Overview
Jennifer Lansford is the director of the Center for Child and Family Policy and S. Malcolm Gillis Distinguished Research Professor of Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy.
Dr. Lansford's research focuses on the development of aggression and other behavior problems in youth, with an emphasis on how family and peer contexts contribute to or protect against these outcomes. She examines how experiences with parents (e.g., physical abuse, discipline, divorce) and peers (e.g., rejection, friendships) affect the development of children's behavior problems, how influence operates in adolescent peer groups, and how cultural contexts moderate links between parenting and children's adjustment.
Dr. Lansford's research focuses on the development of aggression and other behavior problems in youth, with an emphasis on how family and peer contexts contribute to or protect against these outcomes. She examines how experiences with parents (e.g., physical abuse, discipline, divorce) and peers (e.g., rejection, friendships) affect the development of children's behavior problems, how influence operates in adolescent peer groups, and how cultural contexts moderate links between parenting and children's adjustment.
Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations
S. Malcolm Gillis Distinguished Research Professor of Public Policy
·
2023 - Present
Sanford School of Public Policy
Research Professor in the Sanford School of Public Policy
·
2015 - Present
Sanford School of Public Policy
Director of the Center for Child and Family Policy
·
2022 - Present
Center for Child and Family Policy,
Sanford School of Public Policy
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute
·
2025 - Present
Duke Global Health Institute,
University Institutes and Centers
Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy
·
2026 - Present
Center for Child and Family Policy,
Sanford School of Public Policy
Recent Scholarly Works
The randomized controlled trial Fast Track multilevel intervention for children with early-emerging conduct problems breaks intergenerational transmission of violence across three generations.
Journal article Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · August 2026 BackgroundDomestic violence mechanisms are frequently transmitted across generations, representing a global issue demanding particular attention. This study investigates the intergenerational transmission of intimate partner violence (IPV) and par ... Full text CiteParent-child communication and third generation's difficulties: Roles of parental depression and self-efficacy.
Journal article Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · June 2026 This study examines whether parents' past communication with their own parents is associated with children's psychological difficulties and whether this association is mediated by parents' depression and self-efficacy. Evidence of the intergenerational tra ... Full text Open Access CitePositive youth development from early adolescence to young adulthood in nine countries: Intercepts, trajectories, and associations with parental warmth and behavioral control.
Journal article Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence · June 2026 This longitudinal study concerns initial levels, trajectories of growth, and associations of positive youth development (PYD) with parental warmth and behavioral control from early adolescence to young adulthood. Participants included 1338 adolescents (M = ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Intervention Impacts on Child Wellbeing and Parenting across Generations
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 2017 - 2029Mid-Life Health Inequalities in the Rural South: Risk and Resilience
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by University of Vermont · 2023 - 2028Consequences of COVID-19: A longitudinal study of child health and mitigating factors in India
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2027View All Grants
Education
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor ·
2000
Ph.D.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor ·
1997
M.A.
Duke University ·
1995
B.A.