Sarah J. Erickson
Associate Professor
Email: erickson@unm.edu
Office: Logan 168
Phone: 505-277-0635
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.
|