Skip to main content

News Home

Community-based research aims to improve support for sex trafficking survivors

Researchers and practitioners are collaborating to better understand sex trafficking survivors’ perceptions of services they are receiving — and to learn what services they find most helpful in supporting their recovery. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

Katie Edwards, director of the Interpersonal Violence Research Laboratory and associate professor, CYFS and educational psychology, is leading research to better understand how sex trafficking survivors regard the services they receive — and to learn what services they find most helpful. Full Article

Youth Arise encourages youth civic engagement, entrepreneurship

Kieu-Anh Do, Youth Arise project coordinator, helps a student during the July 2021 Youth Arise camp in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. (Photos by Evan Choi) Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

With the world becoming more complex each day, the importance of civic knowledge and community engagement is on the rise — especially among younger generations.

Nebraska researchers are leading a project designed to provide civics, entrepreneurship and leadership education to underserved youth through an innovative learning program based on interactive online games and simulations. Full Article

Research digesting why children, vegetables don’t always mix

Saima Hasnin, doctoral candidate in the Department of Child, Youth and Family Studies, is leading research to better understand family child care home providers’ preparation and serving of vegetables, and their influence on children’s vegetable consumption. Learn more about this project in the CYFS Research Network.

Early childhood obesity is a major U.S. public health problem, afflicting children from low-income and minority families in rural areas disproportionately with an increased risk for long-term health disparities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Full Article

Findings highlight program’s success in reducing, preventing sexual violence among Native American girls

Students listen intently during an IMpower training session on a Native American reservation in South Dakota. (Photo courtesy of Brooke Duthie Photography)

Katie Edwards, a leading researcher on interpersonal violence at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, co-authored two recently published papers on the impacts of a sexual violence prevention program aimed at empowering Native American adolescent girls. Full Article

Mindfulness training available to Brazilian educators through CHIME

Holly Hatton-Bowers, assistant professor of child, youth and family studies, gives a goodbye hug upon leaving a nursery school in Recife, Brazil. Learn more about CHIME in the CYFS Research Network.

While great efforts are made to improve children’s well-being in childcare environments, far less attention is paid to caregivers’ well-being. Evidence shows compassion- and mindfulness-based programs and strategies enhance both caregiver and child well-being, which may reduce burnout, stress and depression — and lead to children receiving more sensitive and responsive care. Full Article

Brazil research empowers vulnerable families, communities amid COVID-19 crisis

Cody Hollist, associate professor of child, youth and family studies, is part of a team of researchers working to improve educational outcomes for children and youth living in Brazil.

Efforts to help vulnerable communities is most effective when it actively engages community members, agencies and other stakeholders in solving complex social problems.

In many parts of Brazil, communities must find their own ways to address the needs of children and families with limited resources. Those needs have intensified since early 2020, as COVID-19 quickly spread throughout the country. Full Article

Edwards honored by American Society of Criminology for community-engaged research

From left, Katie Edwards, associate professor, CYFS and educational psychology; Lee Paiva, founder of No Means No Worldwide and IMpower United; and Ramona Herrington, Lakota Elder and activist, on a South Dakota reservation. (Photo courtesy of Katie Edwards.)

Nebraska researcher Katie Edwards has been honored by the American Society of Criminology for her community-engaged research with Native American communities.

Edwards, associate professor, CYFS and educational psychology, is this year’s winner of the ASC’s Division on Women and Crime Community Engaged Scholar Award, presented annually to a leader in teaching, outreach or scholarship initiatives defined by innovative community engagement in criminology or a closely associated discipline. Full Article

Researchers gathering eye-opening data to help ensure adequate sleep among agricultural workers

Researchers are collecting sleep data from Midwestern agricultural workers to investigate the quantity and quality of sleep among farmers and ranchers during peak and non-peak seasons. Learn more in the CYFS Research Network.

As anyone who has ever experienced insomnia knows, the lack of a good night’s sleep can make for a difficult morning.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, side effects of sleep deprivation include lack of concentration, attention deficits, longer reaction times, distractibility, lack of coordination, poor decision-making, increased errors and forgetfulness. Full Article