Departments
Brenda Volling’s research focuses on family functioning and young children’s social and emotional development. Her research is guided by family systems theory and she has examined the interrelations between marital, parent-child and sibling relationships in much of her research. She is particularly interested in the role of the father in facilitating healthy child outcomes. Volling’s current research, the Family Transitions Study (FTS) which is funded by NICHD, examines changes in the older sibling’s adjustment after the birth of a second child. She was also the recipient of an Independent Scientist Award from NICHD. The interdisciplinary climate at CHGD provides the environment to expand her research on infant development, attachment relationships, and parenting. She collaborates with several CHGD investigators to study the effects of maternal depression on parenting and infant outcomes, and plans to continue this research by looking at paternal depression in the perinatal period.
