Sufficient sleep associated with life satisfaction in parents, new study finds
New research findings from a multi-university research team that includes Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology and obstetrics and gynecology and associate director of the Social Science Research Institute at Penn State, show that for new and established parents getting sufficient sleep…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Give Insight on how to Improve School Safety and Prevent Mass Shootings
This month's Why Social Science Post is from NIJ Director Nancy La Vigne and BJS Director Alexis Piquero, who discuss what we know about ensuring school safety and what we can do to prevent mass shootings in schools.
This article was republished with permission from the Tampa Bay Times. Read the…
New grant continues Arctic research addressing climate change and communities
Climate change in the Arctic is evident as temperatures rise and Alaskan coastal Indigenous communities face severe, urgent, and complex social and infrastructural challenges. A collection of Penn State research in the region, being driven by social sciences and in collaboration with engineering…
Study finds white children more likely to be overdiagnosed for ADHD
A new study led by Paul Morgan, Harry and Marion Eberly Faculty Fellow and professor of education (educational theory and policy) and demography, and published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities, examines which sociodemographic groups of children are more likely to be overdiagnosed and…
NIH launches Bridge2AI program to expand the use of artificial intelligence in biomedical and behavioral research
The National Institutes of Health will invest $130 million over four years, pending the availability of funds, to accelerate the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the biomedical and behavioral research communities. The NIH Common Fund’s Bridge to Artificial Intelligence (Bridge2AI)…
Social Science Research Institute welcomes Jessica Ho as cofunded faculty member
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) recently announced new cofunded faculty member Jessica Ho, who will join the institute in the 2022-23 academic year.
Ho is an associate professor of sociology and demography and an associate of the Population Research Institute and comes to Penn…
Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction to Host Stigma Reduction Summit
The Consortium on Substance Use and Addiction (CSUA)’s will host the 2022 Summit on Substance Use Disorder Stigma Reduction at Penn State University on Sept. 22. The event will take place in-person from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at the HUB-Robeson Center located at the University Park Campus.…
Cancer, environment event to take place on Sept. 29
The Penn State Cancer Institute and the Institutes of Energy and the Environment (IEE) announced a Cancer and the Environment Symposium from 1–5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29 in the Energy and the Environment Laboratory. The event will be in-person with some of the presentations available via…
Researchers analyze costs of child sexual abuse prevention programs
Researchers at Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network analyzed the costs related to implementing a child sexual abuse (CSA) prevention program in schools in a new study. Regularly viewed as a human rights violation, public health experts estimate that 27% of females and 5% of males are…
SSRI welcome event Sept. 21
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) invites new social and biobehavioral faculty to meet SSRI faculty and affiliates and learn how SSRI can support their research on September 21, 3 – 5 p.m. at the Hintz Family Alumni Center.
The outdoor ice-cream social will include a brief…
Susan McHale retiring after 40 years of accomplished research and leadership
Susan McHale, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, is retiring after more than 40 years with Penn State.
McHale joined the department in 1980. Her research has focused on family roles, relationships, and activities, and their links with youth…
Stigma work by researchers showcased at Shatterproof’s Addiction Stigma Summit
Two faculty members at Penn State Berks, Jennifer Murphy, associate professor and chair of the criminal justice department, and Brenda Russell, professor of psychology, had their stigma work with students showcased at Shatterproof’s Stigma of Addiction Summit earlier this summer. Shatterproof is a…
REDCap Mobile App Now Available for Penn State Researchers
The REDCap Mobile App adds a new dimension to REDCap by providing users with a tool for offline data collection where internet connectivity is unavailable or unstable. Penn State research teams can now collect their data in a mobile app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. With REDCap…
NIH Common Fund's Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program Notices of Information and Intent to Publish
The newly launched NIH Common Fund’s Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) Program published a Notice of Information (NOT-RM-23-001) and a Notice of Intent to Publish (NOT-RM-23-002). These notices are intended to notify potential applicants about forthcoming funding…
Why Social Science? - Because It Can Explain the Conditions Needed to Pass Bipartisan Gun Legislation →
This month's Why Social Science Post comes from The Conversation, where Monica L. McDermott and David R. Jones examine how and why the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed now after three decades of unsuccessful attempts to pass gun reform legislation.
By Monika L. McDermott,…
Military sexual trauma more likely among veterans with adversity, trauma
Military Sexual Trauma (MST) is psychological trauma resulting from a physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment occurring while serving on active duty, active duty training, or inactive duty training in the military. Although a significant number of…
Penn State funds study of student mental health, well-being for five more years
The coronavirus pandemic has negatively affected the mental health of college students nationwide, according to recent studies. To better serve its own students, Penn State recently funded a five-year extension of a study with researchers at the University to gain further insight into its students…
SSRI welcomes new associate directors
The Social Science Research Institute (SSRI) at Penn State announces the addition of two new associate directors, Jennifer Glick and Shedra Amy Snipes.
Glick is the Arnold S. and Bette G. Hoffman Professor of Sociology and Criminology / Demography at Penn State, an SSRI cofunded faculty member, and…
The Americans Already Suffering Most From the Fall of Roe
SSRI cofund and CSA Director Guangqing Chi and Jessica Miller wrote this opinion peice for The Slate on limiting access to abortion increases social inequality and puts disproportionate burdens on women of lower income and minorities. Read more here.
SSRI welcomes new assistant director
Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute recently announced the appointment of Jennifer Sinibaldi as assistant director for the institute.
Sinibaldi comes to Penn State from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation. There, she…
In Rural America, Older Adult Vaccination Rates were Higher in Counties with More Aging and Disability Services
In this Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion research brief, PRI's Danielle Rhubart and Yue Sun describe how aging and disability services (ADS) played an important role for older adults in the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, including sharing information, providing transportation, and serving…
The Russia-Ukraine war will hurt millions in Central Asia. Here's why.
by Guangqing Chi and Erin Hofmann, For The Inquirer
The past three years haven’t been easy for Central Asian migrant workers in Russia like Murat and Aigul, a Kyrgyz couple who have worked in Moscow since 2018. In 2020, due to the pandemic lockdown in Moscow, the couple was confined for more than a…
Social Support Protected Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Jennifer Kowalkowski and Danielle C. Rhubart, The Pennsylvania State University
Social support can protect mental health from the stressors of life during times of widespread crisis, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from a national survey collected in early-2021, Jennifer Kowalkowski [SMM1…
Insecure: New study links tap water avoidance and food insecurity
Many Americans take tap water for granted. Water bills are often less expensive compared to people’s other bills, and tap water has been a part of most Americans’ lives since they were born. For nearly 61 million Americans, however, tap water is either unavailable or untrusted. New research from…
Abenaa Jones named Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor
Abenaa Jones, assistant professor of human development and family studies, has been named the Ann Atherton Hertzler Early Career Professor in Health and Human Development at Penn State.
Jones works to find solutions to complex, real-world problems, including substance use disorders, social and…