Sarah J. Erickson

Degree Received
Ph.D., Stanford University, 1994

Research Interests
My research interests within the broader Clinical Child Psychology and Health Psychology domains are situated more proximally within Pediatric Psychology. These interests incorporate coping, a multi-dimensional, transactional process concerning how children and families manage stress, as a unifying theme. My research program includes three primary foci: (1) an attachment theory-based investigation of infant/toddler mental health associated with maternal parenting practices in pediatric samples. Specifically, with infants born very low birth weight (VLBW), an at-risk population, I have investigated infant-mother interactions and emotion regulation; the impact of ethnicity on the relationship between maternal interactive behavior and toddler developmental outcomes; the nature of dysregulation in this population; and differences in object permanence that underlie early working memory between toddlers born VLBW compared to toddlers born full term. (2) My second area of interest addresses children's adaptation to chronic illness.  This study of adaptation incorporates both trauma spectrum and quality of life theoretical models in understanding the long term adjustment of children with chronic illness (pediatric cancer survivors, pediatric traumatic brain injury) and their families. For pediatric cancer survivors, I have focused on trauma spectrum adaptation, somatization, and the repressive adaptive personality style as a moderator of children’s symptom reports. For pediatric traumatic brain injury, I have addressed self-reported quality of life in the context of the larger pediatric quality of life domain. (3) The third research area within pediatric psychology addresses disordered eating and body image concerns in preadolescent girls, including developmental considerations, the relationship of these constructs to broader psychological domains such as self-esteem, an investigation of ethnic differences, and the psychological and physiological stress response in recovering adolescent anorexic girls.  Other related areas of interest within the pediatric psychology realm include: adolescent coping as it pertains to health outcomes; associations between coping, defense, personality, humor, and psychological distress and well-being; and physiological reactivity associated with adolescent personality and defenses. 

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