By Sarah Mitchell
About 200 people were involved in the Family and Health Conference that began on March 21, a research conference with nationally acclaimed experts from around the world.
“We bring together the best researchers in the world,” said Russell Crane, director of the Family Studies Center.
The Family Studies Center sponsors a similar conference every two years in order to accomplish the mission of their school to strengthen families.
The purpose of the conference is to bring researchers from different disciplines together to share their latest research findings on family and health, said Alan Hawkins, a professor in the school of family life.
Another purpose for the conference is for these experts to discuss and establish common research goals, and to encourage more research, Crane said.
“I believe this conference will contribute to the valuable future studies on this important topic,” Crane said. “I also hope it will stimulate additional local research on families and health as it is a topic that has direct implications for all of us.”
Thomas Holman, a professor in the marriage, family and human development department said a clear connection exists between family and health.
“Having a good family life affects health,” Holman said. “Illness effects family and family effects illness, the arrow goes both ways.”
Holman said this is an important area of study because there is a lot of new research being done.
For example, there is a relationship between marital stress and healing. “Marital stress decreases the rate that wounds heal,” Crane said.
Another area looks at chronic illness in family.
“Chronic illness impacts the family,” Holman said. “The more severe illness a child has, the more stress is experience in marriage.”
Topics like these will be discussed at the conference. Presenters will address such issues as how conflict in the home increase the chance of disease, assessment of health care utilization, family stresses and resiliency, and the social psychophysiology of cardiovascular risk in close relationships.
Holman said learning about these connections between family and health could be of great interest to students because it is something that affects everyone.
“We try to bring the very best scholars around the world so students and faculty can be exposed to them,” Homlan said.
The three-day conference began Wednesday, March 21. Hawkins said is started nicely. “It was very enlightening and I”m looking forward to the rest of it,” Hawkins said.
