Welcome to the Life Course Development Program

The Life Course Development (LCD) program examines social relationships across the lifespan and their implications for mental, physical and cognitive health. We examine a wide variety of relationships including those with family, friends, spouse, parents, children and peripheral ties from middle childhood to the oldest-old. We are interested in identifying what aspects of relationships are most beneficial and/or harmful to health and whether these associations vary by key demographic and contextual factors such as marital status, gender, age, race, ethnicity, and education. LCD research is both interdisciplinary and cross-national in nature. LCD researchers include engineers, gerontechnologists, psychologists, sociologists, and social workers. Our research focuses on how social relations are associated with health disparities in the United States. We have also been involved with research studies in Japan, France, Germany, Lebanon, the Netherlands,and Mexico. We are applying this knowledge to design and implement intervention and prevention programs to maximize the health and well-being of individuals and families of all ages, as well as the communities within which they live.