The Healthy Families Lab is a clinical health psychology laboratory located at the University of British Columbia under the direction of Dr. Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen. The main research goal of our laboratory is to better understand health trajectories in vulnerable populations and how to improve health outcomes in these groups.
Infant and Child Sleep
We are investigating predictors and consequences of poor infant and child sleep both in typically developing populations and in children experiencing illness (e.g., pediatric cancer, TBI).
Maternal and Paternal Health
We are interested in better understanding how maternal adversity, psychological distress, and insomnia is associated with infant and child health problems.
Intervention
Our lab also tests interventions such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to reduce maternal stress, anxiety, and insomnia and reduce postpartum mood problems. Treatment preferences for postpartum depression in fathers are also investigated.
UBC Vancouver is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. The land it is situated on has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site.