Velma Murry

Professor of Human and Organizational Development and Betts Chair of Education and Human Development

Joined faculty in 2008

Velma McBride Murry's work has focused on the significance of context in studies of African-American families and youth. Her investigation of the impact of racism on family functioning has elucidated the dynamics of this contextual stressor in the everyday life of African Americans. Her research on the ways in which family members buffer each other from the impact of the external stressors that cascade through African-American lives was one important stimulus for her subsequent focus on family intervention as a potential protection against the development of risky adolescent behavior. She has identified many protective factors, ranging from personality characteristics and coping behaviors to dynamic contextual interactions among personality dispositions, social support and family processes.

The results of this research support her premise that individual and family attributes can ameliorate the impact of multiple risk factors on children and adolescents. These two areas of research have informed the development of the Strong African American Families (SAAF) intervention program that targets the prevention of early onset sexual behavior and substance abuse.

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Psychology and Human Development

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