Current Projects
Below is a list of current and ongoing projects. If you are a student interested in participating in the undergraduate student mentoring research lab, please email me to schedule an appointment.
Current and Ongoing
College Students Attitudes Towards Mental Health and Seeking Psychotherapy. This qualitative project relies on focus groups to examine college students’ perceptions of seeking therapy on campus and their understanding of what mental and emotional health is and how they prioritize it in their lives.
Men, Masculinity, and Health. This project examines men’s attitudes towards masculinity and its associations with physical and psychological health behaviors, including help seeking. One line of research has focused on how dimensions of masculinity are associated with key aspects of attitudes towards seeking out mental health services. Other studies have/will focus on (a) psychological help-seeking among male athletes and the influence of masculinity and athletic identity, (b) relationship of masculinity to health promoting and risk behaviors, (c) concerns about sexual orientation and its influence on health-related attitudes and behaviors, and (d) relationship between men’s body image and health behaviors. This project is partially funded by the Elise Elliott Faculty-Student Enrichment fund and the Pacific Research Institute for Science and Mathematics (PRISM).
Campus Climate Study. This is 3-year cross-sectional study examining perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate students about their experiences in college. One area has focused on perceptions and attitudes of racial/ethnic minority students and another area has focused on student involvement in diversity programming related to sex/gender, disability, race/ethnicity, social class, etc. and the role and influence of diversity programming participation on campus climate. This project is partially funded by the Elise Elliott Faculty-Student Enrichment fund, the Pacific Research Institute for Science and Mathematics (PRISM), and a 2014 Mamie Phipps Research Award from Psi Chi International Honors Society for research on racial/ethnic minority issues.
Completed and Working on Manuscripts
Gender Stereotypes and Health-Related Attitudes and Behaviors. This experimental study examines the effects of priming gender stereotypes on reports of health behaviors in both male and female participants.
Psychosocial Functioning and Well-being of Latina Women in ESPERE. This multi-year study is a campus-community collaboration with Adelante Mujeres to examine baseline and changes in psychosocial functioning of Latina women enrolled in the ESPERE program. ESPERE provides a multi-session, comprehensive psycho-educational intervention for low-income Latina women aimed at providing culturally-sensitive services using a strength-based approach to promote health and well-being individually and in their families. The research focuses on physical and psychological health associated with victimization, conflict resolution strategies, as well as key constructs from positive psychology (e.g., hope, self-efficacy, forgiveness) to reflect the programmatic theory.
Risk and Resiliency Factors Associated with Women’s Recidivism. The projects examines various risk and resiliency factors of incarcerated women’s and effects on recidivism using a pathway and ecological framework.
Mentoring Women in Prison. This study was a mixed method evaluation of a community mentoring program for women in prison relying primarily on focus groups conducted separately with mentees and community mentors to examine key aspects of the mentoring relationship over time (e.g., during and after incarceration), successful features of mentors, and relevance of the program to both mentors and mentees.
Effects of Stereotypic Perceptions of the Homeless and Contact on Prosocial Behavior. This project examines the the influence of social perceptions about who is homeless (e.g., race, gender, age, veteran status) and contact with the homeless on willingness to support civil liberties, provide financial support to homeless organizations, or vote for legislation to assist the homeless.
Past Project Involvement
Below is a list of additional projects I have been involved in over the past decade reflecting topics associated with health and well-being as it pertains to gender, social psychology, and community psychology.
Community Research on Tobacco Control. This project was part of a collaboration between the RI Department of Health, Community Research and Services Team at the University of Rhode Island, and several community organizations representing racial/ethnic minority groups focused on tobacco control efforts across the state.
Houses of Healing Program for Women in Prison. This work examined effectiveness of the Houses of Healing program for currently incarcerated women.
Healthcare Services for Women Veterans. This work examined providers, staff, and administration attitudes and perceptions of women veterans. A second project examined women veteran’s concerns and barriers towards seeking health care services.
Psychosocial Functioning in Repatriated Prisoners of War from Vietnam. This relied on secondary data collected over several decades to investigate risk and protective factors associated with short-term and long-term physical and psychological health and functioning.
College Students Attitudes Towards Mental Health and Seeking Psychotherapy. This qualitative project relies on focus groups to examine college students’ perceptions of seeking therapy on campus and their understanding of what mental and emotional health is and how they prioritize it in their lives.
Men, Masculinity, and Health. This project examines men’s attitudes towards masculinity and its associations with physical and psychological health behaviors, including help seeking. One line of research has focused on how dimensions of masculinity are associated with key aspects of attitudes towards seeking out mental health services. Other studies have/will focus on (a) psychological help-seeking among male athletes and the influence of masculinity and athletic identity, (b) relationship of masculinity to health promoting and risk behaviors, (c) concerns about sexual orientation and its influence on health-related attitudes and behaviors, and (d) relationship between men’s body image and health behaviors. This project is partially funded by the Elise Elliott Faculty-Student Enrichment fund and the Pacific Research Institute for Science and Mathematics (PRISM).
Campus Climate Study. This is 3-year cross-sectional study examining perceptions and attitudes of undergraduate students about their experiences in college. One area has focused on perceptions and attitudes of racial/ethnic minority students and another area has focused on student involvement in diversity programming related to sex/gender, disability, race/ethnicity, social class, etc. and the role and influence of diversity programming participation on campus climate. This project is partially funded by the Elise Elliott Faculty-Student Enrichment fund, the Pacific Research Institute for Science and Mathematics (PRISM), and a 2014 Mamie Phipps Research Award from Psi Chi International Honors Society for research on racial/ethnic minority issues.