Laura Pittman

Research Interests

My research is in the area of developmental psychopathology where I consider how family factors are linked to psychological outcomes in children and adolescents taking into account the context of the family (e.g. poverty status, cultural background, single parenthood) and other stressors (e.g. discrimination, exposure to natural disasters, pandemic stress). Family factors considered include parenting behaviors (e.g. warmth/rejection, behavioral control, ethnic socialization), involvement of grandparents, family conflict and co-parenting. Understanding how these family factors may buffer the risk associated with the family context as well as the complex mechanisms that explain the ways family processes are linked to child outcomes are commonly examined.

Frequently Taught Classes

PSYC 315: Behavior Disturbances in Children
PSYC 649: Ethics and Professional Issues in Psychology
PSYC 654: Practicum in Psychotherapy

Representative Publications

Pittman, L.D., Brendle, C. R. and Ioffe, M. (2023). . Journal of Family Issues, 44(12), 3059-3088.
Shelleby, E., Pittman, L. D., Bridgett, D. J., Keane, J., Zolinksi, S. and Caradec, J. (2022). . Journal of Family Psychology, 36(6), 932–942.
Kochanova, K., Pittman, L. D. and McNeela, L. (2022). . Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 53(1), 76-88.
Ioffe, M., Pittman, L. D., Kochanova, K. and Pabis, J. (2020). . Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(8), 1716-1730.
Pittman, L. D., Cutright, N. H., McNeela, L., Awada, S., Pabis, J. and Shelleby, L. (2020). . Journal of Traumatic Stress, 33, 151–160.
Cutright, N. H., Padgett, E. E., Awada, S., Pabis, J. and Pittman, L. D. (2019). . Mindfulness, 10, 1760-1767.
Gummadam, P., Pittman, L. D. and Ioffe, M. (2015). . Journal of Experimental Education, 84, 289-306.