J. Douglas Coatsworth, Ph.D.

Ph. D., University of Minnesota, 1991

Associate Professor of Human Development

Contact Information

211F Henderson South
Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802

(814) 865-5259

Research

My research focuses broadly on aspects of risk and resilience and the development of competence in adolescence and emerging adulthood. I am particularly interested in how family-focused interventions promote competence and well-being and prevent problem behavior during these age periods. My current research falls into three general areas.

First, I work on developing and evaluating family-focused interventions. Currently, I am collaborating with Mark Greenberg and a former graduate student, Larissa Duncan, to test an adapted version of the Strengthening Families program. Our adaptation integrates new activities for parents that draw on the concept of “mindfulness.” Mindfulness interventions frequently draw from eastern meditation and contemplative practices and have been used effectively to treat depression, substance abuse, and a variety of stress-related physical and psychological conditions. Our efforts apply mindfulness principles and interventions within a preventive intervention to teach parents how to deal more effectively with daily stressful situations, especially in their relationships with their adolescents. A pilot test of the intervention produced promising effects and we plan to test the intervention in a larger trial.

A second line of research investigates the relations of youth activity participation and identity development. Drawing on a discovery approach to identity development, we are studying how the various extracurricular and instrumental activities in which adolescents and youth participate provide feelings of personal expressiveness, flow, and goal-directed behavior. We are trying to understand how families and communities promote activity involvement for their youth and the extent to which parents actively facilitate and support their youths’ identity exploration through activities.

A third line of my research studies the extent to which athletics can be used as a context for positive youth development. In collaboration with Dr. David Conroy in Kinesiology, we are testing a brief coach-training workshop as a means for enhancing the sport context and promoting youth social development. So far, we have conducted two brief trials to test whether training coaches does enhance youth sport experiences and the mechanisms of those effects.

Education

A.B., 1983, Psychology and Social Relations Ph. D., Harvard College, Cambridge MA
Ph.D., 1991, Clinical Psychology/Child Development University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Post-doctoral, 1991-1994, Prevention Science, Arizona State University Training, Tempe, AZ

Professional Experience

September 2006 - Present, Professor-in-Charge, HDFS undergraduate program.
July 2006 - Present, Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies
August 2000 - June 2006, Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies and Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
May 1994 - July 2000, Research Assistant Professor, Co-Director of the Prevention Research Branch, Center for Family Studies, University of Miami School of Medicine
June 1991 - April 1994, Post Doctoral Fellow, Preventive Intervention Research Center, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

Honors and Awards

2001: Early Career Preventionist Award from the Society for Prevention Research
2003: Outstanding Research Publication Award from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy for the article: Coatsworth, J. D., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2002). Familias Unidas: A family-centered ecodevelopmental intervention to reduce risk for conduct problems and substance use among Hispanic adolescents. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 5, 113-132.
2005: Evelyn R. Saubel Faculty Award, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University.
2006: Health and Human Development Excellence in Teaching Award.
2008: President's Award for Engagement with Students

Selected Publications

Masten, A. S., & Coatsworth, J. D. (1995). Competence, resilience, and psychopathology. In D. Cicchetti and D. Cohen (Eds.) Manual of Developmental Psychopathology, 2, 715-752.
Masten, A. S., Coatsworth, J. D., Neemann, J., Gest, S. D., Tellegen, A., & Garmezy, N. (1995). The structure and coherence of competence from childhood to adolescence. Child Development, 66, 1635-1659.
Coatsworth, J. D., Szapocznik, J., Kurtines, W., & Santisteban, D. A. (1997). Culturally competent psychosocial interventions with antisocial problem behavior in Hispanic youth. In D. M. Stoff, J. Breiling, & J. D. Maser (Eds.) Handbook of antisocial behavior (pp. 395-404). John Wiley and Sons: New York.
Santisteban, D. A., Coatsworth, J. D., Perez-Vidal, A., Mitrani, V., Jean-Gilles, M., & Szapocznik, J. (1997). Brief structural strategic family therapy with African American and Hispanic high risk youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 25, 453-471.
Masten, A. S. & Coatsworth, J. D. (1998) The development of competence in favorable and unfavorable environments: Lessons from research on successful children. American Psychologist, 53, 205-220.
Szapocznik, J., & Coatsworth, J. D. (1999). An Ecodevelopmental Framework for Organizing Risk and Protection for Drug Abuse: A Developmental Model of Risk and Protection. In M. Glantz, & C. R. Hartel (Eds.) Drug Abuse: Origins and Interventions (pp. 331-366). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Wolchik, S. A., West, S. G. Sandler, S. N., Tein, J., Coatsworth, D., Lengua, L., Weiss, L., Anderson, E. R., Greene, S. M., & Griffin, W. A. (2000). An experimental evaluation of theory-based mother and mother-child programs for children of divorce. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68 , 843-856.
Perrino, T. Coatsworth, J. D., Briones, E., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2001). Initial engagement to parent-centered prevention interventions: A family systems perspective. Journal of Primary Prevention, 22, 21-44.
Coatsworth, J. D., Santisteban, D. A., McBride, C. K., & Szapocznik, J. (2001). Brief Strategic family therapy versus community control: Engagement, retention and an exploration of the moderating role of adolescent symptom severity. Family Process, 40, 313-332.
Coatsworth, J. D., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2002). Familias Unidas: A family-centered ecodevelopmental intervention to reduce risk for conduct problems and substance use among Hispanic adolescents. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 5, 113-132.
Coatsworth, J. D., Pantin, H., McBride, C. K., Briones, E., & Szapocznik, J. (2002). Ecosystemic predictors of behavior problems in young Hispanic females. Applied Developmental Science, 6 , 126-143.
Santisteban, D. A., Coatsworth, J. D, Perez-Vidal, A., Kurtines, W.M., Schwartz, S., Laperriere, A., & Szapocznik, J (2003). The efficacy of brief strategic structural family therapy in modifying Hispanic adolescent behavior problems and substance abuse. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 121-133.
Pantin, H., Coatsworth, J. D., Feaster, D. J., Newman, F. L., Briones, E., Prado, G., & Szapocznik, J. (2003). Familias Unidas: The efficacy of an intervention to increase parental investment in Hispanic immigrant families. Prevention Science, 4, 189- 201.
Pantin, H. Schwartz, S., Sullivan, S., Coatsworth, J. D., & Szapocznik, J. (2003). Preventing substance abuse in Hispanic immigrant adolescents: An ecodevelopmental, parent-centered approach. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 25, 469-500.
Conroy, D. E., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2004). The effects of coach training on fear of failure in youth swimmers: A latent growth curve analysis from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 25, 193-214.
Roisman, G. I., Masten, A. S., Coatsworth, J. D., & Tellegen, A. (2004). Salient and emerging developmental tasks in the transition to adulthood. Child Development, 75, 123-133.
Conroy, D. E., Coatsworth, J. D., & Fifer, A. M. (2005). Testing dynamic relations between perceived competence and fear of failure in young athletes. European Review of Applied Psychology, 26, 99-110.
Coatsworth, J. D., Maldonado-Molina, M., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2005). A person-centered and ecological investigation of acculturation strategies in Hispanic immigrants. Journal of Community Psychology, 33,157-174.
Coatsworth, J. D, Sharp, E. H., Palen, L., Darling, N., Cumsille, P., & Marta, E. (2005). Exploring adolescent self-defining activities and identity experiences across three countries. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 29 , 361-370.
Coatsworth, J. D., & Conroy, D. E. (2006). Athletics. In N. J. Salkind (Ed.). Encyclopedia of Human Development (Vol. 1, pp. 124-126). Thousand Oaks CA: Sage.
Coatsworth, J. D., & Conroy, D. E. (2006). Enhancing the Self Esteem of Youth Swimmers through Coach Training: Gender and Age Effects. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 7, 173-192.
Coatsworth, J. D., Duncan, L., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2006). Patterns of retention in a preventive intervention with Hispanic and African American families. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 27, 171-193.
Coatsworth, J. D., Duncan, L., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2006). Differential predictors of African American and Hispanic parent retention in a family focused preventive intervention. Family Relations, 55, 240-251.
Coatsworth, J. D., Duncan, L., Pantin, H., & Szapocznik, J. (2006). Classifying retention patterns in a preventive intervention for ethnic minority families: The quality of group process. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 27 367-389.
Conroy, D. E., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2006). Coach training as a strategy for promoting youth social development. The Sport Psychologist, 20, 128-144.
Conroy, D. E., Kaye, M. P, & Coatsworth, J. D. (2006) Coaching climates and the destructive effects of mastery-avoidance achievement goals on situational motivation. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 28, 69-92.
Masten, A. S., Burt, K., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2006). Competence and psychopathology. In D. Cicchetti and D. Cohen (Eds.) Developmental psychopathology, Vol 3, Risk, disorder and psychopathology (2nd ed.) (pp. 696-738). New York: Wiley.
Conroy, D. E., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2007). Assessing autonomy-supportive coaching strategies in youth sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 8, 671-684.
Conroy, D. E., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2007). Coaching behaviors associated with changes in fear of failure: Changes in self-talk and need satisfaction as potential mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 75, 383-419.
Conroy, D. E., Coatsworth, J. D., & Kaye, M. P. (2007). Consistency of fear of failure score meanings in 8-18 year old female athletes. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 67, 300-310.
Conroy, D. E., Elliot, A. J., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2007). Competence motivation in sport and exercise: Links between the hierarchical model of achievement motivation and self-determination theory. In M. Hagger & N. Ntoumanis (Eds.), Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in exercise and sport (pp. 181-192). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Palen, L. A., & Coatsworth, J. D. (2007). Activity-based identity experiences and their relations to problem behavior and psychological well-being in adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 30, 721-737.
Pantin, H., Schwartz, S. J., Coatsworth, J. D., Briones, E., & Szapocznik, J. (2007). Familias Unidas: A systemic, parent-centered approach to preventing problem behavior in Hispanic adolescents. In P. H. Tolan, J. Szapocznik, & S. Sambrano (Eds.), Preventing substance abuse: Science-based programs for children and adolescents (pp. 211-238). Washington, DC: APA Press.
Sharp, E. H., Coatsworth, J. D., Darling, N., Cumsille, P., & Ranieri, S. (2007). Gender differences in the self-defining activities and identity experiences of adolescents and emerging adults. Journal of Adolescence, 30, 251-269.
Schwartz, S. J., Coatsworth, J. D., Pantin, H., Prado, G., Sharp, E. H., & Szapocznik, J. (2007). The role of ecodevelopmental context and self-concept in depressive and externalizing symptoms in Hispanic adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 30, 359-370.
Coatsworth, J. D., & Conroy, D. E. (in press). Youth sports as a component of afterschool programs. New Directions for Youth Development.

Penn State University