and Protective Processes” examines protective and risk family process in a middle school dating sample. The paper identifies classes of individuals with average and high levels of family relationships as having lower levels of dating violence and victimization. The findings suggest that family-focused programs are critical for adolescent dating violence prevention.

The third paper, “Examining the Family Context as a Process of Positive Development for African American Youth in High Risk Neighborhoods” explores the promotive role of the family context in a community sample of youth ages 11 to 20. Relative to other contexts, this sample shows high levels of family assets and this is related to positive outcomes such as positive outlook and efficacy for nonviolence. The promotive role of the family context is critical to unpacking processes of positive development for youth in high risk neighborhoods.

After the three papers are presented, the discussant will review the unique contributions of each paper and considerations for practice. As a practitioner, the moderator can offer a unique perspective on how these findings can be applied in real world settings, bridging the research-to-practice gap. Additionally, the discussant will prompt a conversation among attendees around ways to leverage the protective role of the family context in research and practice with underrepresented populations.