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Education

USF educator gets $405,000 research grant

By Times Staff Writer
Published July 17, 2005

The National Institute of Child Health and Development recently awarded a $405,000 research grant to Dr. James P. McHale, associate professor of psychology at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

McHale was presented with the Independent Scientist Award, a grant supporting intensive research effort by newly independent scientists for work pursuing major new concepts, paradigms, theories, techniques or research programs that promise to have an important impact on their field of health science.

The grant, $81,000 a year for five years, was awarded to advance McHale's ongoing investigation of "Prebirth Predictors of Early Coparenting." McHale has been studying factors that shape early patterns of co-parenting within families just months after a baby's birth.

McHale maintains that differing ideas about how best to parent are not unusual. "Virtually all parents have at least somewhat different ideas about how they'd ideally like to raise their children," he said.

Over time, however, some parents cultivate a pattern of supporting one another's parenting efforts while others do not. McHale's research indicates that failure to establish "between-parent" consistency can create problems for even very young children.

"It's hard enough for little kids to learn what the rules are even when parents are being consistent. When parents are regularly being inconsistent, undermining or overturning what the other is doing, toddlers and young children have problems internalizing rules, regulating their emotions, and feeling safe and secure. These are problems that often spill over into relationships outside the family, as well," he said.

McHale believes that identifying early warning signs of co-parenting difficulties will ultimately have a positive impact on infant and child mental health.

"If helping professionals can identify, before children ever arrive, those families at greatest risk for co-parenting struggles, we'll be prepared to offer useful support during their transition to new parenthood."

[Last modified July 17, 2005, 01:05:20]