Centre for Family Research

Centre for Family Research

1. Team Composition

The Centre for Family Research is a research unit comprised of members of the Department of Psychology at Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa, who hold academic and research positions:

  • Prof. Elżbieta Dryll, Ph.D.
  • Elżbieta Napora, Ph.D., Professor at Jan Długosz University
  • Alicja Kalus, Ph.D., Professor at Jan Długosz University
  • Andrzej Margasiński, Ph.D.
  • Elżbieta Kornacka-Skwara, Ph.D.
  • Julita Kielińska, M.A.

2. Objectives

The Centre for Family Research aims to conduct systematic studies on the modern family from developmental, socio-cultural, and clinical perspectives, as well as to work on the adaptation and creation of research tools. In designing these studies, an emphasis is placed on the need for internationalisation, achieved tharough collaboration with researchers from European and global research institutions. The Centre for Family Research is application-oriented, with findings utilised to develop family-oriented programmes in the researched areas. When designing empirical studies, particular attention is paid to recognising the needs of the modern family and socially significant phenomena relevant to family functioning. The application-oriented objectives are developed in close collaboration with the broader community.

3. Main Research Areas

The scientific studies on the family conducted by the Centre for Family Research closely align with the interests and prior publications of its members. As a newly established centre, it also embarks on studies within new and previously unexplored areas. Research is designed using insights from global literature on family studies, encompassing both theoretical models and the latest empirical findings.

Outlined below are the primary research areas of the Centre's permanent members:

Prof. Elżbieta Dryll, Ph.D. – her primary area of research is educational psychology, with a particular focus on the upbringing process within the family environment. Her latest research topic within family and educational psychology explores intergenerational transmission of life wisdom, part of a research series titled “Letter to a Grandchild.” Some studies in this series have already been published, while others are in preparation. This series is conducted in collaboration with researchers from the USA, Germany, and the Czech Republic and investigates cross-cultural differences in both the content and formulation of wisdom messages from seniors and the reception of these messages by younger generations. Another important area of Professor Dryll’s current research is related to general issues within the upbringing process. A significant publication outcome of this research was a special issue of the journal Educational Psychology, where Professor Dryll serves on the editorial board. While her studies have predominantly quantitative elements, recent works incorporate mixed methods, including semantic analysis of narratives – a method for examining written text.

Key publications:

  • Dryll, E. (2022). Kulturowe otoczenie sytemu rodzinnego: Spojrzenie wstecz. [The Cultural Context of the Family System: A Retrospective View.]. Psychologia Wychowawcza, 67(25), 66-87.http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.2331
  • Dryll, E. (2022). Rodzina w systemie społecznym: Klasyczne teorie i badania psychologii międzykulturowej. [The Family in the Social System: Classical Theories and Cross-Cultural Psychology Research.] Psychologia Wychowawcza, 66(24), 36-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.0963
  • Dryll, E., Cierpka, A., Małek, K. (2021). Psychologia narracyjna o mądrości miłości i cierpieniu. [Narrative Psychology on Wisdom, Love, and Suffering.] Warsaw: Liberi Libri.


Elżbieta Napora, Ph.D., Professor at Jan Długosz University - her primary research focuses on communication between mothers and adolescents and the involvement of grandparents in supporting youth within families of varied structures (two-parent and single-mother families). Her studies on single-mother families aim to identify similarities in their psychosocial functioning with that of two-parent families. They also investigate the conditions and expressions of sexuality among adolescents, as well as the family and personal factors influencing the psychosocial functioning of daughters and sons from single-parent families. A noteworthy aspect of her research examines parent-child relationships as correlates of a child's social attractiveness, a line of study with significant application potential. Current research focuses on validating a dependency model between grandparental support and adolescents’ social adaptation, mediated by resources within the single-mother family.

Key publications:

  • Napora, E. (2021). (Ed.), Niepokoje i nadzieje współczesnej rodziny. Teoria i praktyka. [Concerns and Hopes of the Modern Family. Theory and Practice.] Częstochowa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Humanistyczno – Przyrodniczego im. Jana Długosza.
  • Napora, E. (2019). Relacje w rodzinie samotnej matki. Znaczenie wsparcia od dziadków dla komunikowania się adolescentów z rówieśnikami. [Relationships in Single-Mother Families. The Importance of Grandparental Support for Adolescent Peer Communication.] Częstochowa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Humanistyczno – Przyrodniczego im. Jana Długosza.
  • Napora, E., Andruszkiewicz, A., Basińska, M. A. (2018). Types of Work-Related Behavior and Experiences and Stress Coping Strategies Among Single Mothers and Mothers in Relationships: The Differentiating Role of Work Satisfaction.International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 31(1), 55-69. DOI: 10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01052.


Alicja Kalus, Ph.D. Professor at Jan Długosz University - she focuses on family and human development studies from a health psychology perspective. Research interests include family studies in the perspective of health and illness psychology, human development, psychological issues related to infertility, psychological functioning of couples with experience of assisted reproduction and procreative loss, and psychology of the adoptive family. Current research projects include:

1.Dyadic Stress Coping in Various Family Contexts – conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University.

2.Parentification in Selected Family Systems – conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Psychology, University of Gdańsk.

3.Psychological Functioning of Couples with Assisted Reproductive Experience and Miscarriages

Dr. Kalus brings extensive practical experience with infertile couples and adoptive families.

Key publications:

  • Wendołowska, A., Kiełek-Rataj, E., Kalus, A., Czyżowska, D. (2022). Perceived Partner’s Self-Control and Social Support Effects on Relationship Satisfaction in Couples Experiencing In fertility or Miscarriage: Dyadic Analyses. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(4). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19041970.
  • Wendołowska, A., Kiełek-Rataj, E., Kalus, A., Czyżowska, D. (2021). The Effect of Depression and the Reframing Strategy on Satisfaction with Family Life in Infertile and Post-Miscarriage Couples: Dyadic Analyses. Fides et Ratio Quarterly Journal, 47(3), 150-173. DOI: 10.34766/fetr.v47i3.874.
  • Kiełek-Rataj, E., Wendołowska, A., Kalus, A., Czyżowska, D. (2020). Openness and Communication Effects on Relationship Satisfaction in Women Experiencing Infertility or Miscarriage: A Dyadic Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), (no. 5721), 1-20.DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17165721.

Elżbieta Kornacka-Skwara, PhD. - hwer research focuses on the psychological analysis of family systems experiencing challenging situations, such as families of unemployed, addicted, emigrant individuals, and the general security of the family unit. Her recent research project examined the psychological aspects of the sense of security in families living abroad.

Key publications:

  • Napora, E., Kornacka-Skwara, E. (2022). Komunikowanie się i prężność jako predyktory radzenia sobie ze stresem. Różnicująca rola wieku badanych adolescentów. [Communication and Resilience as Predictors of Coping with Stress: The Differentiating Role of Age in Adolescents.] Psychologia Wychowawcza, 25, 5–24. DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0016.3381.
  • Kornacka-Skwara, E. (2021). Obraz rodziny w rysunkach dziewcząt z rodzin z uzależnieniem – przed i podczas trwania pandemii COVID- 19. Implikacje do praktyki psychologicznej. [The Image of Family in Drawings by Girls from Families with Addiction – Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Implications for Psychological Practice.] In E. Napora (Ed.), Niepokoje i nadzieje współczesnej rodziny. Teoria i praktyka. [Concerns and Hopes of the Modern Family. Theory and Practice] (pp. 205-219). Częstochowa: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Humanistyczno – Przyrodniczego im. Jana Długosza.
  • Kornacka-Skwara, E. (2018). Znaczenie wyjazdów emigracyjnych Polaków dla bezpieczeństwa społecznego rodzin. [The Impact of Polish Emigration on Family Social Security.] In M. Marciniak (Ed.), Dylematy współczesnej obronności Polski. Pozamilitarne uwarunkowania obronności państwa. [Dilemmas of Contemporary Polish Defense: Non-Military Conditions of State Defense] (pp. 161-180). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek.

Andrzej Margasiński, Ph.D. - his research interests include addiction studies, with a particular emphasis on family systems affected by alcoholism, psychometric diagnosis of family members, psychopathology, and psychoprevention. In recent years, his research has also addressed attitudes towards homosexuality and the socio-anthropological implications of gender concepts.

Key publications:

  • Margasiński, A. (2018). Kwestionariusz do diagnozy Ról Rodzinnych. [Questionnaire for Diagnosing Family Roles.] Warsaw: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych.
  • Margasiński, A. (2011). Rodzina alkoholowa z uzależnionym w leczeniu. [The Alcoholic Family with a Dependent in Treatment.] Cracow: Wydawnictwo Impuls.
  • Margasiński, A. (2009). Skale Oceny Rodziny (SOR). Polska adaptacja FACES IV - Flexibility and Cohesion Evaluation Scales Davida H. Olsona. [Family Assessment Scales (FACES IV): The Polish Adaptation of David H. Olson's Flexibility and Cohesion Evaluation Scales.] Warsaw: Pracownia Testów Psychologicznych.

Julita Kielińska, M.A. – she completed her master’s thesis titled ‘Zakres identyfikacji społecznych a postawy wobec obywateli Ukrainy i wybaczanie międzygrupowe’ [‘The Scope of Social Identifications and Attitudes Towards Ukrainian Citizens and Intergroup Forgiveness’. [During her studies, she was a member of research teams at Jagiellonian University, participating in both national and international scientific projects. Her academic and professional interests are centered on clinical psychology, particularly concerning children and adolescents.

Key publications:

  • Legate, N., Nguyen, T.T., Weinstein, N., ... Kielińska, J. (2022). A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(22).
  • Kornacka-Skwara, E., Napora, E., Kielińska, J., Cabanova, V., Kocourkova, V. (2022). Obraz rodziny w międzykulturowych badaniach porównawczych studentów polskich i czeskich wykonanych Testem Rysunku Rodziny. [The Image of Family in Cross-Cultural Comparative Studies of Polish and Czech Students Using the Family Drawing Test.] In M. Kaźmierczak, A. Lewandowska-Walter (Eds.), Psychologia w służbie rodziny. [Psychology in the Service of the Family.] Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Difin.
  • Wang, K., Goldenberg, A., Dorison, C., … Kielińska, J. (2021). A Multi-Country Test of Brief Reappraisal Interventions on Emotions During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Nature Human Behaviour, 5(8), 1089–1110.

Head of the Centre: dr hab. Elżbieta Napora, prof. UJD

E-mail: e.napora@ujd.edu.pl

Tel.: +48  34 378 3192