Areas of Interest: My research and writing over the past years have focused on women's mental health and relationships with a specific focus on (1) sexual orientation, (2) the stigma of weight and (3) academic procrastination. All articles and book chapters are accessible in pdf format on my interactive c.v.

Sexual Orientation

My research has focused on methodological issues, including factors unique to lesbians as well as ways that gender and sexual orientation intersect. I like to do projects that compare lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGBs) to their heterosexual siblings. There has been little research on sexual orientation that uses appropriate comparison groups, and I began this methodology in order to study the feasibility of using siblings for demographic and mental health comparisons.

An ongoing longitudinal project compares lesbian and gay couples who were united in a civil union during the first year this legislation was available in Vermont (July 2000 to July 2001) with their same-sex friends who did not have civil unions, and with their married heterosexual siblings. Our research team focused on demographic and relationship information, presence of children, social support from friends and family, and gender roles (e.g., division of housework and finances).

I am also interested in ways that lesbians connect with each other in non-sexual ways. I have published an edited book on lesbian ex-lovers and an edited book on lesbian communities, and investigated ways that lesbians, bisexual women, and heterosexual sisters define their communities. I am currently studying asexuality.

Fat Studies

I have conducted research on weight and employment discrimination, women’s weight in an international context, and the ways in which fat women cope with the stigma of weight.

Procrastination

A former research area of mine focused on academic procrastination, fear of failure, and risk-taking. I am still receiving many reprint requests for this research.

Click here for a copy of the PASS (Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students)

Click here for PASS scoring instructions