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 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 Publications
Future Orientation in Adolescents: Development and the Roles of Parenting in Different Income Countries.
Journal Article Journal of youth and adolescence · April 2026 Full text CiteMultiple child caregivers and multiple cognitive caregiving practices: Associations with early childhood development in 51 low- and middle-income countries
Journal Article International Journal of Behavioral Development · March 1, 2026 Five issues about three cognitive caregiving practices are addressed in mothers, fathers, and children’s other caregivers in nationally representative samples from 51 low- and middle-income countries with 159,959 36- to 59-month-old children. The five issu ... Full text CiteSupporting Families Through Policies: Effective and Recommended Policies for Communication Technology, Digital Interventions, and Remote Work
Journal Article Journal of Family Issues · February 1, 2026 Among the megatrends the United Nations identified in 2020, technology strongly influences how families live. Communication technology, digital interventions, and remote work require families to integrate technology into their activities, use digital tools ... 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 - 2029Advancing Equity in Adolescent Health through Evidence-Based Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs and Services
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Department of Health and Human Services · 2023 - 2028Mid-Life Health Inequalities in the Rural South: Risk and Resilience
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by University of Vermont · 2023 - 2028View All Grants
Education
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor ·
2000
Ph.D.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor ·
1997
M.A.
Duke University ·
1995
B.A.