CARE Lab at UGA

🌟 Student Spotlight: Bella 🌟

We’re excited to spotlight Bella, a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Human Development and Family Science. Her research interests focus on the factors that shape both couplehood and individuality within romantic relationships, reflecting her passion for understanding intimate relationships and helping couples thrive.

As a member of the Outreach Team, Bella supports participant recruitment for the ELEVATE program and contributes to the CARE Lab’s mission of strengthening relationships. 💙

Bella aspires to become a Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Psychologist, with a special interest in serving couples in rural communities. We’re grateful for the dedication and enthusiasm she brings to the CARE Lab and excited to see where her journey takes her! ✨

FutureTherapist

Can couple relationship education support couples experiencing elevated intimate partner violence (IPV) risk? 🤔

In a recent study published in the Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, CARE Lab HDFS doctoral candidate and first author Shuangyue (Tracy) Cui and colleagues examined changes in relationship skills among couples with varying levels of IPV risk who participated in a couple relationship education program.

While couples at lower IPV risk reported stronger relationship skills at the start of the program, couples at moderate/high IPV risk also demonstrated meaningful improvements following participation, particularly women participants.

The findings suggest that relationship education may serve as an accessible support for some couples facing elevated relational risk. At the same time, the study underscores the importance of IPV screening, safety assessment, and ethical implementation when working with couples.

What role should relationship education play in supporting couples facing higher levels of relational risk?

New research from the CARE Lab, led by Evin W. Richardson, highlights the critical role of couple relationship quality in foster care stability.

In a study of 79 foster couples in Georgia, lower relationship quality, particularly among foster mothers, was associated with a higher likelihood of discontinuing fostering. Notably, even moderate levels of relationship quality were linked to continued fostering.

These findings point to an important implication for practice and policy: supporting foster caregivers as partners may strengthen placement stability and improve outcomes for children in care.

Read the article here: https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.70044

Honoring the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. This Memorial Day, The UGA CARE Lab remembers and honors their sacrifice with gratitude. 🇺🇸

New research from CARE Lab Co-Director Dr. Evin Richardson and CARE Lab collaborator Dr. Catherine Walker O’Neal highlights the important role social support plays in promoting the health and well-being of adolescents in military families.

Their work was recently featured in UGA Today: https://news.uga.edu/support-for-adolescents-in-military-families-can-improve-health/

This research underscores how strong support systems can positively shape outcomes for military-connected youth and families.

Read more here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740926001337

Research from the CARE Lab, led by Dr. Bill Stanford and collaborators, highlights how both family and community shape the development of religiosity over time.

The study found that faith communities that actively integrate youth tend to foster stronger long-term engagement in religious practice. At the same time, parents play a critical role, as their efforts to pass down their faith significantly predict future religiosity.

Together, these findings point to the importance of both family relationships and community contexts in shaping adolescent development.

Read more: https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2023.2223999

Congratulations to our incredible CARE Lab graduates 🎓✨

We are so proud to celebrate Rebecca Kann, Christian Graziani, Ella Joy Knudsen, Rosalyn Milne, Isabella Nelson, and Gabriella Salazar for all of their hard work, dedication, and accomplishments throughout their journey with CARE Lab.

Your passion and commitment have made a lasting impact, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things you achieve next. Wishing each of you continued success in this exciting new chapter! 💙

🎉 Celebrating CARE Lab undergraduate researcher Rebecca Kann!

Rebecca presented her undergraduate thesis, “Exploring the Association between ADHD and the Relationship Quality of Couples,” at UGA’s CURO Conference on April 20th. Her
work highlights an important reality—couples where one or both partners
have ADHD may experience greater challenges with communication,
conflict, and relationship satisfaction.

Encouragingly, her findings highlight that couples relationship education programs like ELEVATE can enhance relationship skills and satisfaction – benefiting all couples, included those navigating ADHD-related challenges.

🎉 Celebrating CARE Lab undergraduate researcher Gabby Salazar!

Gabby presented her research, “*Changes in Gratitude and Relationship Quality Following Couples Relationship Education*,” at UGA’s CURO Conference on April 20th.  Her study examined how gratitude and relationship quality changed from pre- to post-program among couples participating in ELEVATE, and whether those changes differed by gender and marital status.

While participants reported relatively high levels of gratitude at the start—with men and unmarried couples reporting slightly lower levels—gratitude remained stable over time. Encouragingly, all participants reported increased relationship satisfaction following the program, highlighting the positive impact of relationship education on strengthening couple connections.

CURO FamilyLifeEducation Couples