UAlbany student teams with faculty mentor to study the effects of family violence

	Jennifer Higgins and Elana Gordis

Research is a vital part of the University at Albany undergraduate experience. Research stimulates critical thinking, encourages experimentation and promotes intellectual accomplishment. Abundant opportunities exist for students to partner with faculty researchers in a variety of disciplines—from the arts to the social sciences to the nanoscale sciences. Here is one such example:

	Jennifer Higgins

Jennifer Higgins
East Syracuse, NY
University Scholars Program
Psychology major / business minor
Professional goals: graduate school for industrial organizational psychology
Quote: This research project gave me a chance to work with a professor in the psychology department and to do hands-on research that will be useful in my future career.

	Elana Gordis

Elana Gordis, faculty mentor
Department of Psychology
Elana Gordis' research examines the effects of family violence and child maltreatment on children's adjustment. Through a prestigious career development award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, she investigated how child maltreatment affects adolescent psychophysiology and aggressive behavior in maltreated youth. She earned her B.A. in chemistry from Yale University and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Southern California.

Jennifer's Research Project:
Family Violence Exposure and Later Adjustment: Role of the Physiological Response to Interpersonal Stress
Exposure to family violence and child maltreatment are linked to a variety of adjustment difficulties, such as aggression, delinquency, and depression. Professor Gordis' research examines the role that alterations in behavioral and physiological responses to interpersonal stress play in the effects of violence exposure. We studied behavioral responses, autonomic nervous system activity, and adrenocortical activity to see if functioning in these systems is related to the trauma of exposure to family violence. Further, we examined whether alterations in these systems mediate mental health outcomes.

 

Related Links:
Research >>
University Scholars >>
Department of Psychology >>
School of Business >>