Our Projects

Engaging parents to develop practical parenting supports

At our lab, we're dedicated to helping families prevent substance use, mental health issues, and other risky behaviors during adolescence and beyond. We kick off our process by sitting down with parents to hear about their experiences, challenges, and successes. By learning from their expertise, we're able to develop interventions that work in the real world for real families. Currently, we're talking to parents to get their input on how we can create an engaging, empowering, and effective program for their family and daily routine.

This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health (K01 DA055118, PI Kim).

Engaging families through technology

Let's face it, technology is already a big part of our daily routine. But, what if it could also help us become better parents to our teenagers? Our lab is on a mission to find out! With our technology partner NuRelm, we're developing a groundbreaking app that will empower parents with effective, evidence-based skills to strengthen their relationships with their teens. From better communication and active listening to setting boundaries and encouraging academic success, our app has got you covered. So, if you're ready to take your parenting game to the next level, stay tuned as we work towards bringing this exciting project to life!

 This work is supported by the National Insitutes of Health (KO1 DA055118, PI Kim)

Engaging first responder families through technology

We are excited to announce that our app is expanding! This adaptation of Engaging Families will continue to help parents as they practice their evidence-based skills at home. This new expansion will work alongside After Deployment: Adaptive Parenting Tools - First Responders (ADAPT-FR) , an online parenting program for families have a first responder parent. We are currently working with the app developers on the expansion of the app!

 This work is supported by the National Insitutes of Health (KO1 DA055118, PI Kim) and Institute for Mental Health Research (AWD00039848, PI Kim)

Engaging parents in evidence-based parenting interventions

Our lab is interviewing parents who previously participated in ParentCorps, an evidence-based parenting intervention, to learn about their experiences in the program and identify the strategies of ParentCorps that motivated and supported their engagement. Given ParentCorps’ consistently high rates of attendance and engagement in past cohorts, we aim to understand which program factors contributed to sustained parental engagement to inform future program development and implementation. We are also conducting a sub-study to identify culture-based themes among parents who participated in the Spanish and Mandarin groups of the ParentCorps program and to evaluate the impact of these themes on their engagement in the program.

This project is Maleah Manansala’s Barrett Honors Undergraduate Thesis and is supported by the Barrett Honors Thesis Funding & Barrett Honors Project Funding programs.

Experiences and Needs of Parents of Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a genetic condition that causes children to have difficulty with everyday tasks such as walking, sitting up, and personal care. Raising a child with SMA comes with unique challenges that affect the whole family. We’re talking to parents to learn more about their needs and experiences, their questions about helping their child grow up healthy and strong and find out what parents need to help their kids with SMA become more independent.

This project is Isabella Andrade’s Barrett Honors Undergraduate Thesis and is supported by the Barrett Honors Thesis Funding & Barrett Honors Project Funding programs.

Andrade, I. J., & Kim, J. J. (2026). Insights From Wise Warriors: A Needs Assessment and Preventive Parenting Program Recommendations From Parents of Children With Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Journal of Child Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1177/08830738261447163

What’s the evidence on non-English parenting programs?

We are reviewing parenting interventions that are delivered in languages other than English in the U.S. We will identify interventions and components of interventions that are culturally responsive and effective in 1) promoting positive parenting and 2) improving child outcomes among diverse populations. This systematic review will provide valuable insights about what programs are available and effective for parents who are not predominant English speakers. We hope our work will inform future interventions and policies that support diverse families and communities.

Kim, J. J., Basha, S. A. J., Lee, S.-K., Nandiwada-Hofer, V. M., Andrade, I., & Muldrew, L. (2025). ¿Está disponible en español? A Systematic Review of Preventive Parenting Interventions Delivered in a Language Other Than English in the United States. Prevention Science, 26(2), 293–319. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-025-01778-y