Biography
Quoted in recent media articles on appearance-related topics:
http://getmegiddy.com/bigorexia-muscle-dysmorphia
http://getmegiddy.com/dieting-hidden-dangers
http://getmegiddy.com/why-diets-wont-work
http://getmegiddy.com/body-image-ED-therapy
Selected awards, grants, patents, other honors
- Psychological and Social Sciences (PSS) Rubin Grants, 2008, 2013, 2020
- Chancellor's Grant, 2020
- Summer Faculty Fellowship, Penn State Abington, 2012, 2022
- Scholar Award, Penn State Abington, 2018
- Outstanding Research Fellowship, Penn State Abington, 2011
- Outstanding Teacher, Tenure Line, Penn State Abington, 2010
- Abington College Nominee, Eisenhower/Atherton/Alumni Award for Outstanding Teaching, 2011
Research Interests
Research Interests and Innovations
Body and appearance-related issues, including body image, body modification, and eating behavior.
The developmental periods of adolescence and emerging adulthood.
Publications
Understanding eating disorder symptoms in same-gender couples: Social environmental factors, Journal of Eating Disorders - 2023
Collaborators: Diane Rosenbaum, Co-Author; Kristin August, Author; Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Hormonal contraceptive use and women’s well-being: Links with body image, eating behavior, and sleep, Psychology, Health & Medicine - May, 2023
Collaborators: Diane Rosenbaum; Virginia Winter, Co-Author; Steven Bloomer, Co-Author
The effects of sleep on body image: Examining the roles of depression, perceived stress, and anxiety, The Journal of American College Health - March, 2023
Collaborators: Diane Rosenbaum; Steven Bloomer
Body image and mental health - 2022
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Dieting - 2022
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Weight bias - 2022
Collaborator: Diane Rosenbaum, Co-Author
Admiration for celebrities and belief in conspiracy theories, North American Journal of Psychology - 2022
Collaborators: Jeremy Grabbe, Author; Lynn McCutcheon, Co-Author; Marla Johnson, Co-Author; William Jenkins, Co-Author
Exploring the impact of age, relationship status, and gender on heterosexual men’s discussion of sexuality, Sexuality and Culture - 2022
Collaborators: Steven Henao, Co-Author; Elizabeth Montemurro, Co-Author
The importance of sleep and parity in understanding changes in weight and breastfeeding behavior among postpartum women, Appetite - 2022
Collaborators: Diane Rosenbaum; Charlotte Markey
Weight (mis)perceptions and sexual behavior among U.S. emerging adults, Emerging Adulthood - 2022
Collaborators: Virginia Winter; Antoinette Landor; Andrea Kennedy
Breastfeeding, body image, and weight control behavior among postpartum women, Body Image - April, 2021
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author; Diane Rosenbaum, Co-Author; Jamie Dunaev, Co-Author
Body image, weight management behavior, and women’s interest in cosmetic surgery, Psychology, Health, & Medicine - 2020
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Feeling let down: An investigation of breastfeeding expectations, appreciation of body functionality, self-compassion, and depression, Appetite - 2020
Collaborators: Diane Rosenbaum, Co-Author; Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Predictors of disordered weight loss behaviors among same-sex and opposite-sex romantic partners, Eating Behaviors - 2020
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey; Kristin August; Jamie Dunaev
Emerging adulthood - June, 2020
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
A review of research linking body image and sexual well-being, Body Image - 2019
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey
Body appreciation, anxiety, and depression among a racially diverse sample of women, Journal of Health Psychology - 2019
Collaborators: Virginia Winter; Laura Cahill; Aubrey Jones; Michaella Ward
Disconnection from nature and interest in mass media, Applied Environmental Education & Communication - 2019
Collaborators: Lynn McCutcheon; Mara Aruguete; Michael Bernstein
Reclaiming the joy of eating and striving for positive body image - March, 2019
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey; Elizabeth Daniels
Body positive: What we wish we knew back then - 2018
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey; Elizabeth Daniels
How your body image influences your sex life - 2018
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey
Becoming positive: Our growing understanding of positive body image - 2018
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author; Elizabeth Daniels, Co-Author
Body image - 2018
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Schadenfreude and sport celebrity worship, Journal of Studies in Social Sciences - 2018
Collaborators: Michael Bernstein, Co-Author; Jeanne Edman; Terence Leary; Lynn McCutcheon; William Jenkins
Associations between body appreciation and comfort communicating about sex: A brief report, Health Communication - 2017
Collaborators: Virginia Winter; Andrea Kennedy
Beauty and the burn: Tanning and other appearance-altering behaviors and attitudes, Psychology, Health, & Medicine - 2017
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Body appreciation, anxiety, and depression among a racially diverse sample of women, Journal of Health Psychology - 2017
Collaborators: Virginia Winter; Laura Cahill; Aubrey Jones; Michaella Ward
Body appreciation, interest in cosmetic enhancements, and need for uniqueness among U.S. college students, Body Image - 2017
Collaborator: Jamie Dunaev, Co-Author
Does "body talk" improve body satisfaction among same-sex couples?, Body Image - 2017
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey; Patrick Markey; Kristin August; Christopher Nave
Body image and mental health - 2016
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Dieting - 2016
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Additional psychometric data for the Mate Value Scale, Journal of Relationships Research - 2016
Collaborators: Brian Collisson; Michael Murtagh; Blaine Browne; Lynn McCutcheon, Author
Intimate relationships and attitudes toward celebrities, Interpersona: An International Journal on Personal Relationships. - 2016
Collaborators: Lynn McCutcheon, Co-Author; Blaine Browne; Brian Collisson; Michael Murtagh
Body image and identity: A call for new research - 2015
Collaborator: Elizabeth Daniels, Co-Author
Associations between positive body image and indicators of men’s and women’s mental and physical health, Body Image - 2015
Development and validation of the Muscle Pictorial Measure, Archives of Assessment Psychology - 2015
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Does tanness mean goodness? Perceptions of tan skin in hiring decisions, North American Journal of Psychology - 2015
Collaborator: Michael Bernstein, Co-Author
Sex rules: Emerging adults’ perceptions of gender’s impact on sexuality, Sexuality & Culture - 2015
Collaborators: Megan Maas, Co-Author; Cindy Shearer, Co-Author; Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
The role of religiousness and spirituality in the sexual lives of heterosexual emerging adults - 2014
Collaborators: Tara Stoppa, Author; Graciela Espinosa-Hernandez, Co-Author
Body image and HIV risk among college students, American Journal of Health Behavior - 2014
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
How gendered attitudes relate to women’s and men’s sexual behaviors and beliefs, Sexuality & Culture - 2014
Collaborators: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author; Cindy Shearer, Co-Author; Graciela Espinosa-Hernandez, Co-Author
The tan bias: Perceptions of tan and non-tan faces, Health Behavior and Policy Review - 2014
Collaborators: Rochelle Grant, Co-Author; Michael Bernstein, Co-Author
Does this profile picture make me look fat? Facebook and body image in college students, Psychology of Popular Media Culture - September, 2013
Collaborators: Christina Rutledge, Co-Author; Katherine Gillmor, Co-Author
How clothes make the woman immoral: Impressions given off by sexualized dress, Clothing and Textiles Research Journal - July, 2013
Collaborator: Elizabeth Montemurro, Co-Author
An examination of multiple aspects of body image in racially/ethnically diverse emerging adults, North American Journal of Psychology - March, 2013
Wrinkles and sagging flesh: Exploring transformations in women’s sexual body image, Journal of Women and Aging - January, 2013
Collaborator: Elizabeth Montemurro, Co-Author
The role of body image and depression in tanning behaviors and attitudes, Behavioral Medicine - July, 2012
Collaborator: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
Understanding men’s body image in the context of their romantic relationships, American Journal of Men’s Health - May, 2012
Collaborators: Laura Goins, Co-Author; Charlotte Markey, Co-Author
An examination of dieting behaviors among adults: Links with depression, Eating Behaviors - April, 2012
Collaborators: Charlotte Markey, Co-Author; Patrick Markey, Co-Author
Gender and racial/ethnic differences in body image development among college students, Body Image - January, 2012
Collaborator: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
Body size perceptions in racially/ethnically diverse men and women: Implications for body image and self-esteem, North American Journal of Psychology - December, 2011
Collaborator: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
The “freshman 15”: Trends and predictors in a sample of multiethnic men and women , Eating Behaviors - December, 2011
Collaborator: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
Putting the romance back into sex: Sexuality in romantic relationships - 2011
Collaborators: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author; Sara Vasilenko, Co-Author
Emerging adults’ perceptions of messages about physical appearance, Body Image - 2009
Collaborator: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
Does body image play a role in risky sexual behavior and attitudes?, Journal of Youth and Adolescence - 2006
Collaborators: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author; Cindy Shearer, Co-Author
Gender role development and body image among male and female first year college students, Sex Roles - 2006
Collaborator: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
'Sex is just a normal part of life:' Sexuality in emerging adulthood - 2005
Collaborator: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
Are traditional gender role attitudes associated with risky sexual behavior and attitudes about condom use? , Sex Roles - 2005
Collaborators: Cindy Shearer; Shelley Hosterman; Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author
Religiosity, sexual behaviors, and sexual attitudes during emerging adulthood, Journal of Sex Research - 2004
Collaborators: Eva Lefkowitz, Co-Author; Cindy Shearer; Tanya Boone
Education
Ph D, Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
MS, Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
BS, Human Development, Cornell University