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The NCMR coordinates research efforts designed to investigate the links between marriage and well-being at all of the stages of the life course (e.g., childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, and older adulthood), with special attention to how the consequences of family behaviors persist across the various life stages. The Center emphasizes both substantive and methodological complexities that need the attention of marriage scholars to formulate comprehensive, powerful policy prescriptions: complex families; methodological and data advances; subpopulation variation (socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, nativity status, and residence); and links between academic research and policy. The research program is organized around six research questions that we believe are central to moving the field forward and improving policy effectiveness:
- What is the relationship between family structure and well-being for children and adults?
- How do family processes and resources mediate the relationship between family structure and well-being?
- What factors are associated with the formation and maintenance of healthy marriages and relationships?
- How do adolescents make the transitions into healthy marriages in adulthood?
- What are the pathways of family formation outside of marriage? How do these families compare with married families?
- What are the roles of marriage education programs (including faith-based organizations) in promoting healthy marriages and the well-being of children and families?
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