My Research
I am involved in several research projects as part of my academic position with Alliant International University. My research includes the following topics:
Cost-effectiveness of marital therapy. Published in July 2007 in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, this study found that for every $1 government invested in the screening and treatment of marital distress, taxpayers would save up to $1.85 in costs associated with divorce (food stamps, child support enforcement, etc.) A good summary of the article can be found here. Another story on this study that includes portions of a radio interview can be found here (click on "Hear this report" below the lead paragraph).
MFTs' endorsement of myths about marriage. Presented at the 2006 AAMFT Annual Conference in Austin, Texas, this study found that many practicing marital therapists believe in myths about marriage that have long been debunked by research.
Attitudes toward marriage. This study will be presented at the 2007 AAMFT National Conference in Long Beach, CA.
Relationship development in early marriage. This study, also to be presented at the 2007 AAMFT Annual Conference, examines how satisfaction in early marriage has changed over the past 25 years.
Sexuality education. This study, currently in progress, examines the influence of state-level policies toward sexuality education on teen pregnancy rates.
My research on MFTs' attitudes toward marriage and their endorsement of myths about marriage won the 2005 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Dissertation Award.
I will be posting some details and results of my research here pending copyright permissions. In the meantime, if you are interested in more on my research in any of these topics, please email me.
Links
The directory of links offers immediate access to volumes of information, organized by topic. There's even a specific page of Sacramento-area programs and services.
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