Social Development Research Group

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The Social Development Research Group investigates and promotes healthy behaviors and positive social development in youth and adults.

For over 40 years the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) has sought to investigate and promote healthy behaviors and positive social development in youth and adults. SDRG is a recognized leader in the field of prevention research. Our efforts to understand how risk and protective factors influence development have resulted in hundreds of articles in peer-reviewed journals and led to the development of tested and effective interventions. SDRG interventions are designed to strengthen bonds between families, schools, and communities with the goal of improving youth outcomes and preventing problem behavior. SDRG’s work has enriched lives, influenced policy, and strengthened communities across the world.

10/02/2026

NWPTTC Live Webinar: Promoting Healthy Digital Media Use In Adolescence to Support Mental and Behavioral Health

Tuesday, October 20

Dr. Magis-Weinberg will explore how children and adolescents are affected by digital technology and social media use, and offer suggestions for substance use prevention professionals on how to promote healthy digital media use and prevent negative effects on mental and behavioral health.

Dr. Magis-Weinberg will explore how children and adolescents are affected by digital technology and social media use, and offer suggestions for substance use prevention professionals on how to promote healthy digital media use and prevent negative effects on mental and behavioral health.

09/29/2026

NWPTTC Enhanced Prevention Learning Series: Building Protection Using the Social Development Strategy

Thursdays, October 22, 29; November 5, 12, 19

This 5-week series offers a unique interactive experience that explores how to build protection in communities, schools, and families using the Social Development Strategy (SDS). This learning series will build participants’ understanding of shared protective factors and how the SDS organizes protection into a strategy for action. Participants will learn and practice using the SDS and its components to design activities that will build protection in families, schools, coalitions, and communities.

The learning series provides online consultation, skill-based learning and practice, group and individual activities, reading assignments, and discussion on topics essential to building protection using key learnings from prevention science.

This 5-week series offers a unique interactive experience that explores how to build protection in communities, schools, and families using the Social Development Strategy (SDS). This learning series will build participants’ understanding of shared protective factors and how the SDS organizes prot...

09/23/2026

European Society for Prevention Research Best Article of the Year Award

Congratulations to lead author Jess Heerde, Jen Bailey, and coauthors of “School Suspension as a Predictor of Young Adult Homelessness: The International Youth Development Study,” published in the...

07/31/2026

Margaret Kuklinski Elected to Washington State Academy of Sciences

WSAS is a nonprofit organization established by the Washington State Legislature in 2005 to advise state policymakers on public policy issues involving science and technology. WSAS members are nationally recognized for their “outstanding record of scientific and technical achievement and willingness to assist the Academy in providing the best available scientific information and technical understanding to inform complex policy decisions in Washington.” New members are elected by current WSAS members or by their election to national science academies.

Margaret was recognized “for contributions to the economic assessment of prevention programs addressing substance abuse and mental health, and for advancing community-engaged research, and effective communication of findings to different audiences.”

The Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS) is a nonprofit organization established by the Washington State Legislature in 2005 to advise state policymakers on public policy issues involving...

07/14/2026

Northwest PTTC Evaluation Bootcamp Webinar, Cohort 2

August 3, 10, 17, & 24

Join the Northwest PTTC Evaluation Bootcamp for an interactive learning experience designed to build essential evaluation skills you can apply immediately to your prevention work. You’ll explore evaluation concepts in a clear, approachable way and gain practical strategies and tools to plan, implement, analyze, and use evaluation findings with confidence.

Join the Northwest PTTC Evaluation Bootcamp for an interactive learning experience designed to build essential evaluation skills you can apply immediately to your prevention work. You’ll explore evaluation concepts in a clear, approachable way and gain practical strategies and tools to plan, imple...

06/29/2026

2026 Prevention Ethics & Leadership Academy: Building Connection and Communicating the Value of Prevention

Tuesday & Wednesday, August 11 & 12, 2026 - Vancouver, WA

The Northwest PTTC has partnered with the Oregon Coalition of Prevention Professionals (OCCP) to offer a two-day in-person event, the Prevention Ethics and Leadership Academy, on August 11 and 12, 2026 at the Heathman Lodge in Vancouver, WA. It will include a day of Ethics training and a day of Leadership training.

Both Days are independent of one another so participants can choose to attend Day 1, Day 2 or both days during registration.

The goal of the 2026 Prevention Ethics and Leadership Academy is to engage leaders in the prevention workforce to identify and build upon their strengths to communicate the value of prevention, build cross-sector collaborations, and promote connectedness to act effectively in prevention.

06/16/2026

NWPTTC MULTI-SESSION IN-PERSON LEARNING
SPF Application for Prevention Success Training (SAPST)

Location: Olympia, WA

Dates: July 20 - 23, 2026
Time: 8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. Pacific Time

The SPF Application for Prevention Success Training (SAPST) is a hybrid training that blends a pre-requisite, self-paced online course with four full days of training. Grounded in current research and SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), the SAPST provides foundational knowledge and skills necessary to implement effective, data-driven prevention interventions that improve substance-related outcomes and improve wellness

The SPF Application for Prevention Success Training (SAPST) is a hybrid training that blends a pre-requisite, self-paced online course with four full days of training. Grounded in current research and SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF), the SAPST provides foundational knowledge and skil...

06/01/2026

NWPTTC Online Enhanced Prevention Learning Series: Organizational Elements of Effective Coalitions

Tuesdays, June 9, 16, 23, 30, July 7, 14, and 21

This 7-week series offers a unique interactive experience that provides participants an opportunity to learn more about the key organizational elements that assist coalitions of all types to operate efficiently and effectively. This series will have a special focus on coalitions that promote healthy youth development to reduce substance misuse and other related problem behaviors.

This 7-week series offers a unique interactive experience that provides participants an opportunity to learn more about the key organizational elements that assist coalitions of all types to operate efficiently and effectively. This series will have a special focus on coalitions that promote healthy...

05/22/2026

Margaret Kuklinksi to speak on Opportunities for Transformation Through Scalable Solutions at Webinar on Federal Research Investments in Whole Child Health and Wellbeing

The webinar takes place on Wednesday, June 24 from 10:00 – 5:00 EST

Children across the U.S. are facing serious challenges to their healthy development. The good news? Decades of research have shown us what works. Now it's time to talk about how to put it into practice — at scale, in communities, through smart federal investment.

This event brings together National Institutes of Health (NIH) leadership and leading child health experts to explore how a whole-child approach to health and well-being can help every child flourish.

Presented by the Decade of the Child Committee, with sponsors Nova Institute for Health, the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives, the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State, and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Alarming trends show U.S. children face growing health, academic, and social challenges, threatening future prosperity. This full-day webinar highlights evidence-based strategies and research to advance whole-child health, strengthen families and systems, and improve outcomes nationwide.

05/14/2026

SDRG Researchers to Present at SPR Conference in Washington, DC this month

A number of SDRG members will be presenting at this year’s annual meeting of the Society for Prevention Research this month. Please see our list of presentations for more information.

Address

4320 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Suite 700
Seattle, WA
98195

Website

https://depts.washington.edu/sdrg/

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