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Our Research

Current Research

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

In collaboration between the College of Nursing at UTK and the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, this project aims to investigate the biopsychosocial interactions in breast cancer patients with adverse child experiences (ACEs). ACEs are potentially traumatic events occurring under the age of 18 (i.e., neglect/abuse, poor familial relationships, conflict, extreme poverty, etc.) and have been associated with elevated stress among breast cancer patients leading to greater risk of tumor progression and treatment complications. Utilizing bloodspot analysis to assess for the presence of inflammatory stress markers (i.e., C-reactive protein), this project intends to understand how sociodemographic factors could either mitigate or exacerbate stress related to adverse treatment outcomes in breast cancer patients with ACEs and additionally provide insight to developing future clinical interventions for this vulnerable population. Recruitment for this study began in Fall 2023 and will continue into the Summer 2024.

Financial Toxicity

Contextualizing the influence of stress on treatment outcomes, this project aims to investigate the impact of financial toxicity on treatment stress for breast cancer patients and their caregivers. Secondly, the study explores how the presence and quality of social support moderates this development of stress for both patients and their caregivers. In collaboration with the College of Nursing at UTK and the University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, this mixed-methods research provides significant insight to dyadic coping during cancer treatment and how social support may influence progressive health events following the initial cancer diagnosis. Recruitment for this study has concluded.

Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Quality of Life

This project is a collaboration between the College of Nursing at UTK, the Department of Surgery at UTMC, and the Wound Care Clinic at the UT Hospital to address contextual factors affecting quality of life in diabetic foot ulcer patients. Pointedly, patients diagnosed with diabetes are at increased risk for developing foot ulcers leading to exacerbated health outcomes including amputation and other fatal co-morbidities. Therefore, extensive wound care adherence, including clinical and social support, is needed for improved health outcomes. This cross-sectional study explores how sociodemographic factors impact the rate of readmission, wound healing rates, and overall quality of life in individuals with diabetic foot ulcers. Second, the project seeks to understand how the quality of familial and social support interacts with the biopsychosocial changes in health and wellness from the point of diagnosis to six months after initial disposition. Recruitment for this study has concluded. The project is scheduled to end late Spring 2024.

Inpatient Wound Care Consulting

This project is in collaboration between the College of Nursing at UTK, the Department of Surgery at UTMC, and the Wound Care Clinic at the UT Hospital. Identifying the biopsychosocial factors associated with proper wound care treatment is essential to understanding effective wound healing. This cross-sectional study investigates how changes in quality-of-life impact wound type and severity, treatment accessibility, and healing outcomes. Following this assessment, the project aims to explore how these biopsychosocial interactions (i.e., sociodemographic factors, medical co-morbidities, and wound type and severity) influence inpatient disposition and referral from wound care consult services for future clinical interventions and advancements in consulting resources. Recruitment for this study began in Fall 2023 and will continue into Spring 2024.

Healthier Together Education Program

This pilot project includes interdisciplinary collaboration between clinicians and patients to construct a familial oriented online education program for pregnant individuals diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Analyzing feedback from clinical professionals, patients diagnosed with GDM, and their caregivers, this study aims to build an interactive education program to improve health literacy and clinical communication for pregnant individuals and their support system.

Undergraduate Research

Obstetric Outcomes

Students in our lab stay involved in a variety of projects and events to showcase our research and their own. Two of our lab members, Kendall Brady and Ashlyn Holt are leading their own observational research project investigating potential barriers to maternal and fetal health outcomes in third trimester pregnant women. Pregnant women are at increased risk for elevated stress leading to pregnancy and birth complications (i.e., hypertension, gestational diabetes, etc.). Understanding contextual factors (i.e., clinical communication, diet and food security, quality of social support) related to maternal and fetal health is essential to improving clinical and institutional interventions. In collaboration between the College of Nursing at UTK and the University of Tennessee Obstetrics and Gynecology Center, this study begins recruitment early 2024.

Published Research

  1. Roberson, P.N.E., Woods, S., Mitchell, E. & Tasman, J (2025) I Just Need a Little Support: Marital Support and Strain link to A1C for People with Diabetes. Personal Relationships. | PDF
  2. Tasman J, Clegg DJ, Carver C, Adalaba S, Buckley RM, Goldman MH, Roberson P.N.E (2024). Assessing the Influence of Rural Residence and Economic Distress on Lower Extremity Risk Stratification among Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients utilizing the Wound, Ischemia, Infection (WIfI) Classification System. Diabetes and Its Complications.  | PDF
  3. Clegg, D. J., Tasman, J. G., Witeaker, E. N., Mazonas, T. W., Salomon, B. J., Dupuy, S., D., Goldman, M. H., Roberson, P.N.E. (2023). The Association of Ambulatory Status Prior to Diagnosis of Diabetic Foot Ulcers With Amputations and One-Year Outcomes. | PDF
  4. Jarvandi S, Roberson P.N.E., Greig J, Giron J. (2023) Effectiveness of Diabetes Education Interventions in Rural America: A Systematic Review. Health Education Research. | PDF
  5. Roberson, P.N.E. & Fincham, F. (2018) Is marital quality linked to diabetes risk and management?: It depends on what you look at. Families, Systems, and Health. | PDF

  1. Roberson, P.N.E., Lenger, K., Tasman, J., Cortez, G., Regenar, R., Lloyd, J. (2025) Breast Cancer Patients and Caregiver Inter- and Intrapersonal Spillover Effects on Anxiety, Depression, Pain, and Fatigue during the First Year of Treatment. Journal of Psychosocial Oncology. | PDF
  2. Roberson, P.N.E., Tasman, J., Woods, S.B. Cortez, G., Somers, T., Lloyd, J. (2024). Overcoming Patient Pain Together: Examining the impact of breast cancer patients and caregivers’ pre-treatment psychosocial factors on patient pain during the first year of treatment. The Journal of Pain. | PDF
  3. Tasman, J., Roberson, P.N.E., Clegg, D., Boukovalas, S., Lloyd, J. (2023) The Impact of Rural Structural and Community Health Factors on the Number and Severity of Post-Mastectomy Complications Among Appalachian Breast Cancer Patients. Journal of Rural Health. | PDF
  4. Roberson, P.N.E., Tasman, J., Cortez, G.,  Lenger, K. A., & Lloyd, J. (2023) I am feeling stressed, are you?: Breast cancer patients and caregivers’ inter-psychophysiological symptoms during the first year of breast cancer treatment. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 116, 111213. | PDF
  5. Clegg DJ, Whiteaker EN, Salomon BJ, Brooks AJ, Bell JL, Boukovalas S, Roberson, P.N.E., Lloyd JM. (2023) The Development of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema After Mastectomy in a Rural Population. American Surgeon. | PDF
  6. Tasman, J., McAdams, C., Lloyd, J., Brooks, A., Roberson, P.N.E. (2022) Differences Between Rural and Non-Rural Appalachian Breast Cancer Patients and Caregivers Distress during the First Year of Treatment. Journal of Appalachian Health. | PDF
  7. Roberson, P.N.E., Cortez, G., Freeman, T., Lloyd, J. Tasman, J., Woods, S B. (2022) Relationship Quality and Psychophysiological Distress for Breast Cancer Patients and Their Caregiver Before Treatment. Journal of Psycho-Oncology. | PDF
  8. Roberson, P. N. E., Cortez, G., Lenger, K., M., Bell, C., Heidel, R. E., Freeman, T., Lloyd, J. (2021) Quality of life fluctuations before and after breast surgery for estrogen-positive breast cancer patients living in South-central Appalachia: A prospective pilot study. The Breast Journal. | PDF
  9. Roberson, P. N. E., Miller, M., Lloyd, J., Bell, C., Heidel, R. E., Bell, J. (2019). Economic Disparities in Appalachia linked to Risk Factors for Long-term Health for Estrogen Positive Breast Cancer Patients. Cancer Treatment and Research Communications. | PDF
  10. Roberson, P.N.E., Southerland, A., Mitchel., H., Lloyd, J., Heidel, RE., Bell, J., (2019). Factors predicting medication prescription adherence in Appalachian breast cancer patients. The Breast Journal | PDF

  1. Zhu, C., Tran, P., Leifeit, E. C., Spatz, E., Dreyer, R., Nyhan, K., Wang, S. Y., Roberson, P. N. E., Goldsterin, L. B., Luchtman, J. H. (2025) Association Between Marital/Partner Status and Patient-reported Outcomes in Stroke Patients: A Systematic Review. Cerebrovascular Diseases. | PDF
  2. Roberson, P.N.E., Kendall, B. P., Thakur, B., Booker, S., Sola-Odeseye, Z., Wood, B., & Woods, S. B. (2025) Family Support as a Pain Protective Factor for African American Older Adults: Latent Class Analyses across Two National Longitudinal Datasets. PAIN | PDF
  3. Roberson, P.N.E., Woods, S., Tasman, J., & Hiefner, A. (2025) Relationship Quality and Educational Attainment links to Cardiometabolic Onsets across Middle Adulthood. Family Process. | PDF
  4. Woods, S. B., Roberson, P.N.E., Booker, Q., Wood, B., Booker, S. Q. (2024) Longitudinal Associations of Family Relationship Quality with Chronic Pain Incidence & Persistence Among Aging African Americans. The Journal of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Science and Social Sciences. | PDF
  5. Lenger, K. A., Mitchell, E., Roberson, P.N.E., Schubert, O., Gray, T., Cordova, J. V., & Gordon, K. C. (2024). Comparative efficacy of the Relationship Checkup for same-gender couples. Journal of Family Psychology. | PDF
  6. Woods, S.B., Udezi, V., Roberson, P.N.E., Arnold, E.M., Nesbitt, S., & Hiefner, A. (2023). “A cuff is not enough”: A community-based participatory research approach to soliciting perspectives of African Americans with hypertension and their family members on self-management intervention features. Family Process | PDF
  7. Roberson, P.N.E., Tasman, J., Renegar, R., Cortez, G., Lenger, K., (2023) The Importance of Family Relationships for the Health of Underserved Appalachians: An Application and Extension of the Biobehavioral Family Model. Family, Systems, & Health. | PDF
  8. Woods, S. B., Roberson, P.N.E., & Abdelkhaleq, H. (2023). Family strain, but not family support, is linked to worse pain interference among midlife adults reporting new chronic pain. Manuscript submitted for publication to Families, Systems, & Health | PDF
  9. Woods, S.B., Hiefner, A., Roberson, P.N.E., Zahra, N., Arnold, E.M., & Udezi, V. (2022). Depressed mood and environmental mastery as potential pathways linking family relationship quality and disease self-management for African Americans with hypertension. Family Process. | PDF
  10. Woods, S.B., Roberson, P.N.E., & Priest, J.B. (2020). Family emotional climate and health:  Testing conveyance of effects via psychobiological mediators. Personal Relationships. Special Issue: Mechanisms Linking Close Relationships and Physical Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/pere.12337 | PDF
  11. Roberson, P.N.E, Lenger, K., Gray, T., Cordova, J., & Gordon, K.C. (2020) Are marital relationships a barrier to healthcare utilization in Appalachia?: An examination of which aspects of marriage are linked to healthcare utilization for men and women. Family, Systems, and Health. | PDF
  12. Cortez, G. R.*, Lee, S., Roberson, P.N.E. (2020). Get healthy to marry or marry to get healthy? Personal Relationships. | PDF
  13. Priest, J.B., Smith, S. M., Woods, S., Roberson, P.N.E. (2020) Discrimination, Family Emotional Climate, and African American Health: A Test of the Biobehavioral Family Model. Journal of Family Psychology. | PDF
  14. Woods, S.B., Priest, J.B., & Roberson, P. N. E. (2019). Family versus intimate partners: Estimating who matters more for health in a 20-year longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology. | PDF
  15. Roberson P.N.E., Priest, J. B., Woods, S., & Miller, M. (2018) “My family is making me sick” – but, for both him and her?: Examining the effect of gender on the association between close relationships and health.  Journal of Family Studies. | PDF
  16. Priest, J. B., Roberson, P. N. E., & Woods, S (2018) Family Relationships and Health: Exploring Specific Pathways Using the Biobehavioral Family Model. Family Process. | PDF
  17. Roberson P.N.E., Shorter, R., Woods, S., & Priest, J. B. (2018). An examination of how health behaviors link romantic relationship dysfunction and physical health across 20 years for middle and late aged adults.  Social Science and Medicine. | PDF

  1. Mitchell, E. A., Roberson, P.N.E., DiPillo, M., Cordova, J. V., & Gordon, K. C. (2024). Improvements in depressive symptoms following a brief relationship health intervention. Journal of Marriage and Family Therapy | PDF
  2. Lenger, K. A., Gordon, K. C., Roberson, P.N.E., Johnson, S., Younginer, T., Rosecrance, P., McClain, C., & Schubert, B. (2023). The head, the heart, and the community: Piloting a brief mindfulness intervention for economically-marginalized couples. Behavior Therapy. | PDF
  3. Mitchell, E. A., Roberson, P.N.E., Amer, Z., Garcia, D. J., Cordova, J. V., & Gordon, K. C. (2022). Couple variables predicting retention in a brief intervention and research. Family Process. | PDF
  4. Negash, S., Roberson, P N. E., Tadros, E., & DeHesus, S. (2021) A Brief Relationship Education Pilot Intervention for Men Post-Release. The Prison Journal. | PDF
  5. Lenger, K. A*., Roberson, P. N. E., Amer, Z., Gray, T., Cordova, J. V., & Gordon, K. C. (2020). Your place or mine?: Examining the accessibility and efficacy of home-based interventions. Journal of Family Psychology. | PDF
  6. Wischkaemper, K. C*., Fleming, C. J., Lenger, K. A., Roberson, P. N. E., Gray, T. D., Cordova, J. V., & Gordon, K. C. (2020). Attitudes toward relationship treatment among underserved couples. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice. | PDF
  7. Roberson, P.N.E., Lenger, K., Gray, T., Cordova, J., Gordon, K. C. (2020) Dyadic Latent Profile Analyses and Multilevel Modeling to Examine Differential Response to Couple Relationship Education.  Journal of Family Psychology. | PDF
  8. Miranda, L., Lenger, K. A., Rauer, A., Roberson, P. N. E., Cordova, J. V., Gray, T., & Gordon, K. C. (2019). Consensus and relationship distress before and after a brief intervention for low-income couples. Journal of Family Psychology. | PDF
  9. Gordon, K. C., Cordova, J. V., Roberson, P.N.E., Miller, M., Lenger, K., Martin, K., Gray, T., & Hawrilenko, M. (2019). An implementation study of relationship checkups as home visitations for low-income at-risk couples. Family Process. | PDF
  10. Roberson, P. N. E., Norona, J. C., Lenger, K. A., & Olmstead, S. B. (2018). How do relationship stability and quality affect wellbeing?: Romantic relationship trajectories, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction across 30 years. Journal of Child and Family Studies. | PDF

  1. Woods, S. B., Roberson, P.N.E., Pryor, J. B, Obregon, S. D.,; Jaida B. Pryor; Silvia D., Nesbitt, S., & Udezi, V (in press) “A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Evaluating and Adapting an Innovative Family-Based Hypertension Self-Management Intervention for African American Primary Care Patients.  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities | PDF
  2. Stansbury, T., Myers, C. R., Tran, L., Roberson, P.N.E., Ahn, S., & (2025) Impacts of Access to Hospital and Emergency Care on Rural Mortality in Tennessee, 2010-2019: A GIS-Informed Study”  to the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. | PDF
  3. Ahn, S.; Cobb, S.J.; Butler, R.; Abdullah, S. E.; Boltz, M. P.; Chung, M.; Roberson, P. N. E.; Lee, J. A.; Zhao, X.; Anderson, J. G. (2025) Effects of Physical Activity on Health Among Informal Caregivers of People with Cognitive Decline: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Western Journal of Nursing Research. | PDF
  4. Sargsyan, A., Beebe, L., Ng, Z., Roberson, P. N. E., Thomas, S. (2025) Quacking for Noggin: Farm Animal Assisted Therapy for The Traumatic Brain Injury Survivors. People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice. | PDF
  5. Deek, A. J., Clegg, D. J., Blackburn, C., Roberson, P.N.E., Holley, T. , Gotcher, J. E. (2024) Do Changes in Orthognathic Surgery Reimbursement Affect the Volume of Procedures Performed at an Academic Medical Center? Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology. | PDF
  6. Roberson, P.N.E., Tasman, J., Lenger, K. A., & Cortez, G. (2023). Examining contextual influences affecting health-related quality of life among under-resourced Appalachian patients attending pop-up medical clinics. The Journal of Community Health, 48, 38-39. | PDF
  7. Negash, S., Roberson, P.N.E., Tadros, E. (2022). The Sexual Experiences of Heterosexual Men at Post-Release: Attitudes, Knowledge, and Behaviors. Sexuality and Culture. | PDF
  8. Priest, J. B., Parker, E. O., Heifner, A., Woods, S. B., & Roberson, P. N. E. (2020). The development and validation of the FACES-IV-SF. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. | PDF
  9. Roberson, P.N.E., Cortez, G., Trull, L. H., Lenger, K. A., (2020) In Their Own Words: How Opioids have Impacted the Lives of “Everyday” People Living in Appalachia. Journal of Appalachian Health. | PDF
  10. Lenger, K. A.*, Roberson, P. N. E., & Bluth, K. (2020). Are contemplative capacities created equal?: Examining demographic differences in adolescents’ contemplative capacity and differences in psychological well-being. Mindfulness. | PDF
  11. Bluth, K., Roberson, P. N. E., (2017) Gender Differences in Physiological Stress Markers and Emotional Wellbeing Outcomes in Response to an Adolescent Mindfulness Intervention: A Call for Research. Journal of Child and Family. | PDF
  12. Roberson, P. N. E., Norona, J. C., Zorotovich, J., & Dirnberger, Z. (2016). Developmental trajectories and health outcomes among emerging adult women and men. Emerging Adulthood, 1-15. | PDF
  13. Roberson, P. N. E., Norona, J. C., Fish, J. N., Olmstead, S. B., & Fincham, F. D. (2016). Do differences matter?: A typology of emerging adult romantic relationship. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.doi:10.1177/0265407516661589 | PDF