ADDRESS:
School of Nursing
University at Buffalo
301 D Wende Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214-8013
PHONE: 716-829-2486
EMAIL: jal7@buffalo.edu
My research is focused on understanding the pathways through which early adverse experiences with victimization can contribute to substance use, sexual risk behavior and poor mental health.
Jennifer Livingston is an associate professor committed to the research of violence and substance use among adolescents and to the promotion of sexual health education among children and adolescents. She is particularly interested in understanding the mechanisms through which peer victimization (i.e. bullying and sexual harassment) come to impact adolescent health outcomes, including substance use, sexual risk behavior, mental health, and vulnerability to other types of victimization (i.e. dating violence, sexual assault).
Another key area of Livingston's interest is the prevention of sexual assault and sexual abuse across the lifespan – children, adolescents, sexual minority youth and emerging adults. She believes that understanding the pathways through which early adverse experiences with victimization contribute to negative outcomes, and the protective mechanisms that can improve these effects and outcomes, can be used to inform intervention and prevention efforts.
Read, J. P., Livingston, J. A., Shaw, R., Wiseblatt, A., Jenzer, T., Rodriguez, L. R., Mastroleo, N. R., Katz, J., Testa, M., & Colder, C. R. (in press). The power of friends in reducing sexual assault risk in college women: A preliminary test of a dyad-based MI approach. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
Kwon, M., Livingston, J. A., Wang, W., & Hequembourg, A. (2024). Longitudinal association between adolescent sexual identity and sleep quality: The mediating roles of peer victimization and perceived social support. Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2024.09.012
Livingston, J. A., Bellavia, G. M., Manges, M., Ostolski, S., & Nickerson, A. B. (2024). Shifting perspectives: High school students’ evaluation of a social norms campaign to reduce bullying and sexual harassment and to promote helping behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 61, 3390-3409. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.23221
Livingston, J. A., Wiseblatt, A., Biehler, K. M., Shaw, R. J., & Read, J. P. (2024). College women’s perception of a friend-based intervention to prevent alcohol-involved sexual assault. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 5, 66-92. https://doi.org/10.1177/26320770231201979
Nye, C. M., Livingston, J. A., Foltz-Ramos, K., & Hequembourg, A. (2024). Undergraduate nursing faculty knowledge, beliefs, and experiences with teaching LGBTQ+ content: A scoping review. Journal of Professional Nursing, 54, 205-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2024.07.010
Wang, W., Livingston, J. A., Nickerson, A. B., & Testa, M. (2024). Joint trajectories of bullying victimization and sexual harassment victimization as predictors of adolescent alcohol use. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 38, 383-396. https://doi.org/10.1037/adb0001005
Weinschreider, J., Tenzek, K., Foltz-Ramos, K., Junquist, C., & Livingston, J. A. (2024). Electronic health record competency in graduate nurses: A grounded theory study. Nurse Education Today, 32. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105987
Shaw, R., Paige, K. J., Livingston, J. A., Colder, C. R., & Read, J. P. (2023). Effectiveness of sexual assault protective behaviors on the daily level: The roles of intoxication and executive control. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. (15-16), 9015-9038. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605231162656
Dudley, M. J., Nickerson, A. B., Seo, Y. S., & Livingston, J. A. (2023). Mother-adolescent agreement concerning peer victimization: Predictors and relation to coping. Journal of Child and Family Studies. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-023-02567-3
Allen, K. P., Livingston, J. A., & Nickerson, A. B. (2023). Protecting children from sexual abuse: Mixed messages and cultural challenges. In W. J. Taverner (Ed.), Sex education research: A look between the sheets (pp. 50-60). Routledge.
Livingston, J. A., Wang, W., Nickerson, A. B., & Testa, M. (2023). Sexual victimization in adolescence: Pathways of risk from peer sexual harassment victimization via risky drinking and delinquency among US adolescents. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 52, 2823- 834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-023-02582-x
Livingston, J. A., Wang, W., Testa, M., Derrick, J. L., Nickerson, A. B., Miller, K. E., Haas, J. L., & Espelage, D. L. (2022). Peer sexual harassment, affect, and substance use: Daily level associations among adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 94(7), 955-968. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12076
Fredrick, S. S., Nickerson, A. B., & Livingston, J. A. (2022). Family cohesion and the relations among peer victimization and depression: A random intercepts cross-lagged model. Development and Psychopathology, 34(4), 1429-1446. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457942100016X
Fredrick, S. S., Nickerson, A. B., & Livingston, J. A. (2022). Adolescent social media use: Pitfalls and promises in relation to cybervictimization, friend support, and depressive symptoms. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(2), 361–376. doi:10.1007/s10964-021-01561-6
Livingston, J. A., Chen, C. H., Kwon, M., & Park, E. (2022). Physical and mental health outcomes associated with adolescent E-cigarette use. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 64. Advance online publication. doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2022.01.006
Nickerson, A. B., Jenkins, L. N., Bellavia, G. M., Manges, M. E., Livingston, J. A., & Feeley, T. H. (2022). The role of personal and perceived peer norms in bullying and sexual harassment perpetration. School Psychology, 37(3), 236-247. doi:10.1037/spq0000498
Blayney, J. A., Jenzer, T., Read, J. P., Livingston, J., Testa, M., & Carroll, Q. (2021). A qualitative study on friends and the social context of sexual victimization: Implications for campus-based interventions. Violence Against Women, 27(11), 2092–2110. doi:10.1177/1077801220954277
Livingston, J. A., Lessard, J., Casey, M. L., Leonard, K. E., & Eiden, R. D. (2021). Teen dating violence in a high-risk sample: The protective role of maternal acceptance. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(19-20), NP11026–NP11045. doi:10.1177/0886260519880165
Kwon, M., Seo, Y. S., Nickerson, A.B., Dickerson, S., Park, E. & Livingston, J. A. (2020). Sleep quality as a mediator of the relationship between cyber victimization and depression. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12569
Park, E., Livingston, J. A., Wang, W., Kwon, M., Eiden, R. D. & Chang, Y.-P. (2020). Adolescent e-cigarette use trajectories and subsequent alcohol and marijuana use. Addictive Behaviors. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106213
Testa, M., Livingston, J. A., Wang, W., & Lewis, M. A. (2020). Preventing college sexual assault by reducing hookups: A randomized controlled trial of a personalized normative feedback intervention. Prevention Science, 21, 388-397.
Livingston, J. A., Derrick, J. L., Wang, W., Testa, M., Nickerson, A. B., Espelage, D. L., & Miller, K. E. (2019). Proximal associations among bullying, mood, and substance use: A daily report study. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28, 2558-2571. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1109-1
Term: 2021-2026
Role: Principle Investigator (with PI Amy Hequembourg; Co-I Craig Colder)
Funding Source: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Award Amount: $2,442,509
Abstract: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer or questioning, and those youth with other sexual minority identities (LGBQ+) report riskier alcohol use patterns than their heterosexual peers. This raises concerns that — like patterns found in the general population — early, risky alcohol use may strongly predict later alcohol problems and related deleterious health consequences (e.g., other substance abuse, victimization, poor physical and mental health) that contribute to health disparities among sexual minority adults. The harmful effects of peer victimization (PV; i.e. bullying and sexual harassment) on adolescent psychosocial functioning may be one pathway through which LGBQ+ youth become involved in high-risk alcohol use. In adolescence, heterosexist social norms are strongly enforced through bullying and homophobic sexual harassment. Alarmingly high numbers of LGBQ+ youth experience homophobic peer aggression. Such experiences can lead to internalized heterosexism and sexual minority stress. Sexual minority stress has been strongly associated with increased alcohol use across the lifespan in sexual minority populations. Cross-sectional studies have shown that PV is positively associated with alcohol and other substance use among LGBQ+ adolescents. However, the mechanisms through which PV contributes to negative outcomes and the protective factors that ameliorate those outcomes among LGBTQ+ youth are not well understood. Advances in understanding the effects of PV on LGBQ+ adolescents have been hampered by a dearth of longitudinal and mixed methods studies that include these youth in their samples. Using a mixed methods design, the proposed study will investigate the acute daily and longitudinal effects of PV on LGBQ+ adolescent risky alcohol use, as well as identify potential buffers and risk factors for these outcomes. Data from 500 adolescents (ages 15-17 years, 50% female gender identity, diverse racial composition) will be collected using four longitudinal surveys (baseline, 6-, 12, and 18-month follow-ups), two bursts of daily reports (4-weeks each), and qualitative interviews. Informed by sexual minority stress and psychological mediation theories, the proposed study aims to: (1) identify the psychosocial mechanisms linking PV with alcohol and other substance use among LGBQ+ youth; (2) understand the daily associations between PV and alcohol and substance use; and (3) examine the contexts in which LGBQ+ youth experience PV and gain insight into the psychosocial factors related to PV and substance use. The proposed study utilizes a novel integrative conceptual model that incorporates extant knowledge from research on PV and substance use conducted with heterosexual youth along with factors identified in the LGBQ+ literature, including sexual minority stress and the psychological mediation framework, to clarify the processes implicated in substance use by LGBQ+ youth. Results from this study are critically needed to understand the pathways, processes and contexts through which LGBQ+ adolescents become involved in high-risk alcohol use to inform the development of primary prevention programs that improve and preserve the health of LGBQ+ youth.
Term: 2021-2026
Role: Co-Principle Investigator (with Jennifer Read, Department of Psychology)
Funding Source: Department of Defense
Award Amount: $557,680
Abstract: Sexual violence (SV) is a broad term to describe a range of unwanted sexual experiences, including physical or verbal sexual harassment, pressuring someone to have sex, and rape. Sexual violence is a significant problem in the U.S. military, with as many as ½ of those in military service reporting having experienced some form of SV. Alcohol is a major risk factor for SV, and risky patterns of drinking also are a prevalent problem among service members. Both SV and risky alcohol use can affect the military preparedness of service members. Ways to address these issues, such as with interventions, are needed to reduce the associated risks in military populations.
Both SV and risky drinking take place mostly in social settings, where other people are present. For this reason, interventions can include people in the social environment into risk prevention efforts. These often are called “bystander interventions” because they incorporate “bystanders” who are a part of the social environment where drinking or SV risk is most likely to take place. There are two factors that are the key to bystander intervention success. These are (1) personal responsibility to the individual at risk, and (2) a personal relationship with them. Relationship and responsibility are a defining feature close peer relationships. Therefore, close military peers may be in the best position to act to prevent SV and risky drinking. Thus, a peer-based intervention for this population makes sense.
Our research team has recently developed a peer-based motivational intervention (PMI) that encourages and prepares peers to reduce alcohol-related SV risk. This intervention is delivered to pairs of two people (dyads) who already have close relationships with each other. This focus on close dyads is something that makes this intervention different than other bystander interventions that have been developed. Another unique feature of this intervention is that it is a motivational intervention (MI). This means that it uses interview skills with a facilitator to build a sense of trust and cooperation so that the peer dyad can explore ways that they might want to reduce their SV and drinking risk together. The goal of this PMI is to work as a team to promote engagement in self-protective behaviors. The intervention also helps the dyad to plan together for mutual protection and safety. This intervention is a particularly good fit for military personnel because the nature of the military builds strong personal responsibility and relationships between members of a command or unit. Additionally, unit cohesion is important for military preparedness, and so an intervention built around peer support would be beneficial to both the service members and the military as a whole.
In the proposed project, we will adapt the PMI to meet the needs of active-duty sailors. We also will test whether this modified PMI (the Military PAIRS; MPAIRS) is reasonable and practical for military contexts, and whether it works to reduce SV and risky drinking. This will be achieved in three stages. The first stage will adapt the intervention for service members through collecting feedback from groups of service members. The second stage will test the intervention with 12 peer dyads, and again 1 month later. In the third and final stage, we will compare the MPAIRS intervention against a control condition (health education) in 54 peer dyads. This final stage will help determine whether MPAIRS is more effective than the control condition at decreasing SV and risky drinking. Throughout the project, after each stage, the intervention will be changed based on the outcomes of the research, feedback from the service member participants, and input from our investigative team and from our Advisory Board, which is comprised of individuals who are in the military, have lived experience as a service member, whose family is connected to the military, or who work for the military.
Completion of this project will result in a unique intervention that relies on the power of military peer relationships to address two important problems affecting the health and wellbeing of service members, SV and alcohol misuse. This will enhance both quality of life, as well as military preparedness of U.S. service members. Findings from this project also will lay the foundation for a larger trial of the MPAIRS intervention. Our long-term goal is to develop an intervention that can be extended to other military branches and facilities worldwide.
Term: 2019-2022
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Amanda Nickerson)
Funding Source: Institute of Education Sciences
Award Amount: $1,381,579
Term: 2018-2023
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Jennifer Read)
Funding Source: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R01 AA 026105)
Award Amount: $365,106
Abstract: This study evaluates the role of social goals in determining young women's involvement in routine activities that place them at risk for alcohol-involved sexual assault (ASA). The study will be conducted with a longitudinal community sample of female adolescents ages 18-25 that have been followed for nearly a decade (R01 DA020171: Colder, PI, Read, Co-I). Longitudinal panel and weekly methodologies will be used to examine the evolution of self-regulation and social goals, linking shorter-term change to longer-term developmental processes. This design will capture how ASA risk unfolds through adolescence and into young adulthood.
Term: 2018-2021
Role: Multi-Principal Investigator Investigator (PI: Jennifer Read)
Funding Source: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (R34 AA 027046)
Award Amount: $150,000
Abstract: This project involves the development of a sexual assault prevention program for college women that targets the intervention of close friends as bystanders. The focus on friendship dyads will capitalize on two qualities found to increase the likelihood of bystander intervention: relationship and responsibility. A mixed method approach will be used to develop and pilot test intervention materials.
Term: 2018-2020
Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Kurt Dermen)
Funding Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (R21 DE 028084)
Award Amount: $150,000
Abstract: This project will develop a theory-based, web-delivered intervention to promote oral health in dental patients.
2017-2019
Co-Investigator (PI: Maria Testa)
Brief Intervention to Reduce College Sexual Victimization Risk
(National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: R34AA024854)
Award Amount: $218,750
Abstract: This project aims to develop and expand existing personalized normative feedback intervention to optimize its ability to prevent sexual victimization among college freshman women by reducing heavy episodic drinking and hookup behavior.
2015-2019
Co-Investigator (PI: Amy Hequembourg)
Identifying Sexual Assault Mechanisms among Diverse Women
Award Amount: $205,365
Abstract: The proposed mixed methods study (N = 225; 75 each lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual women) will provide novel insights into mechanisms associated with sexual assault among sexual minority women compared to heterosexual women. These findings are critical for providing lesbian and bisexual female victims of crime with necessary services to address their immediate needs and instigate changes that will improve responses from criminal justice systems, including law enforcement, victim services, and anti-violence programs that serve this vulnerable population.
2013-2019
Principal Investigator
Peer Victimization as a Pathway to Adolescent Substance Use
(National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: R01 AA021169)
Awarded: $1.8 million
Abstract: This study seeks to identify the conditions under which experiencing peer victimization (PV) in adolescence contributes to emotional distress (i.e., depression, anxiety) and the development of substance use acutely and over time. Longitudinal survey data will be collected from a sample of 950 male and female adolescents (ages 13-15 at baseline) over a period of two years to examine the long-term effects of peer victimization on adolescent adjustment. In addition, a sub-sample of victimized adolescents will provide daily reports of their victimization experiences, emotional state and substance use over an 8-week period to shed light on the immediate effects of PV.
2015-2018
Co-Investigator (PI: Amy Hequembourg)
Identifying Sexual Assault Mechanisms among Diverse Women
(National Institute of Justice: 2014-VA-CX-0067)