U.S. researcher studying personal lives of foster parents

From the Imprint –Evin Winkelman Richardson knew she wanted to dedicate her career as a researcher to studying families and couples. But investigating the ways these relationships play out in foster homes didn’t come to mind until she heard about her friends’ struggles as first-time caregivers.

“Just hearing them discuss the things that were hard, not that they were regretting it in any way — they loved being foster parents — but the challenges they were experiencing, it just got my brain churning,” she said.

That’s where her pursuit to understand the ways foster caregivers navigate their marital and co-parenting relationships began. As a researcher at the University of Georgia’s Couple and Relationship Enrichment Lab, Richardson has led first-ever studies in this area. Her research has established that the strength and quality of couples’ relationships can directly affect how well they cope.

Georgia Researcher Looks at the Personal Lives of Foster Parents