Daphne A. Henry PhD

A primary goal of my research program is to increase understanding of the processes linking race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES) to children’s academic functioning and to conduct policy-relevant research that considers how complex patterns of family, community, and societal inequality influence children’s early development and long-term well-being. One major arm of my program investigates how race/ethnicity and SES intersect to shape children’s academic development and developmental contexts (e.g., home and neighborhood environments). Another important line of my research explores dimensions and consequences of parental beliefs, goals, and practices and their connections with child and adolescent academic and psychosocial outcomes, with a particular emphasis on sociocultural determinants of parenting and patterns of socialization among families of color. A final key area of my scholarship centers on increasing understanding of the sociocultural risk (e.g., economic stress, structural inequality, and discrimination) and protective factors (e.g., positive parenting, social support) and processes that influence the academic and socioemotional functioning and physical health of children of color and socioeconomically disadvantaged youth. To study children’s development, my lab uses a diverse methodological toolkit, including the statistical analysis of large-scale longitudinal datasets and the collection and analysis of qualitative and mixed-methods data.