School of Education

I am an Associate Professor of Counseling & Educational Psychology in the School of Education with dual appointments in Counseling Psychology and Human Development. I received my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Virginia in 2004, after which I completed a NIAAA-funded postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric genetic epidemiology at Washington University School of Medicine, where I maintain an adjunct appointment in Psychiatry.

My research interests include family formation and dissolution risks associated with substance use and substance use disorder (SU/D), with a focus on alcohol and alcoholism. Working from an intergenerational life course perspective, I examine how SU/D impacts timing and stability of reproductive (parenting) relationships. I also study risks for related outcomes in children (e.g., initiation of substance use, onset of sexual behavior and reproduction). Student projects under my mentorship include studies of: timing of first drink and of first sex and childbirth; childhood weight status and ages at first substance use and first sex; offspring outcomes associated with parental divorce or death and predictors of parental remarriage.

Note: I not accepting master's or doctoral students for the 2023-2024 academic year. For questions about the Human Development program, contact Dr. Charlotte Agger (cagger@indiana.edu). For questions about the Counseling Psychology program, contact Dr. Lynn Gilman (lygilman@indiana.edu).