Benefits of relationships
Conference discusses family matters, spotlights relationships
12:36 p.m., Nov. 2, 2015--Life is filled with decisions, relationships, emotions and everything in between. It is important for people to form supportive relationships to help them successfully manage changing family dynamics, set education goals, navigate career plans and establish healthy lifestyles.
On Oct. 16, the University of Delaware’s Department of Human Development and Family Studies in conjunction with the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Wilmington University hosted a conference on “Families as Advocates: Health Care, Disabilities and Education.”
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Doctoral hooding
This annual conference sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations featured keynote speaker Paul R. Amato, National Council on Family Relations president and the Arnold and Bette Hoffman Professor Emeritus of Family Sociology and Demography at Pennsylvania State University.
Recently, there have been policy changes regarding health care, education and job requirements impacting the human development and family studies field. Consequently, the council decided to focus on advocacy concerning these topics.
“We selected family advocacy to help train and educate faculty and students about current practices in family advocacy,” said JeanMarie St. Clair-Christman, president of the Mid-Atlantic Council on Family Relations and professor at Pennsylvania State University, York.
Students, faculty, and professionals gathered in UD’s Perkins Student Center to participate in roundtable discussions on topics ranging from parental roles in the education assistance process to ambiguous loss, employment options and the mental health needs of veterans.
Marriage and family therapist and pastor Ruth Doty said after roundtables and discussions she became more aware of sensitive issues.
“I realized that some people don’t recognize ambiguous loss, like having a stillborn child, as a loss,” said Doty. “I would like to see more promotion around talking about this issue. It can help give a name to the things couples are experiencing and help them understand they are not alone.”
Two workshops focused on assisting individuals with disabilities transition into adulthood and helping their families understand and advocate for necessary and vital systems and services.
“Both the speaker and roundtables on recent research were beneficial to hear,” said Abigail Leach, an undergraduate student from Messiah College. “I have a personal interest in helping military youth impacted by a parent’s absence. I learned how I can help these students when I become an educator.”
Good for your health
During his keynote speech, Amato discussed his research on relationships titled, “Marriage, Cohabitation and Health.” In his studies he discovered health benefits associated with married and cohabitating couples in committed relationships.
“The trick is how to keep these relationships happy, functional and stable over time. That’s the hard part,” said Amato.
Amato has spent the last 30 years studying marriage and divorce, its impact on the health and wellbeing of children and adults, and how these factors are bound together.
Once a commitment has been established, living with a partner provides social support, institutionalized support, commitment and financial advantage, Amato found. He noted a general decline in alcohol consumption and smoking, because a relationship can help reinforce healthy behaviors.
Living together can also decrease relationship uncertainty, facilitate long-term joint investments and create a shared history, lending to a source of meaning and identity. The intimacy, love and everyday companionship has been shown to provide positive social support.
His research concluded there are indeed mental and physical health benefits for married and cohabitating couples, regardless of whether it they are in a same-sex or heterosexual relationship.
Blue Hens Forever
Of the eight Mid-Atlantic Counsel of Family Relations Board members, four are UD alumni, including president St. Clair-Christman and chairs Bethany Willis Hepp, Deb Berke and Michael Sturm.
“Thirteen years ago, this was the first conference I attended as a UD student,” said St. Clair-Christman, who received her doctorate in human development and family studies. “I received great mentoring at UD, and coming back I see great momentum in the program.”
Article and photo by Elizabeth Adams