Academic Program(s)
Dr. Barber’s research is conducted at the intersection of family sociology, demography, and social psychology, with a focus on teen pregnancy. She recently completed an NICHD-funded intensive longitudinal project, the Relationship Dynamics and Social Life study, that collected weekly data on 1,000 18- and 19-year-old women for 2.5 years, along with semi-structured interview data, observational data, and administrative data. The RDSL study identifies the types of attitudes, relationship characteristics, and contraceptive practices that affect early and/or unintended pregnancy. Barber also recently completed a William T. Grant Foundation Distinguished Fellowship, a mid-career opportunity to immerse herself in a practice setting – in this case a teen pregnancy prevention center in Detroit and a Planned Parenthood clinic in southeastern Michigan.
