'A New Look' at research on the family
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PROVO, Utah — Unaware of many positive trends, the American public is concerned, skeptical and sometimes quite negative about the state of children and families, said one of the nation's leading family researchers Thursday, Feb. 8.
"Not to say that everything is perfect, I nevertheless suggest that we need to have a vision of not just what we want to squelch, but a vision of what we want for children," said Kristin Anderson Moore, president and senior scholar of Child Trends, a nonprofit research organization. "And we need a more accurate picture of the many children and adolescents who are flourishing, not just those that are in trouble."
Speaking at the third annual Marjorie Pay Hinckley Endowed Chair Lecture at BYU, Dr. Moore addressed the topic "Child and Family Well-Being: A New Look."
Named for President Gordon B. Hinckley's late wife, the Marjorie Pay Hinckley Endowed Chair in Social Work and the Social Sciences was established in 2004 to honor Sister Hinckley's service and contributions to the field. The chair seeks to focus on the family through research and education, expand learning through lecture and mentored learning, increase community involvement and provide service to the university.
Hundreds of students and family scholars — as well as family members of Sister Hinckley — gathered for the lecture. At a dinner before the lecture, Virginia H. Pearce, President and Sister Hinckley's daughter, thanked those at the event for making the endowment possible. She said her family is appreciative for the way the chair honors their mother's name and for the good things that are happening because of it.
"Mother would be delighted with much of the research," she said. Sister Hinckley always wanted "to help find ways to make lives better for families," she added.
At the beginning of her lecture, Dr. Moore noted that she had watched a video about Sister Hinckley.
"Her warmth and positive approach to life come across very clearly, so I think that she might enjoy this conversation, because I want to explore taking a new and more positive look at child and family well-being. A look that is optimistic yet practical and grounded in reality."
Dr. Moore is a social psychologist and a leading researcher of children and families. Her fields of study include sexual behavior, teen childbearing, non-voluntary sex and statutory rape, family structure and fertility. She also established the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and started the Research-to-Results program at Child Trends, which focuses on the implementation and improvement of effective curriculums within the company.
She said that despite widespread negative stereotypes about children and families, the reality is that major improvements in well-being have occurred over the decades. For example, she said, infant mortality rates have dropped and average life expectancies increased. Levels of education have risen substantially, as has average household income. Together, all illustrate the "gains made in the social and economic well-being of the country," she said.
Yet the public consistently overestimates problems.
For example, a survey found that the vast majority of the public feels that more than 30 percent of American children have no health insurance. In reality, the answer is 10 percent, she said.
In addition, the public is unaware of positive trends, such as the decline in the birth rate by teens over the past 15 years, she said.
"It seems time for a new look," she said.
The problem may come about because government agencies are charged to address problems, there is a greater agreement in the nation on what is bad or harmful and, finally, the media and the public focus on the negative.
"I do want to acknowledge that bad outcomes do matter," said Dr. Moore. "In fact, they matter a lot."
"Indeed there is some evidence that bad is stronger than good. For example, conflict and violence and abuse are extremely negative experiences for children, and for adults as well. Some research suggests that you need three to five times as many positive experiences as negative experiences."
Dr. Moore said she is not suggesting the nation replace work on bad outcomes with a "Pollyannaish focus" on positive outcomes, but rather that the focus be on both.
"It is critical to note that good outcomes matter too," she said.
There is evolving research that indicates that positive relationships and involvement in positive activities lead to better health and educational outcomes for children, she said.
E-mail to: sarah@desnews.com
