My research focuses on close relationships during adolescence and emerging adulthood and I take both basic and applied approaches to understanding these topics. I am also interested in the role of parent-child relationships across important developmental transitions.
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Selected Publications
Refereed Journal Articles:
McElwain, A. (2019). Learning by doing: Undergraduate student perceptions of a family life education service learning assignment. Family Science Review, 23(3), 71-90.
McElwain, A., McGill, J., & Savasuk, R. (2017). A meta-analysis of youth-focused relationship education. Children and Youth Services Review, 82, 499-507.
McElwain, A., Finnegan, V., Whitaker, A., Kerpelman, J., Adler-Baeder, F., & Duke, A. (2016). University students teaching relationship education: Lessons learned from a service learning class in human development and family studies. Evaluation and Program Planning, 58, 116-124.
McElwain, A. & Bub, K. (2016). Changes in mother and father-child relationship quality across the transition to adolescence: Implications for early engagement in sexual behavior. Youth and Society.
McElwain, A., Kerpelman, J., & Pittman, J. (2015). The role of romantic attachment security and dating identity exploration in understanding adolescents’ sexual attitudes and cumulative sexual risk-taking. Journal of Adolescence, 39, 70-81.
Kerpelman, J., McElwain, A., Pittman, J. & Adler-Baeder, F., (2013). Engagement in risky sexual behavior: Adolescents’ perceptions of self and the parent-child relationship matter. Youth and Society, (published online first March 2013). DOI: 10.1177/0044118X13479614
McElwain, A., Grimes, M., & McVicker, M. (2009). The implications of erotic plasticity and social constructionism in the formation of female sexual identity. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 21, 125-139.
Book Chapters:
Kerpelman, J.L., McElwain, A.D., & Saint-Eloi-Cadely, H. (2015). Adolescent development and romantic relationships. In J. Arditti (Ed.), Family problems: Stress, risk, and resilience.
Website/blog contributions:
McElwain, A. (2018). Heathy Relationship Habits. Online content for the Wyoming Lifestyle magazine blog.
McElwain, A. (2015). Knowing when to wave the red flag: Dating aggression in adolescent romantic relationships. Alabama Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Initiative blog.
McElwain, A. (2014). Helping teens become "Relationship Smart". Alabama Healthy Marriage and Relationship Education Initiative blog.
McElwain, A. (2012). Positive Youth Development. Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy website.
Conference Presentations (2015-2020)
Chan, A., Allen, S., Sabey, A, & McElwain, A. (2020). “I don’t know what they call it now:” Parents navigating discussions of adolescent romantic relationships with their children.[Accepted for paper presentation, virtual]. National Council on Family Relations, virtual conference.
Su, S., McElwain, A., Lin, X. (2020, November). A cross-cultural investigation of parenting practices on emerging adult psychological outcomes [Accepted for paper presentation]. National Council on Family Relations, virtual conference.
Su, S., McElwain, A., Lin, X. (2020, November). Links between parenting practices and Chinese International college students’ psychological adjustment [Accepted for paper presentation]. National Council on Family Relations, virtual conference.
McElwain, A., & Su, S. (2020, July**). The role of parent and romantic attachment security in emerging adult’s romantic attitudes and relationship confidence [Accepted for paper presentation]. International Association for Relationship Research conference, London, UK. (**Conference is postponed until July, 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic)
Su, S., Lin, X., & McElwain, A. (2020, February). Parenting, loneliness, and stress in Chinese international students: Do parents still matter from thousands of miles away? [Paper presentation]. Eastern Educational Research Association conference, Orlando, FL, United States.
Chan, A., Allen, S., Sabey, A., & McElwain, A. (2020, February). Contentious content: Parents' experiences of discussing dating with their teens [Poster presentation]. Annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, LA, United States.
McElwain, A., & *Kelley, K. (2019, November). Peer-led relationship education for emerging adults [Poster presentation]. Annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Fort Worth, TX, United States.
McElwain, A., Su, S., & Lin, X. (2019, October). Romantic relationship risk and protective factors among emerging adults: A cross-cultural investigation [Poster presentation]. Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood conference. Toronto, Canada.
McElwain, A., Su, S., & Lin, X. (2019, October). Parenting practices and social stress among emerging adults: A cross-cultural investigation [Paper presentation]. Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood conference. Toronto, Canada.
Su, S., Gregson, K., & McElwain, A. (2017, November). Coping with social stress: Like parent like adolescent. Presentation at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Orlando, FL.
McElwain, A. (2017, June). Doing family life education “for real”: Undergraduate students’ perceptions of an experiential learning project in an upper-division Human Development and Family Science course. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Family Science Association, Nassau, Bahamas.
McElwain, A., Kerpelman, J., & Pittman, J. (2017, March). The role of dating experience in gains from a youth-focused relationship education program. Poster presentation at the International Convention of Psychological Science. Vienna, Austria.
McElwain, A., McGill, J., & Savasuk, R. (2016). A meta-analysis of youth-focused relationship education. Presentation proposal submitted to the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations.
McElwain, A., Kerpelman, J., Pittman, J., & Adler-Baeder, F. (2015, November). Parent-adolescent relationship quality and youth relationship education outcomes. Presentation at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Vancouver, B.C.
Finnegan, V., McElwain, A., & Rice, T. (2015, February). Auburn University students teaching youth to be “Relationship Smart”: Results of a service learning program in Human Development and Family Studies. Presentation at the Auburn University Outreach Scholarship Symposium.