Eva S. Lefkowitz, Ph.D.
1998, University of California, Los Angeles
S-110
Henderson
(814) 863-7005
EXL20@psu.edu
Research
Development during adolescence and emerging adulthood. My first area of interest involves development of attitudes, behaviors, and relationships during adolescence and emerging adulthood. I am particularly interested in the areas of sexual attitudes and behaviors, gender role development, romantic relationships, religiosity, ethnic identity, body image, and communication. Much of my past work in this area has focused on how mothers and adolescents communicate about sensitive topics, such as sexuality and AIDS. I have used videotaped interactions to code the extent to which mothers dominate these conversations, the positive and negative affect that mothers and adolescents express, and what topics are discussed. We have currently finished the fourth wave of a longitudinal study to examine how attitudes and behaviors change across the transition to college, for European American, African American, and Latino American young men and women. In particular, I am interested in the development and interrelationships of sexual attitudes and behaviors, gendered attitudes, romantic relationships, conversations with friends, involvement in campus activities, religious beliefs, ethnic identity, and body image. Participants completed surveys about these topics, and also participate in videotaped interactions with other college students. In addition, I am beginning a new study with Jennifer Maggs to examine the co-occurrence of alcohol use and sexual behaviors across the college years. Each semester, participants will complete surveys, daily diaries, and answer open-ended questions about their experiences. Undergraduate and graduate students who work on these projects are involved in all aspects of research, including data collection, data scoring, coding of videotaped interactions and open-ended data, data analysis, and report writing.
Relationships between adults and their parents. I am collaborating with Karen Fingerman (of Purdue University) to examine how adults and their parents communicate. In this work, we are also examining the extent to which parents dominate conversations, and the positive and negative affect expressed. We collected questionnaire, interview, and videotaped data on a group of mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters to address these issues. Of particular interest are: (1) how communication may differ depending on the gender of the parents and offspring; (2) differences between parents and offspring; (3) how changes in conversational topic (e.g., positive versus negative topics) will affect changes in verbal and nonverbal communication; (4) how self-reported communication differs from observed communication. Students involved on this project can use videotaped data to address their own research questions.
Education
- Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 1990, B.A., Psychology
- University of California, Los Angeles, 1993, M.A., Psychology
- University of California, Los Angeles, 1998, Ph.D., Developmental Psychology
Honors and Awards
- NIMH Health Psychology Traineeship, 1993-1995
- NIMH National Research Science Award, 1995-1997
- Department of Psychology Dissertation Year Award, 1997
Research and Professional Experience
- 1990-1992: Research Assistant, Simmons College School of Social Work, Boston, MA
- 1993-1998: Graduate Student Researcher, University of California, Los Angeles
- 1998-2004: Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
- 2004-present: Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA
Research Grants
- 2001 - 2006: "Gender Role Development and HIV Risk in Emerging Adulthood" National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
- 2001 - 2006: "Problems between parents and offspring
in adulthood"
With Karen Fingerman of Purdue University
National Institute of Aging - 2003 - 2004 "The Transition to Adulthood in China"
Children, Youth and Families Consortium, Pennsylvania State University - 2006 - 2011: Alcohol Use and Sex in College: Developmental Change and Situational Fluctuations. National Institutes of Health (Co-investigator).
Publications
- Reinherz, H. Z., Giaconia, R. M., Lefkowitz, E. S., Pakiz, B., & Frost, A. K. (1993). Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in a community population of older adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 369-377.
- Reinherz, H. Z., Giaconia, R. M., Pakiz, B., Silverman, A. B., Frost, A. K., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (1993). Psychosocial risks for major depression in late adolescence: a longitudinal community study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 32, 1155-1162.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Kahlbaugh, P., & Sigman, M. D. (1996). Turn-taking in mother-adolescent conversations about sexuality and conflict. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 25, 307-321.
- Kahlbaugh, P., Lefkowitz, E. S., Sigman, M., & Valdez, P. (1997). The affective nature of mother-adolescent communication concerning sexuality and conflict. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 7, 221-239.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Kahlbaugh, P., Au, T. K., & Sigman, M. (1998). A longitudinal study of mother-adolescent AIDS conversations. AIDS Education and Prevention, 10, 351-365.
- Frost, A. K., Reinherz, H. Z., Pakiz-Camras, B., Giaconia, R. M., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (1999). Risk factors for depressive symptoms in late adolescence: A longitudinal community study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 69, 370-381.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Romo, L., Corona, R., Au, T. K., & Sigman, M. (2000). How Latino-American and European-American adolescents discuss conflicts, sexuality, and Aids with their mothers. Developmental Psychology, 36, 315-325.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Sigman, M. D., & Au, T. K. (2000). Helping mothers discuss sexuality and AIDS with adolescents. Child Development, 71, 1383-1394.
- Romo, L. F., Lefkowitz, E. S., Sigman, M., Au, T. K. (2001). A longitudinal study of maternal messages about dating and sexuality and their influence on Latino adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2, 72-82.
- Lefkowitz, E. S. (2002). Beyond the yes-no question: Measuring parent-child communication about sexual topics. In S. S. Feldman, & D. A. Rosenthal (Eds). New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 97, Talking sexuality: Parent-adolescent communication (pp. 43-56). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Boone, T. L., Sigman, M. D., & Au, T. K. (2002). He said, she said: Gender differences in self-reported and observed conversations about sexuality. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 12, 217-242.
- Romo, L. F., Lefkowitz, E. S., Sigman, M., Au, T. K. (2002). A longitudinal study of maternal messages about dating and sexuality and their influence on Latino adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 59-69.
- Boone, T. L., Lefkowitz, E. S., Romo, L. F., Corona, R., Sigman, M., & Au, T. K. (2003). Mothers' and adolescents perceptions of AIDS vulnerability. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 347-354.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Boone, T. L., Au, T. K., & Sigman, M. (2003). No sex or safe sex? Mothers' and adolescents' discussions about abstinence and safer sex. Health Education Research, 18, 341-351.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (2003). Positive and negative emotional feelings and behaviors in mother-daughter ties in late life. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 607 - 617.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Boone, T. L., & Shearer, C. L. (2004). Communication with best friends about sex-related topics during emerging adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 339-351.
- Boone, T. L., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2004). Safer sex and the Health Belief Model: Considering the contributions of peer norms and socialization factors. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 16, 51 - 68.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., Gillen, M. M., Shearer, C. L., & Boone, T. L. (2004). Religiosity, sexual behaviors, and sexual attitudes during emerging adulthood. Journal of Sex Research, 41, 150 - 159.
- Corona , R.A., Lefkowitz, E. S., Sigman, M., & Romo, L. F. (2005). Latino American adolescents' adjustment, maternal depressive symptoms, and the mother-adolescent relationship. Family Relations, 54, 386-399.
- Shearer, C. L., Hosterman, S. J., Gillen, M. M, & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2005). Are traditional gender roles associated with risky sexual behavior and attitudes about condom use? Sex Roles, 52, 311-324.
- Lefkowitz, E. S. (2005). "Things have gotten better": Developmental changes among emerging adults after the transition to university. Journal of Adolescent Research, 20, 40-63.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., & Gillen, M. M. (2005). "Sex is just a normal part of life": Sexuality in emerging adulthood. Arnett, J. J., & Tanner, J. L. (Eds.). Emerging adults in America: Coming of age in the 21st century (pp. 235-255). Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., & Stoppa, T. M. (2006). Positive sexual communication and socialization in the parent-adolescent context. In L. M. Diamond (Ed.), New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Rethinking positive adolescent female sexual development, 112 (pp. 39-55). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Fingerman, K. F., Chen, P. C., Hay, E., Cichy, K. E., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2006). Psychological aspects of intergenerational ambivalence. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Science, 61B, 152-160.
- Gillen, M. G., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2006). Gender role development and body image among male and female first year college students. Sex Roles, 55, 25-37.
- Gillen, M. M., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Shearer, C. L. (2006). Associations between body image and risky sexual behavior. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 35, 230-242.
- Cichy, K. E., Fingerman, K. L., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2007). Age differences in types of interpersonal tensions. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 64, 171-193.
- Lefkowitz, E. S., & Espinosa-Hernandez, G. (2007). Sex-related communication with mothers and close friends during the transition to university. Journal of Sex Research, 44, 17-27.
- Nadeem, E., Romo, L. F., Sigman, M., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Au, T. K. (2007). The validity of observational measures in detecting optimal maternal communication styles: Evidence from European Americans and Latinos. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 17, 153-168.
- Boone, T. L., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (in press). Mother-adolescent health communication: Are all conversations created equally? Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
- Cichy, K. E., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (in press). Generational differences in gender attitudes between parents and grown offspring. Sex Roles.
- Hay, E. L., Fingerman, K. L., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (in press). the experience of worry in parent-adult offspring relationships. Personal Relationships