Discipline(s):
Sociology
Area(s) of Expertise:
Gender, Mental Health, Life Course/Aging
E-Mail:
bneedham@uab.edu
Background:
Belinda Needham will receive a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin in May 2006. Ms. Needham’s current research focuses on the link between mental and physical health across the life course. In her dissertation, she examines gender differences in the association between symptoms of depression and risk factors for medical illness during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. This research contributes to the literature on health inequality by exploring the role of adolescent depression in shaping adult health outcomes and by examining differential vulnerability to the consequences of adolescent depression for adult morbidity. Previous research projects have examined the link between body weight and psychological distress, contextual variation in the association between health problems and academic course failure, and gender differences in the effect of off-time pubertal development on psychological well-being. As a Health and Society Scholar, Ms. Needham plans to study the biological mechanisms underlying the association between social conditions and health outcomes.
Journal Articles:
Click here for a list of Belinda Needham's available publications in PubMed.
