7/18/97

Contacts:
Rand Conger, Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health, (515) 294-4518
Ron Simons, Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health, (515) 294-9894
Colleen Buescher, Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health, (515) 294-6300
Ed Adcock, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-2314

LANDMARK STUDY UNDERWAY IN IOWA AND GEORGIA

AMES -- The strengths of African-American families and the communities they live in are being studied in research getting underway in Iowa and Georgia.

The Family and Community Health Study is the largest research project of African-American families in the United States and is being conducted by Iowa State University's Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health and the University of Georgia's Institute for Behavioral Research. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are providing approximately $7 million of support for the research.

African-American families living in smaller towns and cities as well as rural areas are being interviewed, according to Rand Conger, director of ISU's Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health and the study's principal investigator and project director. In Iowa, more than 400 families in Des Moines and Waterloo will be participating in the study. Another 400 families in Georgia communities from Athens to Atlanta, with many from rural areas in between, will be subjects of the research.

"This research strategy is important because almost all previous research with African-American families has occurred in large urban centers, and little is known about that portion of this population that lives in other geographic locations," Conger said. "Also important is the fact that this study focuses on the strengths of African-American families that help young people avoid problems and promote competencies, such as school achievement and positive social relationships."

The study will look at how families and communities influence family processes and child development. "Past research on neighborhoods has focused almost exclusively on how large inner-city neighborhoods influence children. There was a real need to look at the way neighborhoods influence families and young people living in smaller communities," said Ron Simons, a professor of sociology at Iowa State University.

Simons is the principal investigator for the project's research related to youth's emotional and behavioral problems. Carolyn Cutrona, an ISU psychology professor, is principal investigator for the adult mental health aspects. Frederick Gibbons, also an ISU professor of psychology, is principal investigator for research related to adolescent health risks and behaviors.

"We will be looking at what communities can do to foster family well-being," said Colleen Buescher, the study's project manager in Iowa. After determining what communities can do, the researchers will return to the communities to share that information. "There has been a lot of interest in the communities involved," she added. "Many groups and individuals in these communities have endorsed the study."

Training for interviewers in Iowa began in January and field work started in February with an expected end to the first round of interviews in December. Field interviews are planned for every other year in the homes of participants.

The target children in the study are 10 to 11 years old because at these ages they will soon experience the transition to their adolescent years. Others being interviewed are the primary care giver, secondary care giver and 12 to 14 year old siblings, if any.

It takes about three hours to interview the families. They are reimbursed for their time, from $170 to $250 depending on the number of family members interviewed. To assess interaction about family matters, the target child and caregivers are interviewed on videotape for 20 minutes.

The research builds on previous research conducted by ISU's Center for Family Research in Rural Mental Health on economic stress in the lives of rural families and its outcomes, including marital happiness, parenting practices, social support processes and the general mental and physical health of family members. Earlier research focused on rural Iowa families, most of whom are of European origin. The center is extending the research to African-American families and their unique experiences in relation to these issues.

The FACHS research will follow the children as long as it continues. Funding has been provided for five years with the possibility of continued support.

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