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Janice Adelman
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Stacy Hawkins:
Same-Sex Parenting, Paid Family Leave, & Children's Attitudes Towards Exercise
Although there has been some research on the children of same-sex couples, there has been very little work done examining relationships between parents and children, and especially the quality of these relationships. Ph.D. student Stacy Hawkins will be looking at parent to parent and parent to adolescent relationships in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual families, and comparing these relationships, for her dissertation research. In order to examine these relationships, Stacy will look at the positive emotions and conflict between parents and their adolescent children, and will also gauge the parents’ perceptions of satisfaction with their partners. She will also be looking to see if there are connections between the quality of these relationships and deviant adolescent behavior, like talking back or getting in trouble at school. Stacy says that relationships between parents and adolescents are of particular interest to her because of the distancing and decline of relationship that often occurs between adolescents and their parents.
It is no surprise that there are several major potential implications of this work, including guiding policy issues and decreasing the stigma that is often associated with same-sex parenting. “There is so little research on gay and lesbian families, and it’s such an important social issue. In order to inform policy decisions, there needs to be research evidence. Making this kind of research public can also help decrease the stigmatization of being in this kind of non-traditional family.” There are even clinical applications to this study. “If we find particular elements of relationships that are related to adolescent behavioral problems we can advise clinicians in the field.”
Stacy is also working at the Berger Institute at Claremont McKenna College to conduct research on the California Paid Family Leave Act. This legislation, which only exists in the state of California, provides six weeks of paid leave for new mothers, fathers, and primary caregivers. While many other states allow new parents to take leave, they unfortunately do not offer any pay. “A lot of people can’t afford to just take that amount of time off without pay. We want to know if this program helpful for parents, and what the effects of the program are for new parents.”
Stacy and her colleagues are in the preliminary stages of analyzing data. Aside from looking at who is eligible for the program and who is using it, they also want to see if the program helps alleviate postpartum depression and improve parental-infant bonding. Further, they intend to look at the influences of work environment on postpartum depression, like having a supportive supervisor or flexible hours. “Ideally we would want to use these results to influence policy. In California the results could be useful to see what is working and what needs improvement, and for other states the results could be useful for driving decisions about creating similar policies.”
Stacy is also collaborating with two fellow SBOSers, Sarah Ting and Cathy Nylin, on some research that originated in their survey research class. They surveyed a small sample of 6-8th graders on their eating and exercising behaviors. By looking at adolescent attitudes towards different types of exercise, they sought to better understand adolescents’ views on healthy behaviors. For example, adolescents tend to view anaerobic exercise (high intensity, short lasting exercises like sprinting or heavy weight-lifting) much differently and more negatively than aerobic exercise. “These views and attitudes about exercise could be applicable to health interventions and are relevant to addressing the obesity epidemic.”
Along with conducting applied research that could potentially change the face of policy in a number of areas, Stacy is also dedicated to helping her fellow students get the most out of their graduate careers. Three years ago, Stacy and fellow student Danielle Blaylock had the idea that it would be beneficial for students to have a forum where students and faculty could get together to learn about what other students were doing, and discuss current social psychological research. This idea turned into the Social Socials (designed for Social Psychology students, but welcoming to all), a bi-weekly program that continues strong today. It has now grown to include local and international speakers and information sessions on topics from post-doctoral positions to secondary data sources. The series continues to provide a venue for students to discuss their interests and give and receive feedback. Last year, the Social Socials hosted the first annual Social Psychology Thesis Fair, an event that will be repeating this spring. Students who had recently completed their theses were given the opportunity to present their research to their peers. “It’s a great opportunity for students to practice their presentation skills, and to talk about this work that was such a big part of their lives.” The Social Social events continue to grow, as students and faculty from other concentrations, as well as undergrads from the 5-C community begin to attend. Stacy and Danielle hope that these events will continue to be an important part of student life at SBOS. Follow the link to see this semester’s schedule of events.
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Ia Ko
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