Current Projects
Longitudinal study of preterm infant-mother dyads
In this study we examine the effects of the quality of mother-preterm infant's interaction and early neuromotor deficits of the infant on socio-emotional adjustment and motor development in childhood.
Joint work with my PhD student, Orna Lev-Anacav, and Dr. Mirwat Shukha, Maccabi Health Care services, Israel.
Funding: Maccabi Health Care Services
Evaluation study of the "Orim" intervention initiative for young parents at risk"
This longitudinal research evaluates the effectiveness of 12 novel intervention programs designed to support young parents at risk across Israel. The study involves a formative and systematic evaluation of the programs and assessments of participating families, who come from various cultural backgrounds, including ultra-Orthodox Jews, Bedouins, and Arab-Israelis.
Joint work with Dr. Rinat Feniger-Schaal, University of Haifa, Israel, Prof. Nina Koren-Karie, University of Haifa, Israel & Dr. Maya Yaari, Goshen, Jerusalem, Israel.
Funding: The National Insurance Institute & Yedidut Toronto Foundation
Mother-child and father-child relationships in families of children with cerebral palsy
This project focuses on families of children with cerebral palsy in GMFCS levels 3-5 (that cannot perform gross motor movements without mobility devices). The study examines the associations of mother-child and father-child relationships with children’s communication skills and socio-emotional adaptation.
Joint work with my PhD student, Ravit Shahar-Lahav.
Representations and adjustment from preschool to adolescence
This longitudinal study follows children from preschool to adolescence to examine the effects of the representations which parents and children construct regarding their relationships on children's competence in diverse contexts.
Joint work with Prof. Tuppett Yates at the Adversity and Adaptation Lab, UC Riverside, CA, USA.
Funding: The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [NICHD] and The US National Science Foundation [NSF].
How should parents react to the onset of their adolescents’ risk behavior? A longitudinal study of Jewish and Bedouin adolescents
As part of normative development many early adolescents experiment with risk-behaviors. When parents respond inappropriately, these behaviors may intensify and undermine adjustment. While there is much research on general parenting practices predicting early onset of severe risk-behaviors, very little research has examined parents’ responses to the onset of risk-behaviors in adolescence. This longitudinal research examines potentially effective versus harmful parental responses and the processes mediating and moderating them across Jewish and Beduin youth in Israel.
Joint work with Prof. Avi Assor, Ben-Gurion University, Israel; Prof. Judy Smetana, University of Rochester, NY, USA & Prof. Wendy Grolnick, Clark University, MA, USA.
Funding: The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation [BSF].