Susan Silverberg Koerner Ph.D.
Professor
Fitch Nesbitt Professor of Family and Consumer Sciences
Division of Family Studies and Human Development
Affiliated Faculty Member, Gerontology Program
Courtesy Appointment in Department of Psychology
ssilver@ag.arizona.edu
Scholarly Interests and Activities
Selected Publications
Courses
Curriculum Vitae
[MAILING ADDRESS]
PO Box 210033
Tucson, AZ 85721-0078
[CAMPUS ADDRESS]
Family and Consumer Sciences Bldg.
650 N Park Ave Tucson, AZ 85721-0078
Phone: (520) 621-1691 Fax: (520) 621-3401
Email: ssilver@ag.arizona.edu
Scholarly Interests and Activities
At present I am pursuing two branches of research - one that focuses on emotional and physical stress reactivity among adults who are caregiving for elderly family members, and another that focuses on the post-divorce mother-adolescent relationship and adolescent adjustment. I am a frequent participant at the meetings of both the Gerontological Society of America and the Society for Research on Adolescence, and have incorporated both quantitative and qualitative data in my research endeavors.
Daily Understanding of Caregivers Study (DUCS) - Although many researchers have investigated the link between caregiving for the elderly and heightened mental and/or physical health problems among caregivers, we know little about how the day-to-day variations in the caregiving experience are linked to fluctuations in the well-being of individuals (i.e., we know little about individual patterns of reactivity to this potentially stressful circumstance). In my current research, we are using a daily assessment design to examine these patterns and to determine whether factors such as gender, personality, and beliefs about caregiving moderate the link between the daily caregiving experience and caregiver well-being.
Post-Divorce Mother-Adolescent Transitions Study - Another rich data set that I continue to pursue focuses on the quality of mother-adolescent relationships in the wake of divorce. Of special interest have been the extent, meaning, and mental/behavioral health implications of mother-to-adolescent communication about sensitive topic areas (e.g., financial concerns, anger felt toward the adolescent's father/the ex-husband). This longitudinal research project follows a family systems perspective and features a combination of quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analyses. We have followed some of the mother-adolescent dyads as they experience the re-partnering (e.g., remarriage) of the mother.
Mentor for Graduate Student Research - I work closely with the graduate students whom I have advised on a variety research projects. Example research topics include: the roles of social support and mastery in caregivers’ feelings of gain; care-recipient resistance during ADL and IADL assistance; hopes and worries about marriage among adolescents following a parental divorce; financial distress after divorce and adolescent well-being; adolescent women's sports involvement and sexual behavior/health; how judges' understanding of child development enters into their decision-making in contested custody cases young women's safe sex experiences in committed relationships, and adolescents' views of adulthood.
Koerner, S. S., & Kenyon, D. B. (2007). Understanding good days and bad days: Emotional and physical reactivity among caregivers for elder relatives. Family Relations, 56, 1-11.
Shirai, Y., Koerner, S. S., & Kenyon, D. B. (in press). Reaping caregiver feelings of gain: The roles of socio-emotional support and mastery. Aging and Mental Health.
Kenyon, D. B., Rankin, L. A., Koerner, S. S., & Dennison, R. P. (2007). What makes an adult? Examining descriptions from adolescents of divorce. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 813-823.
Koerner, S. S., Kenyon, D. B., & Rankin, L. A. (2006). Growing up faster? Post-divorce catalysts in the mother-adolescent relationship. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 45 (3/4), 25-41.
Dennison, R. P., & Koerner, S. S. (2006). Interparental conflict and adolescents' attitudes about marriage: Influence of maternal disclosures and adolescent gender. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 45 (1/2), 31-50.
Koerner, S. S., Wallace, S. R., Lehman, S. J. Lee, S., & Escalante, K. A. (2004). Sensitive mother-to-adolescent disclosures after divorce: Is the experience of sons different from that of daughters? Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 46-57.
Koerner, S.S., Rankin, L. A., Kenyon, D. B., & Korn, M. (2004). Mothers re-partnering after divorce: Diverging perceptions of mothers and adolescents. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 41, 25-38.
Lehman, S.J., Koerner, S.S. (2004). Adolescent women's sports involvement and sexual behavior/health: A process-level investigation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 443-455.
Wallace, S.R., & Koerner, S. S. (2003). Decisions of child custody: How does the understanding of child development enter into judicial decision-making? Family Relations, 52, 180-188.
Koerner, S. S., Wallace, S., Lehman, S. J., & Raymond, M. (2002). Mother-to-daughter disclosure after divorce: A double-edged sword? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 11, 469-483.
Lehman, S. J., & Koerner, S. S. (2002). Family financial hardship and adolescent girls' adjustment: The role of maternal disclousure of financial concerns. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 48, 1-24.
Koerner (Silverberg), S., Jacobs, S., & Raymond, M. (2000). When mothers turn to their adolescent daughters: Predicting daughters' vulnerability to negative adjustment outcomes. Family Relations, 49, 301-309.
Silverberg, S. B., Vaszonyi, A., Schlegel, A., & Schmidt, S. (1998). Adolescent apprentices in Germany: Adult attachment, job expectations, and delinquency attitudes. Journal of Adolescent Research, 13, 254-271.
Gondoli, D., & Silverberg, S. B. (1997). Maternal emotional distress and diminished responsiveness: The mediating role of parenting efficacy and parental perspective-taking. Developmental Psychology, 33, 861-868.
Silverberg, S. B. (1996). Parents' well-being and their children's transition to adolescence. In C. Ryff & M. Seltzer (Eds.), The parental experience in midlife (pp. 215-254). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Silverberg, S. B., & Gondoli, D. (1996). Autonomy in adolescence: A contextualized perspective. In G. Adams, R. Montemayor, & T. Gullotta (Eds.), Psychosocial development during adolescence: Progress in developmental contextualism (pp. 12-61). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Undergraduate
Graduate