Research Publications

Political Polarization Harms Public Health

Shana Kushner Gadarian, Jay J. Van Bavel, Eric Knowles, and Kai Ruggeri

This brief summarizes the impacts of political polarization on public health in the U.S., highlighting the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study on the health risks of polarization.

November 19, 2024

To Lower Mental Illness Stigma for EMS Clinicians, Agencies Must Value Workers’ Psychological Safety

Bryce Hruska, Maria L. Pacella-LaBarbara, and Marley S. Barduhn

This data slice shows that EMS personnel at agencies with high-risk PSC levels report 38% more mental illness stigma in the workplace compared to workers at agencies with low-risk PSC levels.

November 12, 2024

It is Time to Stop Using the Washington Group Questions to Measure Disability in US Federal Surveys

Scott D. Landes, Bonnielin K. Swenor, and Jean P. Hall

This brief summarizes findings from a recent study that shows that, by using the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning (WGSS) questions in the National Health Interview Survey, our federal government is failing to accurately identify the severity of functional limitations specifically related to vision and hearing.

October 29, 2024

Stability and Volatility in the Contextual Predictors of Working-Age Mortality in the United States

Jennifer Karas Montez, Shannon M. Monnat, Emily E. Wiemers, Douglas A. Wolf, Xue Zhang

“Stability and Volatility in the Contextual Predictors of Working-Age Mortality in the United States,” co-authored by Maxwell faculty members Jennifer Karas Montez, Shannon Monnat, Emily Wiemers and Douglas Wolf, was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

September 17, 2024

See related: COVID-19, Longevity, United States

Differences in Happiness, Perceived Meaning in Life for Adults with and without Self-Care Disability

Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Scott D. Landes, and Shannon M. Monnat

This brief summarizes findings from a study that examined differences in happiness and perceived meaning in life between U.S. working-age adults (ages 18-64) with versus without a self-care disability (such as difficulty eating, using the toilet, or dressing without assistance) and the role social support plays in improving happiness and meaning in life.

September 10, 2024

How Can America Support the Health of its Diverse Aging Population?

Catherine García, Lauren L. Brown, and Marc A. Garcia

This brief provides an overview of the social determinants of healthy aging, provides recommendations for how policymakers can improve the socioeconomic, health care, and social, built, and physical environmental conditions that influence healthy aging, and proposes policies that can help the U.S. prepare to better meet the needs of its increasingly diverse older adult population.

July 16, 2024

Paid Leave Mandates and Care for Older Parents

Kanika Arora, Douglas A. Wolf

“Paid Leave Mandates and Care for Older Parents,” co-authored by Douglass Wolf, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs, was published in The Milbank Quarterly.

July 12, 2024

A Research Roadmap Toward Improved Measures Of Disability

Scott D. Landes, Bonnielin K. Swenor, Melissa A. Clark, Kelsey S. Goddard, Jean P. Hall, Amanda Hermans, Catherine Ipsen, Michael Karpman, Noelle K. Kurth, Andrew Myers, Susan J. Popkin, Maggie R. Salinger, Nastassia Vaitsiakovich

“A Research Roadmap Toward Improved Measures Of Disability,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Sociology Scott Landes, was published in Health Affairs.

July 9, 2024

See related: Disability, Federal, United States

America is Unprepared to Meet the Needs of its Growing Older Adult Population

Sierra Kaplan

This brief describes health and aging care service gaps for U.S. older adults, including how Medicare limitations lead to high health care costs, and encourages the federal government to shore up Medicare, long-term care services, and the supply of aging care specialists to better support America’s growing older adult population.

July 9, 2024

Rural and Small-Town America: Context, Composition, and Complexities

Tim Slack, Shannon M. Monnat

Tim Slack, professor of sociology at Louisiana State University, and co-authored by Shannon M. Monnat, professor of sociology and Lerner Chair in Public Health Promotion and Population Health, share lessons offered from rural society and confronts common myths and misunderstandings about rural people and places.

July 3, 2024

See related: Rural Issues, United States

Characteristics Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among US Working-Age Adults

Xue Zhang, Shannon M. Monnat

“Watchful, skeptics, and system distrusters: Characteristics associated with different types of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among U.S. working-age adults,” co-authored by Professor of Sociology Shannon Monnat, was published in Vaccine.

July 2, 2024

See related: COVID-19, Government, United States

Which Types of People Were Least Likely to Get the COVID-19 Vaccine?

Xue Zhang and Shannon M. Monnat

This brief summarizes the findings from a study that used data from the 2022 National Wellbeing Survey on 7,612 U.S. adults aged 18-64 to identify characteristics of adults who were least likely to get the COVID-19 vaccine and the characteristics associated with different types of vaccine hesitancy.

July 2, 2024

Earnings and Employment Patterns Following Child-Care Subsidy Receipt

W. Clay Fannin, Colleen Heflin, Taryn Morrissey

“Earnings and Employment Patterns Following Child-Care Subsidy Receipt,” co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and Ph.D. student W. Clay Fannin, was published in Social Service Review.

July 1, 2024

See related: Child & Elder Care, Income, Labor, United States

How Did Cognitive Status Impact Health Care Use Among Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Katarina A. Sako and Janet M. Wilmoth

This brief presents findings from research that used data from the 2021 Health and Retirement Study to examine differences in health care delays and health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic among a nationally representative sample of U.S. older adults (ages 50+) with versus without cognitive decline.

June 25, 2024

State COVID-19 Policies and Drug Overdose Mortality Among Working-Age Adults in the US, 2020

Douglas A. Wolf, Shannon M. Monnat, Emily E. Wiemers, Yue Sun, Xue Zhang, Elyse R. Grossman, Jennifer Karas Montez

“State COVID-19 Policies and Drug Overdose Mortality Among Working-Age Adults in the United States, 2020,” co-authored by Maxwell faculty members Douglas Wolf, Shannon Monnat, Emily Weimers and Jennifer Karas Montez, was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

May 20, 2024

Suicide Rates are Lower in Places with More Social Infrastructure

Xue Zhang, Danielle Rhubart, and Shannon M. Monnat

This data slice shows that suicide rates among working-age adults in 2016-2019 were significantly lower in counties with more SI, even after accounting for county-level differences in demographic composition (e.g., age, race/ethnicity, education), health care availability, and metropolitan status.

May 7, 2024

States’ COVID-19 Restrictions were Associated with Increases in Drug Overdose Deaths in 2020

Douglas A. Wolf, Shannon M. Monnat, Jennifer Karas Montez, Emily Wiemers, and Elyse Grossman

This brief summarizes the findings of a paper that used national data to identify how states’ COVID-19 policies affected drug overdose rates among U.S. adults ages 25-64 during the first year of the pandemic.

May 2, 2024

Years of Life Lost Due to Insufficient Sleep and Associated Economic Burden in China From 2010–18

Xumeng Yan, Fang Han, Haowei Wang, Zhihui Li, Ichiro Kawachi, Xiaoyu Li

“Years of Life Lost Due to Insufficient Sleep and Associated Economic Burden in China From 2010–18,” co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Haowei Wang, was published in the Journal of Global Health.

April 29, 2024

See related: China, Longevity

10 Ways to Better Understand How Shifting State Policy Contexts Affect Americans’ Health

Jennifer Karas Montez

“10 Ways to Better Understand How Shifting State Policy Contexts Affect Americans’ Health,” authored by University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez, was published in the Milbank Quarterly.

April 24, 2024

The U.S. Military Does Not Adequately Prepare Members for Transition from Service

Emily Graham

This issue brief highlights the shortcomings of veteran transition programs, like TAP, and provides recommendations for improving transition outcomes through more holistic programs.

April 23, 2024

Lerner Center Research Publications