2025-26 Graduate Student Fellows Announced

This project examines how children’s exposure to domestic violence shapes the timing of adolescents’ first romantic and sexual relationships. Each year, millions of children in the United States witness violence between parents or caregivers, experiences that can influence how they navigate intimacy and family formation as they mature. Drawing on the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study—a nationally representative longitudinal study following nearly 5,000 children from birth through early adulthood—the research investigates how exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) corresponds with variation in the onset of romantic and sexual involvement. Using a life-course and family demography framework, the study treats relationship initiation as a key developmental and social milestone. Rather than framing earlier or later timing as inherently problematic, it considers how IPV exposure may recalibrate the sequencing of these transitions. This approach highlights the interplay between early adversity, developmental timing, and broader patterns of relationship formation. The findings contribute to interdisciplinary conversations in family demography, criminology, and psychology, offering insight into how violence within families reverberates across generations and informing policies that promote healthy, supported pathways into adulthood.

The UCI Initiative to End Family Violence Fellowship will support data analysis, conference travel, and provide protected research time for writing and dissemination. Alvarez will present findings at the 2026 Population Association of America Annual Meeting to engage with scholars in family demography and life-course research, refining the project’s theoretical and methodological contributions through interdisciplinary dialogue and expert feedback.

Experiences of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are not only linked to negative biopsychological consequences in adulthood but also confer risks for the next generation: children whose parents were exposed to CSA face higher risks for negative health outcomes and experiencing CSA themselves. Understanding how CSA may influence parenting is a promising target for protecting the next generation. 

Emerging evidence shows that following CSA exposure, some parents may “overprotect” their children, restricting children’s autonomy, while other parents may “underprotect”, subjecting children to risky situations. These two patterns of parenting behaviors may reflect how much threat parents perceive from their environment. Parents’ perception of threat may shape their protective behaviors, which in turn influences whether children are exposed to CSA. 

However, no existing study examines this concept, partly due to the lack of appropriate measures. The current project seeks to address this gap through community partnership, by (1) developing a measure assessing parental perception of child CSA threats, and (2) incorporating feedback from community advisors, research experts, and parents to improve the developed measure. This developed measure will enable research on the intergenerational transmission of CSA, as well as serve as a screening tool for identifying at-risk families in clinical settings.

The funding will be used to support compensation for study participants and community advisors, as well as conference travel.

Title IX’s requirements to stop, prevent, and remedy sexual violence in institutions of higher education is the product of decades of feminist organizing. While the law’s extension to sexual assault was animated by feminist goals, research into its effects indicates that these ideals have not materialized in practice. Considering this disjuncture, this dissertation examines how Title IX training and consulting groups impact both the implementation of Title IX on college campuses and lawmakers’ understanding of federal compliance. This dissertation traces how legal meaning-making flows from third-party groups, into university policy and practice, and back into the formal legal field. It draws on a combination of interviews with company employees and Title IX officers, participant observation of company training, and content analysis of company blogs, archival webpages, and legal cases.

Patten will use funds to travel and attend sessions held by the organizations at the center of the study.

Phillips' research examines whether landmark California policies including SB 24 (medication abortion), SB 523 (contraceptive equity), and AB 2683 (sexual violence prevention training), translate into real, usable care for students, not just services on paper. Partnering with Survivors + Allies, a student-led organization across UC, CSU, and community colleges, this research centers student and survivor voices to address three questions: (1) Who knows about on-campus sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services? (2) When students seek sexual and reproductive healthcare, do they feel respected and supported? (3) After new statewide training requirements with AB 2683, are students more aware about where to go for help? Using a statewide cross-sectional survey targeting 2,000 students, Phillips analyzes awareness, experiences with campus health centers, and trust in key resources. Guided by reproductive justice, intersectionality, and trauma-informed principles, the project identifies where gaps persist for marginalized students (e.g., students of color, food-insecure students, sexual- or gender-diverse students). Findings will contribute to peer-reviewed publications that advance scholarship on policy implementation, student trust, and health equity in higher education. Broader descriptive insights will also appear in Survivors + Allies' 2026 community report, ensuring the research remains accessible to students, advocates, and campus leaders.

IEFV support will ensure the results from the study reach the people positioned to create change. Funding will be spent on community report assistance ($1,000), travel and advocacy ($500), and a researcher stipend ($1,000). Community report assistance will support hiring a student graphic designer and/or assistant to help with our Survivors + Allies' 2026 community report for legislators and stakeholders, providing compensation and experience for student collaborators. Travel funds will cover presenting findings to inform policy change; if other funding is secured, these funds will support report assistance. The researcher stipend will provide protected time for independent analysis, manuscript drafting, and community report contributions. 

In cases of alleged child sexual abuse, a child’s disclosure is often a key piece of evidence needed to prosecute perpetrators. Because of this, forensic interview techniques that promote accurate and detailed reports are essential. Best-practice guidelines emphasize rapport building before discussing the alleged abuse. Rapport building helps children feel comfortable, understand interview expectations, and practice sharing information by discussing neutral topics and explaining rules. Research shows that rapport enhances the amount and accuracy of children’s reports, but little is known about how it affects laypersons’ (e.g., jurors) perceptions of child victims and case outcomes. 

The current research examines how rapport quality and child age influence judgments of credibility and defendant guilt. In an initial study, participants read an interview transcript varying in how well rapport adhered to best practices and the child’s age. Rapport that followed best practices (e.g., asking open ended questions, explaining and practicing rules) increased perceived child credibility across all ages. A follow-up study will focus on the specific components of rapport building to understand their unique effects on perceptions. Together, these studies aim to clarify how rapport strategies shape lay perceptions, particularly perceptions of child credibility, and ultimately improve outcomes for child victims.

 The funds will be used for participant payments and conference travel.