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This article addresses issues related to the training of translational scholars in family science (FS) graduate programs. The article advances the view that (a) FS students need more direct socialization on how to message about and market the brand of their programs and (b) the FS brand should be organized around the centrality of translational expertise as one of the core goals of the training mission of FS programs. The article goes on to suggest that the training of translational scholars in FS programs should be organized around two interrelated initiatives. The first involves introducing coursework that balances the focus on the production of scholarship with a focus on the translation of this scholarship into policy and practice. The second is for FS programs to build their capacity to train translational scholars by creating "learning laboratories" in partnership with other health and social service programs, with the explicit goal of advancing collaborative practice and promoting interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and translational scholarship.

The Differentiation in the Family System Scale (DIFS; Anderson & Sabatelli, 1992) is a popular scale used to assess emotional connectedness and separateness within the context of family-of-origin experiences. This current study contributes to the research on family patterns of interaction by assessing the measurement invariance of DIFS for Americans and Koreans. The results indicated that the factor structure and loadings of the DIFS were invariant across both samples; however, latent means should not be compared across two groups because strong invariance was not met. It implies that there may be bias when participants from different cultures respond to the particular items. The findings challenge the practice, often used by internationally based researchers, of using translated versions of scales developed for use with U.S. based samples/populations. The non-invariance of some items is discussed in terms of the linguistic and cultural differences that would influence responses to translated measurement for Koreans. This research emphasizes the need for culturally grounded measures that integrate cultural factors into the measurement of marriage and family constructs.

A process and outcome evaluation of 10 Police Working with Youth Programs was conducted. Process results indicated that the core components of the programs were consistent with those identified in previous literature as characteristic of quality youth development programs. Outcome results indicated that youth participants reported significantly improved attitudes toward police and social support received from significant, non-familial adults. Two subgroups of youth, most notably minority youth and younger participants in lower grade levels, reported positive changes in their capacity to resist peer pressures. Minority youth reported positive changes in their sense of mastery over stressful life situations. Relationships between core program components and youth outcomes also were examined. Implications of the findings and future process and outcome evaluations of youth programs are discussed.

Abstract: Three social contexts—family, neighborhood youth centers, and peer relationships—were examined in relation to several measures of adjustment among 1,406 mostly minority, inner‐city adolescents. Family and center involvement were directly related to 3 of the 4 adjustment measures (i.e., achievement orientation, emotion regulation, attitudes toward school). Peer connections interacted with family and center involvement to also predict these variables. Substance use, the fourth adjustment measure, was related only to family involvement. Significant 3‐way interactions suggested that within urban settings, favorable attitudes toward school may best be achieved when family, neighborhood youth center, and peer involvement are all strong. The combined effects of these 3 contexts appear to be greater among younger adolescents. Implications for promoting urban youth development programs are discussed.

AbstractIn this article we extend the ecological–exchange framework as a way of understanding cultural, cohort, and socioeconomic variations in how marriage partnerships are structured and experienced. Based on the integration of ecological and contextual perspectives and social exchange theories, this framework highlights both micro‐ and macro‐level factors that interact to shape the trends and trajectories of marriage relationships over time. We use the ecological–exchange framework to discuss future implications for research using exchange principles and focus on how close relationships are structured and experienced.