STUDENT RETENTION
This project longitudinally examines the stress experienced by first-year undergraduate students at Utah State University and the coping mechanisms they employ to manage living away from family for the first time, negotiating their identities, and succeeding at college.
ESTRANGEMENT
This line of research addresses the process, related-processes, and the experience of parent-child estrangement from the perspective of adult children and their immediate family members.
SEEKING SUPPORTIVE COMMUNICATION
Studies focusing on seeking supportive communication emphasize the ways individuals ask for help when they are distressed as well as the types of support they prefer, especially when confronted with health-related issues (e.g., post-partum depression, unintended pregnancy, etc.).
ADOPTIVE FAMILIES
This research focuses on the experiences of domestic adoption, foster adoption, open adoption, and adoption reunion from the perspectives of the adoption triad (birth mothers, adoptive parents, and adoptees) as well as agency practitioners.
MARGINALIZATION
This set of research projects uses interviews and surveys to uncover the process and dimensions of family marginalization, a chronically stressful position. Marginalized members are often called "black sheep" because they stand out from the rest of the group.
NETWORK ADVICE
This line of research aims to discover the influence of third party advice on dyadic relationships including how advisor characterstics such as expertise, liking, and similarity play a role in how advice is received and whether it is implemented.
OVERPARENTING
In conjunction with researchers at Purdue University and West Virginia Wesleyan, this project examines culture differences experienced by domestic and international undergraduate college students in regards to social support, belongingness, and their experiences with overparenting.
WOMEN IN TRADITIONALLY MALE CAREERS
Women in traditionally male careers face marginalization in the workplace and at home (from partners, family members, and other social network members). They also enact resilience in the face of these challenges. This research explores the marginalization experienced and the resilience enacted by women in traditionally male careers.
CURRENT PROJECTS
STUDENT PARENTS
This project aims to understand how student parents (students who are also parents) cope with stress and receive support from others for balancing school and parenthood with the ultimate goal of informing programs that help student parents succeed at college and parenting.
