Environmental Impacts on Families

Susan M. McHale, Ph.D., is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Human Development and Emeritus Professor of Demography at Penn State. Her research focuses on children and adolescents’ family roles, relationships, and daily experiences and how these family dynamics are linked to youth development and adjustment. Dr. McHale’s research highlights family gender dynamics and the role of sociocultural practices and values in youth development and well-being.

Valarie King, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology, Demography, and Human Development and Family Studies and an Associate of the Population Research Institute at Penn State. Her research focuses on intergenerational relationships across the life course and their implications for the health, well-being, and development of family members. Dr. King’s most recent work focuses on elucidating the factors that promote the development of strong ties between children and their stepfathers, and the ways in which stepfathers can promote children’s well-being.

Jennifer E. Glick, Ph.D., is Professor of Demography, Arnold S. and Bette G. Hoffman Professor in Sociology, and an Associate of the Population Research Institute at Penn State. Dr. Glick is a social demographer with expertise in migration, family processes and children's education and developmental trajectories. She has written extensively on the educational outcomes among children of immigrants in the United States and how migration alters family relationships and living arrangements.