Substance Use and Close Relationships
I could be wrong, but I think a large percentage of people wonder if their family is normal, if they are normal, if their relationships are normal. I can’t answer all those questions with 100% certainty, but I can share with you what I know about relationships (mostly family relationships) and communication within them (which is kind of a lot). My research focuses on communication within and about our relationships, and how those conversations impact our well-being. More recently, I have been investigating the decisions people make about disclosing a family member’s substance use to someone outside of the family. What motivates people to disclose this sensitive family information? How does it impact the family unit? When does it benefit the person who disclosed the information? These are all questions I aim to help answer. These studies are conducted through survey research.
Health Message Effects
On the public health side of things, I am interested in what types of messages are most effective in dissuading harmful substance use, especially vaping. I am currently working with Dr. Jiaying Liu to better understand the motivations for vaping and how public service announcements (PSAs) can be used to reduce the use of electronic cigarettes in young adults. Vaping has maintained its popularity with young adults despite the health risks, so we are investigating how young adults react to different PSAs and if the PSAs help reduce vaping behaviors over time.
Want to Participate?
Do you want to participate in a research project? Follow the link below to find projects we are currently recruiting for. If you are interested in participating, just follow the link. If you have any questions about participating, follow the “Contact Me” link to send me an email.
