Grant Funding
NICHD NRSA F31 Fellowship Award (8/2019 – 8/2021)
Having friends who engage in problem behavior (i.e., aggression, substance use, delinquency) has consistently been linked to adolescents’ own engagement in problem behavior. There are, however, several key gaps in the literature on peer influence. Few studies have considered the influence of friends’ prosocial behavior and there has been limited research to identify promotive factors that influence urban youths’ affiliation with peers who engage in problem and prosocial behavior across early adolescence, a time of heightened susceptibility to peer influence. The purpose of this study was to identify modifiable promotive factors that reduce adolescents’ problem behavior by decreasing exposure to friends’ delinquent behavior and promoting affiliation with peers who engage in prosocial behavior. Specifically, I examined the promotive effects of positive future orientation, presence of a caring adult, and child disclosure given prior evidence of relations between these developmental assets, peer affiliation, and problem behavior. Analyses were conducted on four waves of longitudinal data collected within the same year from 2,710 students attending three urban middle schools (Mage = 12.4; 52% female; 73% African American) who participated in an efficacy trial of a bullying prevention program. One-sided cross-lagged mediation analyses found support for friends’ delinquent behavior as a mediator of relations between child disclosure and changes in physical aggression, substance use, and delinquency. Similar effects were not found for positive outlook or future orientation. Friends’ prosocial behavior did not significantly mediate relations between promotive factors and adolescent problem behavior. Findings suggest prevention efforts should enhance adolescents’ communication with their parents about their activities and whereabouts to disrupt peer influence dynamics and reduce problem behavior during early adolescence.
Thank you to my mentorship team: Albert Farrell, PhD (Sponsor), Terri Sullivan, PhD (Sig. Contributor), & Joshua Langberg, PhD (Sig. Contributor)
For more information about this project, click here: NIH RePORTER
If you would like to know more about my findings, you can access my dissertation document here: VCU Scholar’s Compass
Peer-Reviewed Publications
2024
Farrell, A. D., Dunn, C., & O’Connor, K. E. (in press). Profiles of risk and promotive factors associated with aggression and other problem behaviors among middle school students in an urban school system. Journal of Early Adolescence.
Aboutanos, M. B., O’Connor, K. E., Xavier, A., Hunley, R., Vincent, A., Collins, J. N., Gilmore, E., Mitchell, V., Noha, M. M., Oldson, C., Price, B., Broering, B., Cannon, K., & Thomson, N. (2024). Regionalization of Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs): One trauma center cannot do it alone. Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery, 13(1), 19-26. [doi pending]
Aboutanos, M. B., Kevorkian, S., O’Connor, K. E., Hunley, R., Foster, R., Garland, S., & Thomson, N. D. (2024). Changing attitudes toward youth violence: The role of brief hospital-based interventions. Panamerican Journal of Trauma, Critical Care & Emergency Surgery, 13(1), 12-18. [doi pending]
O’Connor, K. E., Shanholtz, C. E., Espeleta, H. C., Ridings, L. E., Gavrilova, Y., Hink, A., Ruggiero, K. J., & Davidson, T. M. (2024). Mental health symptoms and engagement in a stepped-care mental health service among patients with a violent versus non-violent injury. Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 96(4), 650-657. https://doi.org/10.1097/TA.0000000000004078
Fields, C., O’Connor, K. E., Kjaervik, S., Kevorkian, S., Perera, R., & Thomson, N.D. (2024). The impact of firearm-related violence on future prison violence: A brief report. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/14789949.2024.2319632
Hood, C.O. +, Schick, M. R. +, Cusack, S. E., Fahey, M.C., Giff, S. T., Guty, E. T., Hellman, N., Henry, L. M., Hinkson, K., Long, E. E., McCoy, K., O’Connor, K. E., Padron, A., Reuben, A., Sackey, E. T., Tilstra-Ferrell, E., Walters, K. J., & Witcraft, S. M. (2024). Short-changing the future: The systemic gap between psychology internship stipends and living wages. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 18(1), 49-58. https://doi.org/10.1037/tep0000449
2023
Sullivan, T. N., Ross, K. M., O’Connor, K. E., Walsh, C., & Bishop, D. (accepted). Relations between violence exposure and gun carriage: Identifying protective factors among African American youth living in low-income urban communities. Youth & Society. [doi pending] (2023 IF: 2.793)
O’Connor, K. E., Tomlinson, C. A., McDonald, S. E., Brown, S., Applebaum, J. W., Murphy, J. L., Matijczak, A., Zsembik, B. A., & Porges, S. W. (2023). Childhood adversity moderates change in latent patterns of psychological adjustment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a survey of U.S. adults. Social Sciences, 12(3), 185. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030185
Ross, K. M., Walsh, C. S., O’Connor, K. E., & Sullivan, T. N. (2023). Ecological promotive and protective factors deterring gun carriage for young adults living in communities with high rates of community violence. Journal of Community Psychology, 51(3), 1164-1180. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.23008
2022
O’Connor, K. E., Sullivan, T. N., & Ross, K., M. (2022). Individual- and peer-level risk and protective factors for gun carriage among adolescents living in low-income urban communities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(7-8), 5564–5590. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221124252
Sullivan, T., O’Connor, K. E., Goncy, E. A., Garthe, R. C., Hitti, S. A., & Farrell, A. D. (2022). Patterns of dating and peer aggression and victimization among early adolescents: Relations with individual, peer, and school factors. Psychology of Violence, 12(3), 137–148. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000415
Farrell, A., Pittman, S., O’Connor, K. E., & Sullivan, T. N. (2022). Peer factors as mediators of relations between exposure to violence and physical aggression in middle school students in a low-income urban community. Psychology of Violence, 12(3), 170–182. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000405
Martinez, A., O’Connor, K. E., McMahon, S., Bhatia, S., & Primavera, J. (2022). Challenges to implementing parent-focused anti-bullying policies: Lessons learned in Connecticut. Psychology in the Schools, 59(8), 1570-1586. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22720
Murphy, J. L., Van Voorhees, E., O’Connor, K. E., Tomlinson, C., Matijczak, A., Applebaum, J. W., Ascione, F. R., Williams, J. H., & McDonald, S. E. (2022). Positive engagement with pets buffers the impact of intimate partner violence on callous-unemotional traits in children. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(19-20), NP17205-NP17226. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211028301
Watts, K. J., Matijczak, A., Tomlinson, C. A., Wagaman, M. A., Murphy, J. L., O’Connor, K. E., & McDonald, S. E. (2022). Transgender and gender expansive emerging adults: The moderating role of thwarted belongingness on mental health. Psychology & Sexuality. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2022.2143276
2021
O’Connor, K. E., Sullivan, T. N., Ross, K. M., & Marshall, K. (2021). “Hurt people hurt people”: Relations between adverse experiences and patterns of cyber and in-person aggression victimization among urban adolescents. Aggressive Behavior, 47(4), 483-492. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21966
O’Connor, K. E. (2021). Psychosocial adjustment across aggressor/victim subgroups: A systematic review and critical evaluation of theory. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24, 500-528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-021-00347-3
Thompson, E. L., O’Connor, K. E., & Farrell, A. D. (2021). Childhood adversity and co-occurring post-traumatic stress and externalizing symptoms among a predominantly low-income, African American sample of early adolescents. Development and Psychopathology, 35(1), 383-395. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421001383
McDonald, S. E., O’Connor, K. E., Matijczak, A., Tomlinson, C. A., Applebaum, J. W., Murphy, J. L., & Zsembik, B. A. (2021). Attachment to pets moderates transitions in latent patterns of mental health following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of a survey of U.S. adults. Animals, 11(3), 895. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030895
Ross, K. M., Sullivan, T. N., O’Connor, K. E., Hitti, S. A., & Leiva, M. (2021). A community-specific framework of risk factors for youth violence: A qualitative comparison of community stakeholder perspectives in a low-income, urban community. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(5), 1134-1152. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22497
McDonald, S. E., O’Connor, K. E., Matijczak, A., Murphy, J. L., Applebaum, J. W., Tomlinson, C., Wike, T., & Kattari, S. K. (2021). Victimization and psychological wellbeing among sexual and gender minority emerging adults: Testing the moderating role of emotional comfort from companion animals. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research, 13(4), 763-787. https://doi.org/10.1086/713889
Watts, K. J., Tomlinson, C. A., Wagaman, M. A., Murphy, J. L., Matijczak, A., O’Connor, K. E., & McDonald, S. E. (2021). The role of thwarted belongingness on the relationship between microaggressions and mental health for LGBTQ+ emerging adults. Journal of Youth Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2021.2010687
Matijczak, A., McDonald, S. E., Tomlinson, C. A., Murphy, J. L., & O’Connor, K. E. (2021). The moderating effect of comfort from companion animals and social support on the relationship between microaggressions and mental health in LGBTQ+ emerging adults. Behavioral Sciences, 11(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11010001
2020
O’Connor, K. E., Coleman, J., Farrell, A. D., & Sullivan, T. N. (2020). Patterns of parental messages supporting fighting and nonviolence among urban middle school students. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 30(4), 913-927. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12570
O’Connor, K. E., Hitti, S., Thompson, E., Farrell, A. D., & Sullivan, T. N. (2020). Perceptions of school climate among subgroups of aggressive and victimized youth. School Mental Health, 12, 169-181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-019-09343-z
Thompson, E., Coleman, J., O’Connor, K. E., Farrell, A. D., & Sullivan, T. N. (2020). Exposure to violence and nonviolent life stressors and their relations to trauma-related distress and problem behaviors among urban early adolescents. Psychology of Violence, 10(5), 509-519. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000264
Matijczak, A., McDonald, S. E., O’Connor, K. E., George, N., Tomlinson, C. A., Murphy, J. L., Ascione, F. R., & Williams, J. H. (2020). Do animal cruelty exposure and positive engagement with pets moderate associations between children’s exposure to intimate partner violence and externalizing behavior problems? Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 37, 601-613. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00702-3
2019
O’Connor, K. E., Farrell, A. D., Kliewer, W., & Lepore, S. J. (2019). Social and emotional adjustment across aggressor/victim subgroups: Are aggressive-victims distinct? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 2222-2240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01104-0
Hawkins, R., McDonald, S., O’Connor, K. E., Matijczak, A., Ascione, F., & Williams, J. (2019). Exposure to intimate partner violence and internalizing symptoms: The moderating effects of positive relationships with pets and animal cruelty exposure. Child Abuse & Neglect, 98, 104166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104166
O’Connor, K. E., Sunnquist, M., Nicholson, L., Jason, L. A., Newton, J. L., & Strand, E. B. (2019). Energy envelope maintenance among patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome: Implications of limited energy reserves. Chronic Illness, 15(1), 51-60. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742395317746470
Earlier
Nicholson, L., Brown, A., Jason, L. A., Ohanian, D., & O’Connor, K. E. (2016). Educational priorities for healthcare providers and name suggestions for chronic fatigue syndrome: Including the patient voice. Clinical Research: Open Access, 2(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.16966/2469-6714.112
Wise, S., Jantke, R., Brown, A., O’Connor, K. E., & Jason, L. A. (2015). Functional level of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome reporting use of alternative vs. traditional treatments. Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior, 3(4), 235-240. https://doi.org/10.1080/21641846.2015.1097102
Jason, L. A., Katz, B. Z., Mears, C., Jantke, R., Brown, A. Sunnquist, M., & O’Connor, K. E. (2015). Issues in estimating rates of pediatric chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis in a community-based sample. Avicenna Journal of Neuro Psycho Physiology, 2(4), e37281. https://doi.org/10.17795/ajnpp-37281
Kelly E. O'Connor, Ph.D. 