Sociology, Department of
Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications
Small compared to other Big10 sociology programs (16 faculty), students engage with research focused on solving real-world problems. Faculty collaborate with each other and with people across disciplines, including computer science, psychology, anthropology, political science, criminology, biology, neuroscience, medicine, public health, art, marketing, and business. Our faculty also work with community stakeholders and community-based non-profit organizations.
These collaborations lead our faculty and students to ask and answer interesting questions. Check out our recent research, including open-access versions of faculty and student publications, to discover how sociology faculty are tackling issues in drug use; pornography addiction; social networks; homelessness; delinquency; domestic violence; survey questionnaire design and polling; minority health disparities; science identity; sexualities and LGBTQ+ rights; religion and politics; hate crime reporting; and sociology pedagogy among many others.
We are committed to equipping undergraduate students with the critical thinking and analytical skills that put them on the path to meaningful and rewarding careers. Alumni have launched their careers with community organizations such as Voice of Hope, Community Learning Centers, and Teach for America; government agencies like the Department of Agriculture, the state legislature, and law enforcement; and private sector businesses such as HUDL, Talent+, Gallup, NelNet, and insurance companies. Our undergraduate students also go on to law school, medical school and professional programs in the health fields, or to complete an MBA or graduate programs in sociology or related disciplines.
Our MA and PhD students can specialize in the sociology of health, families, social inequalities, or research methodology, benefiting from a small student-to-faculty ratio. We train graduate students for both traditional academic jobs at colleges and universities, as well as work in the public and private sector. We have a long tradition of training students for successful placements at non-academic positions, including think tanks, research organizations, government agencies, non-profit service organizations, and for-profit organizations.
2025
The Overlooked Dynamics of Sibling Violence: Sociological Perspectives and Intervention Strategies, Rowland Edet
2024
Immune profiling in Puerto Rican injection drug users with and without HIV-1 infection, Sydney J. Bennett, Carmen Ana Davila, Zahiraliz Reyes, Aníbal Valentín-Acevedo, Kim Gocchi Carrasco, Roberto Abadie, M. Caleb Marlin, Marci Beel, Andrew G. Chapple, Samodha C. Fernando, Joel M. Guthridge, Kathy S. Chiou, Kirk Kirk, John T. West, and Charles Wood
Factors associated with gaps in naloxone knowledge: evidence from a 2022 great plains survey, Spencer Cooper‑Ohm, Patrick Habecker, Ryan Humeniuk, and Rick A. Bevins
Examining Adolescent Sexual Patterns in Creek Town, Nigeria: Insights From a Cross-Sectional Survey and Implications for Tailored Interventions, Rowland Edet and Kabiru K. Salami
Listening to the Voices of America, Kathryn J. Edin, Corey D. Fields, David B. Grusky, Jure Leskovec, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kristen M. Olson, and Charles Varner
The impact of social exclusion on anticipatory attentional processing, John E. Kiat, Jacob E. Cheadle, and Bridget J. Goosby
Is a dyadic stressor experienced as equally distressing by both partners? The case of perceived fertility problems, Julia McQuillan, Arthur L. Greil, Anna Rybińska, Stacy Tiemeyer, Karina M. Shreffler, and Colleen Warner Colaner
Beyond Borders: Exploring the Lived Experiences of International Migrant Women in Nigeria, a Deep Dive into Healthcare Realities and Utilization, Juliet Nwafor, Rowland Edet, and Ezebunwa Nwokoch
Remember, You Can Complete This Survey Online! Web Survey Links and QR Codes in a Mixed-Mode Web and Mail General Population Survey, Kristen M. Olson and Amanda Ganshert
Display of Battery Items in Web and Mail Surveys: Grids versus Item-by-item and Radio versus Wide Buttons, Kristen M. Olson, Jolene D. Smyth, and Angelica Phillips
Examining Variation in Survey Costs Across Surveys, Kristen Olson, John Stevenson, Nadia Assad, Lindsey Witt-Swanson, Cameron P. E. Jones, Amanda Ganshert, and Jennifer Dykema
2023
Moral narratives of sobriety: a qualitative study of a lived religion framework of Alcoholics Anonymous, Maia C. Behrendt and Kelsy Burke
Does Being Known Matter? Analyzing the Effects of Name Recognition by Instructor and Student, Brandon Bosch
The Joker Controversy: An Origin Story, Brandon Bosch and Lisa Kort-Butler
“In a Religious Celebration”? The Religious Defense of LGBT Rights in U.S. Federal Courts, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak, and Maia Behrendt
LG but Not T: Opposition to Transgender Rights Amidst Gay and Lesbian Acceptance, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak, and Marissa Oliver
Stress-Related Biosocial Mechanisms of Discrimination and African American Health Inequities, Bridget J. Goosby, Jacob E. Cheadle, and Colter Mitchell
Prospective Attitude about the Importance of Planning Pregnancies Is Associated with Retrospective Attitude toward a Specific Pregnancy, Arthur L. Greil, Karina M. Shreffler, Stacy M. Tiemeyer, and Julia McQuillan
Self‑Perceived Infertility is Not Always Associated with Having Fewer Children: Evidence from German Panel Data, Arthur L. Greil, Desmond D. Wallac, Jasmin Passet‑Wittig, Julia McQuillan, Martin Bujard, and Michele H. Lowry
Religious Exemption, LGBT Rights, and the Social Construction of Harm and Freedom, Emily Kazyak, Kelsy Burke, Maia Behrendt, and Marissa Oliver
Making the Case: Examining Outcomes of Religious‑Based Claims in Federal Litigation Involving LGBT Rights, Emily Kazyak, Kelsy Burke, Marissa Oliver, and Maia Behrendt
Nebraskans Attitudes Towards Innovations in Food Production and Processing 2019 and 2020 – Methodology Report, Julia McQuillan
Decline Is Not Inevitable: Changes in Science Identity during the Progression through a U.S. Middle School among Boys and Girls, Julia McQuillan, Patricia Wonch Hill, Joseph C. Jochman, and Grace Kelly
The role of religious contexts on hate crimes, 2003–2017, Shawn Ratcliff and Philip Schwadel
Living Alone during Old Age and the Risk of Dementia: Assessing the Cumulative Risk of Living Alone, Benjamin A. Shaw, Tse-Chuan Yang, and Seulki Kim
Unemployment and Opioid-Related Mortality Rates in U.S. Counties: Investigating Social Capital and Social Isolation–Smoking Pathways, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, and Stephen A. Matthews
Social Vulnerability and the Prevalence of Opioid Use Disorder among Older Medicare Beneficiaries in U.S. Counties, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Stephen A. Matthews, and Carla Shoff
2022
Substance use, injection risk behaviors, and fentanyl‑related overdose risk among a sample of PWID post‑Hurricane Maria, Roberto Abadie, Manuel Cano, Patrick Habecker, and Camila Gelpí‑Acosta
Factors Associated with Arkansans’ First Use of Telehealth during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jennifer A. Andersen, Holly C. Felix, Dejun Su, James P. Selig, Shawn M. Ratcliff, and Pearl A. McElfish
Relationship between Sociodemographic Factors, Perceived COVID-19 Risk, and Engagement with Health Protective Behaviors, Jennifer A. Andersen, Brett Rowland, Shawn M. Ratcliff, Holly C. Felix, and Pearl A. McElfish
The False Dichotomy of Sex and Religion in America, Kelsy Burke
Examining the Influence of Political Affiliation and Orientation on Political Tolerance, Christopher R. H Garneau and Philip Schwadel
Co-use among confidants: An examination of polysubstance use and personal relationships in southeastern Nebraska, G. Robin Gauthier, Kelly Markowski, Jeffrey A. Smith, Sela R. Harcey, and Bergen Johnston
Isolation, cohesion and contingent network effects: the case of school attachment and engagement, G. Robin Gauthier, Jeffrey A. Smith, Sela Harcey, and Kelly Markowski
“Are You …”: An Examination of Incomplete Question Stems in Self-administered Surveys, Nestor Hernandez, Kristen Olson, and Jolene D. Smyth
Two Mothers, One Grandmother: Intergenerational Ambivalence in Heterosexual Mother‑LBQ Daughter Relationships, Emily Kazyak, Rosalind D. Kichler, Jess Morrow, and Eliza Thor
U.S. State Policy Contexts and Physical Health among Midlife Adults, Blakelee R. Kemp, Jacob M. Grumbach, and Jennifer Karas Montez
Preferences for Paid Paternity Leave Availability, Lengths of Leave Offerings, and Government Funding of Paternity Leaves in the United States, Chris Knoester and Qi Li
Pandemic, Politics, and Public Opinion About Crime, Lisa Kort-Butler
Familial and Individual Risk Markers for Physical and Psychological Dating Violence Perpetration and Victimization Among College Students, Meagan Kunitzer, Kimberly Tyler, and Leslie Gordon Simons
Associations of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Depressive Symptoms Over Time: Are There Differences by Education, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender?, Julia McQuillan, Jennifer A. Andersen, Terceira A. Berdahl, and Jeff Willett
Is perceived inability to procreate associated with life satisfaction? Evidence from a German panel study, Julia McQuillan, Jasmin Passet-Wittig, Arthur L. Greil, and Martin Bujard
A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS of Journal of Survey Statistics and Methodology, Kristen Olson and Katherine Jenny Thompson
What Aspects of Religiosity Are Associated with Values?, Philip Schwadel and Sam A. Hardy
Comparing Readability Measures and Computer-assisted Question Evaluation Tools for Self-administered Survey Questions, Rachel Stenger, Kristen Olson, and Jolene Smyth
Replicating or franchising a STEM afterschool program model: core elements of programmatic integrity, Nikolaus Stevenson, Amie S. Sommers, Neal Grandgenett, William Tapprich, Julia McQuillan, Michelle Phillips, Rachael Jensen, and Christine Cutucache
Your Best Estimate is Fine. Or is It?, Jerry Timbrook, Kristen Olson, and Jolene D. Smyth
Family Violence, Personality Traits, and Risk Behaviors: Links to Dating Violence Victimization and Perpetration Among College Students, Kimberly A. Tyler and Douglas A. Brownridge
The Relationship Between College Student Characteristics and Reporting Sexual Assault Experiences on Two Different Scales, Kimberly Tyler and Colleen M. Ray
Why Neighborhoods (and How We Study Them) Matter for Adolescent Development, T.D. Warner and R.A. Settersten
Accuracy of COVID-19 Relevant Knowledge among Youth: Number of Information Sources Matters, Patricia Wonch Hill, Judy Diamond, Amy N. Spiegel, Elizabeth VanWormer, Meghan Leadabrand, and Julia McQuillan
Social Isolation, Residential Stability, and Opioid Use Disorder among Older Medicare Beneficiaries: Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan County Comparison, Tse-Chuan Yang, Carla Shoff, and Seulki Kim
County Social Isolation and Opioid Use Disorder among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis of Medicare Data, 2013–2018, Tse-Chuan Yang, Carla Shoff, Seulki Kim, and Benjamin A. Shaw
2021
Privacy, Confidentiality and Anonymity: Understandings from People Who Inject Drugs Enrolled in a Study of Social Networks and HIV Risk., Roberto Abadie, Celia Fisher, and Kirk Dombrowski
The Ideology of Baby-Mama Phenomenon: Assessing Knowledge and Perceptions among Young People from Educational Institutions, Opeyemi S. Adeojo, Daniel Egerson, Gabriel Mewiya, and Rowland Edet
LGBT Employment Nondiscrimination: Debating Sexuality and Citizenship, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak, and Alice MillerMacPhee
Constructing Pornography Addiction’s Harms in Science, News Media, and Politics, Kelsy Burke and Alice MillerMacPhee
Social Integration and Domestic Violence Support in an Indigenous Community: Women’s Recommendations of Formal Versus Informal Sources of Support, G. Robin Gauthier, Sara C. Francisco, Bilal Khan, and Kirk Dombrowski
Disappearing Chairs and Related Matters: A Visual Essay for Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations (Section 80), Michael R. Hill
“Pee in Peace” or “Make Everyone Uncomfortable”: Public Perceptions of Transgender Rights, Emily Kazyak, Kelsy Burke, Rosalind Kichler, and Lora McGraw
Spatial Non‑stationarity in Opioid Prescribing Rates: Evidence from Older Medicare Part D Beneficiaries, Seulki Kim, Carla Shoff, and Tse-Chuan Yang
Attitudes about Paid Parental Leave: Cross-national Comparisons and the Significance of Gendered Expectations, Family Strains, and Extant Leave Offerings, Chris Knoester, Qi Li, and Richard J. Petts
Cross-National Attitudes about Paid Parental Leave Offerings for Fathers, Qi Li, Chris Knoester, and Richard J. Petts
Patterns of Missing Data With Ecological Momentary Assessment Among People Who Use Drugs:Feasibility Study Using Pilot Study Data, Kelly Markowski, Jeffrey A. Smith, G. Robin Gauthier, and Sela R. Harcey
Practical problems and positive experiences with ecological momentary assessment: reflections from people who use drugs, Kelly Markowski, Jeffrey A. Smith, G. Robin Gauthier, and Sela R. Harcey
Real-Life Conundrums in the Struggle for Institutional Transformation, Julia McQuillan and Nestor Hernandez
Effect of Demographic and Health Dynamics on Cognitive Status in Mexico between 2001 and 2015: Evidence from the Mexican Health and Aging Study, Silvia Mejia-Arango, Jaqualine Avila, Brian Downer, Marc A. Garcia, Alejandra Michaels-Obregon, Joseph L. Saenz, Rafael Samper-Ternent, and Rebeca Wong
What Does the Research Teach Feminists about the Possibility of Organizational Change?, Barbara J. Risman and Julia McQuillan
Rural/Urban Differences in the Predictors of Opioid Prescribing Rates among Medicare Part D Beneficiaries 65 Years of Age and Older, Carla Shoff, Tse-Chuan Yang, and Seulki Kim
Childhood Disadvantage, Social and Psychological Stress, and Substance Use Among Homeless Youth: A Life Stress Framework, Kimberly A. Tyler and Rachel M. Schmitz
Face Masking Violations, Policing, and COVID-19 Death Rates: A Spatial Analysis in New York City ZIP Codes, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, and Stephen A. Matthews
Income Inequality and Opioid Prescribing Rates: Exploring Rural/Urban Differences in Pathways via Residential Stability and Social Isolation, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, and Carla Shoff
Examining Spatial Inequality in COVID-19 Positivity Rates across New York City ZIP Codes, Tse-Chuan Yang, Seulki Kim, Yunhan Zhao, and Seung-won Emily Choi
2020
“Caballo”: risk environments, drug sharing and the emergence of a hepatitis C virus epidemic among people who inject drugs in Puerto Rico, Roberto Abadie and K. Dombrowski
Adjusting the Late Policy: Using Smaller Intervals for Grading Deductions, Brandon Bosch
Created by God and Wired to Porn: Redemptive Masculinity and Gender Beliefs in Narratives of Religious Men’s Pornography Addiction Recovery, Kelsy Burke and Trenton M. Haltom
Devil in the detail of SCOTUS ruling on workplace bias puts LGBTQ rights and religious freedom on collision course, Kelsy Burke and Emily Kazyak
White Women Who Lead: God, Girlfriends, and Diversity Projects in a National Evangelical Ministry, Kelsy Burke and Amy McDowell
Race and ethnic variation in college students’ allostatic regulation of racism-related stress, Jacob E. Cheadle, Bridget J. Goosby, Joseph C. Jochman, Cara Tomaso, Chelsea B. Kozikowski Yancey, and Timothy D. Nelson
BioSkills Guide: Development and National Validation of a Tool for Interpreting the Vision and Change Core Competencies, Alexa W. Clemmons, Jerry Timbrook, Jon C. Herron, and Alison J. Crowe
What Help Do Faculty Perceive Is Needed to Improve their Community Engagement through Outreach?, Kiyomi D. Deards, Saundra Wever Frerichs, Patricia Wonch Hill, and Julia McQuillan
Prospects and Challenges of Population Health with Online and other Big Data in Africa; Understanding the Link to Improving Healthcare Service Delivery, Rowland Edet and Bolarinwa Afolabi
Knowledge of Breast Cancer and Screening Methods among Rural Women in Southwest Nigeria, Rowland Edet and Oluwayimika Ekundina
Knowledge of Breast Cancer and Screening Methods among Rural Women in Southwest Nigeria: A Mixed Method Analysis, Rowland Edet, Oluwayimika Ekundina, Obasanjo Afolabi Bolarinwa, Julianah Babajide, and Juliet Amarachukwu Nwafor
Diverse Aging and Health Inequality by Race and Ethnicity, Kenneth F. Ferraro, Blakelee R. Kemp, and Monica M. Williams
Contextualizing the COVID-19 Era in Puerto Rico: Compounding Disasters and Parallel Pandemics, Catherine Garcia, Fernando I. Rivera, Marc A. Garcia, Giovani Burgos, and María P. Aranda
Contextualizing the COVID-19 Era in Puerto Rico: Compounding Disasters and Parallel Pandemics, Catherine Garcia, Fernando I. Rivera, Marc A. Garcia, Giovani Burgos, and María P. Aranda
Educational Benefits and Cognitive Health Life Expectancies: Racial/Ethnic, Nativity, and Gender Disparities, Marc A. Garcia, Brian Downer, Chi-Tsun Chiu, Joseph L. Saenz, Kasim Ortiz, and Rebeca Wong
The Color of COVID-19: Structural Racism and the Pandemic’s Disproportionate Impact on Older Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Marc A. Garcia, Patricia A. Homan, Catherine Garcia, and Tyson H. Brown
Nativity and Country of Origin Variations in Life Expectancy With Functional Limitations Among Older Hispanics in the United States, Marc A. Garcia, Adriana M. Reyes, Catherine García, Chi-Tsun Chiu, and Grecia Macias
Diverse Sources of Social Support and Cognitive Functioning by Race, Ethnicity, and Nativity, G. Robin Gauthier, Marc A. Garcia, and Catherine García
Exacerbating Inequalities: Social Networks, Racial/ Ethnic Disparities, and the COVID-19 Pandemic in the United States, G. Robin Gauthier, Jeffrey A. Smith, Catherine Garcia, Marc A. Garcia, and Patricia A. Thomas
A New Spin on Gender: How Parents of Male Baton Twirlers (Un)Do Gender Essentialism, Trenton M. Haltom
Effects of Sex, Race, and Education on the Timing of Coming Out among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Adults in the U.S., Trenton M. Haltom and Shawn M. Ratcliff
Introduction to special issue “Geographies of Sexualities” [Journal of Lesbian Studies], Emily Kazyak
Law and Same-Sex Couples’ Experiences of Childbirth, Emily Kazyak and Emma Finken
Are Biological Consequences of Childhood Exposures Detectable in Telomere Length Decades Later?, Blakelee R. Kemp and Kenneth F. Ferraro
Why Does the Importance of Education for Health Differ across the United States?, Blakelee R. Kemp and Jennifer Karas Montez
A note on the fine structure constant, Bilal Khan and Irshadullah Khan