FRIENDS of the Tallgrass

the Family Research Initiative, An Educational Nexus for Development & Service of the Tallgrass region of the U.S.

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CURRENT PROJECTS

Identifying At-Risk Early Career Servicemembers (IA-RECS)

This project is focused on publishing findings associated with data from the Army Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers, the Millenium Cohort Study, and the Recruit Assessment Program. This project will utilize data combined across the Millennium Cohort Study and Recruit Assessment Program – this marks the very first time these data will be linked. By identifying soldiers’ history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), leaders may be better able to refer service members to resources to promote resilience.

Dr. Kayla Reed-Fitzke is serving as the Principal investigator along with Dr. James M. Duncan as the co-investigator. The FRIENDS team received a grant from the American Psychological Association Society for Military Psychology to build on this study and aid the team in funding continued research and dissemination of research findings.

Current Research Activities of this Project: 

Duncan, J. M., Reed-Fitzke, K., Ferraro, A. J., Wojciak, A., Smith, K. M., & Sánchez, J. (2020). Identifying risk & resilience factors associated with the likelihood of seeking mental health care among US Army soldiers-in-training. Military Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usz483.

Check out the policy brief here.

Reed-Fitzke, K., Duncan, J. M., Wojciak, A., Sánchez, J., Smith, K. M., & Ferraro, A. J. (under review). A person-centered approach to identifying at-risk US Army soldiers-in-training based on adverse childhood experiences.

Reed-Fitzke, K., Ferraro, A J., Duncan, J. M., Wojciak, A. S., Hamilton, A., & Pippert, H. (under review). Resilience in Army STARRS: Evaluating psychometrics of a multi-dimensional resilience measure.

Watch a virtual presentation (and view the poster) of the latest work from this project on our Featured Research Page.

 

Combat-related traumatic experiences and the health of aging veterans

This project is currently utilizing secondary data from the Health and Retirement Study to expand upon base-level understanding of traumatic experiences and health related quality of life years after military service that can have direct implications for the services provided to veterans by helping professionals.

Dr. Anthony J. Ferraro is serving as the Principal Investigator on the project.

Current Research Activities of this Project:

Ferraro, A. J., Duncan, J. M., Marini, C., Reed-Fitzke, K., & Killian, T. S. (manuscript in preparation). Traumatic experience & health care expenditures among veterans.

 

Well-being and its Association with Leisure and Lifespan Experiences (WALLE)

This current project focuses on examining different types of leisure within a social context and how “social leisure” is related to health related quality of life experiences across various populations in different stages of lifespan development.  
A current research investigation for this project is examining secondary data from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project in an effort to identify mechanisms that may serve as protective factors for individuals as they age into late adulthood with a specific interest in leisure mechanisms (such as volunteering). The study also aims to identify similarities and difference in military and non-military populations on well-being outcomes.

Dr. James M. Duncan is serving as the Principal investigator on this project.

Current Research Activities of this Project:

Duncan, J. M., Ferraro, A. J., Reed-Fitzke, K., & Killian, T. S. (under review). Social leisure participation association with psychological adversity & health care visits: Comparison of US military veteran & civilian older adults. Leisure Studies.

Duncan, J. M., Lucier-Greer, M., & Mancini, J. A. (manuscript in preparation). Constraints to family leisure & family functioning of US Army personnel.

Past Research Activities of this Project:

Duncan, J. M., Withers, M. C., Lucier-Greer, M., Ferraro, A. J., & Reed-Fitzke, K. (2017). Research note: Social leisure engagement, peer support, & depressive symptomology among emerging adults. Leisure Studies, 37(3), 343-351. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2017.1411968 

Duncan, J. M., Killian, T. S., & Lucier-Greer, M. (2017). Leisure, relatedness, & ill-being among older adults in long-term care. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 41(4), 273-290. https://doi.org/10.1080/01924788.2017.1326764

 

Students in Transition (SIT) study

The Student in Transition (SIT) project is a quantitative study in the beginning stages of primary data collection. This study is collecting confidential responses from emerging adult students transitioning into the college environment.  The goal of this study is to identify the needs of students and provide resources to students in an effort to promote student success.

This project is being led by Dr. James M. Duncan who is within Dale Bumpers School of Human Environmental Sciences, with co-investigators Dr. Jeanne Eichler who is within University of Arkansas’s Department of Occupational Therapy and Dr. Trevor Francis who is the Director of Student Success at the University of Arkansas, and with help from the FRIENDS team.

Current Research Activities of this Project:

Duncan, J. M., Eichler, J., Francis, T., Reed-Fitzke, K., & Ferraro, A. J. (data collection stage). Investigating students in transition: A quantitative analysis of perceptions of incoming college freshman.

 

the Campus Advisors School Experiences (CASE) study

This qualitative project is in the beginning stages of primary data collection. The project is exploring in depth experiences of helping professionals in a collegiate setting. This project is associated with the SIT study, in that its primary goal is to learn information from college helping professionals in an effort to promote student success and aid in facilitating well-being outcomes for college students in dealing with transitions in the university environment. 

This project is being led by Dr. James M. Duncan who is within Dale Bumpers School of Human Environmental Sciences, with co-investigators Dr. Jeanne Eichler who is within University of Arkansas’s Department of Occupational Therapy and Dr. Trevor Francis who is the Director of Student Success at the University of Arkansas, and with help from the FRIENDS team.

Current Research Activities of this Project:

Duncan, J. M., Eichler, J., Francis, T., Reed-Fitzke, K., & Ferraro, A. J. (data analysis stage). A phenomenology of how emerging adult student transitions gives meaning to college campus advisor school experiences.

Well-being in Emerging Adulthood & Associations with Healthy Relationship Experiences (WEAHRE)

This current project focuses on better understanding the familial processes that impacts normative development from early childhood through later life, with an emphasis in the transitions associated with the developmental period of emerging adulthood.

There is no principal investigator on this project. However, all co-directors of the “FRIENDS of the Tallgrass” have engaged in various research activities related to this project serving as both first author on certain activities as well as advisor/mentor to students working on research related to this project goal.

Current Research Activities of this Project (*denotes graduate student):

Smith, K. M.*, Cobb, K., Reed-Fitzke, K., Ferraro, A. J., & Duncan, J. M., & Lucier-Greer, M. (under review).  Attachment in emerging adulthood: Personal relationships & well-being. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science.

Burke, B.*, Duncan, J. M., & Lucier-Greer, M. (data collection stage). From virtual to reality: The positive & negative outcomes of video game play in emerging adulthood.

Past Research Activities of this Project:

Reed, K., Withers, M. C., Ferraro, A. J., Lucier-Greer, M., & Duncan, J. M. (2019). A growth curve analysis of self-esteem & depressive symptomatology throughout emerging adulthood: The role of family. Emerging Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/2F2167696818813286

Duncan, J. M., Lucier-Greer, M., Ferraro, A. J., & Reed-Fitzke, K. (2019). The role of social support in depression & task overload among college students. Journal of Human Sciences & Extension, 7(1), 180-194. https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/c8fe6e_6cf60ac7ea524b26b6c5fc7d8e73f3cc.pdf

Reed, K., Duncan, J. M., Lucier-Greer, M., Fixelle, C., & Ferraro, A. J. (2016). Helicopter parenting & emerging adult self-efficacy: Implications for mental & physical health. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 25(10), 3136-3149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0466-x

 

 

Advocates of SH.I.E.LD.

This podcast project is in the beginning stages of development. Dr. James M. Duncan is a family science advocate that believes in SHaring Information on Entertainment in a Lifespan Development context (SH.I.E.LD). Each podcast he will talk about family relationships among TV and movie characters and regularly encourage other helping professionals to join the podcast and explore family dynamics across the lifespan among a wide range of fictional characters in entertainment.