Linda Charmaraman
Biographic Data
| ID | 4228217 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Linda Charmaraman |
| GIVEN NAMES | Linda |
| FAMILY NAME | Charmaraman |
| SIGNATURE | CHARMARAMAN L |
| AFFILIATIONS | Wellesley College |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6413-0451 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 68 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2008 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
An Idiographic, Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Adolescent-Dog Relationships in the Context of Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is prevalent among adolescents, however there is limited research examining how adolescents with social anxiety can be supported in coping adaptively with stressors. In particular, close relationships with dogs may provide regulation and support in this context. The objective of this study is to use an idiographic, mixed methods approach to explore adolescent–dog relationships in real-life contexts. We present four illustrative cas…
Association Between Social Media Use and Substance Use Among Middle and High School-Aged Youth
Purpose: The purpose of our study was to identify whether different aspects of social media use were associated with substance use among middle- and high school-aged youth. Methods: Participants were recruited from four Northeast U.S. middle schools and invited to complete an online survey in Fall 2019 and Fall 2020. We conducted separate adjusted logistic mixed effects models the substance use outcomes: ever use of alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarette…
Sexual Minorities and Loneliness
We examined online and offline social supports for sexual minority adolescents, underscoring the understudied developmental period of early adolescence and the mental outcome of loneliness. Stemming from a larger study in the northeast U.S., 967 youth participants were 26% sexual minority, 53% female, 45% male, and 2% other/nonbinary (mean age = 13.1, SD = 1.52). LGBTQ+ youth reported significantly higher levels of loneliness compared to their he…
Longitudinal associations between pet relationship quality and socio‐emotional functioning in early adolescence
Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disc…
Associations of early social media initiation on digital behaviors and the moderating role of limiting use
Same-Sex Attraction Disclosure and Sexual Communication Topics within Families
Few studies compare family communication about sex and relationships for sexual minority youth versus hetero-sexual teenagers. Further, existing studies often focus on mothers, overlooking fathers and extended family. Our survey of 952 adolescents aged 14-21 included 115 adolescents disclosing non-heterosexual attraction. Mothers offered more sexual protection methods messages to their non-SM teens, whereas fathers talked less with SM teens about…
The Role of Pet Companionship in Online and Offline Social Interactions in Adolescence
Social and Behavioral Health Factors Associated with Violent and Mature Gaming in Early Adolescence
We examined how risk level of video games, measured by maturity and violence level, was associated with behavioral health, social impacts, and online social interactions. School-based surveys in two different cohorts assessed self-reported gaming behaviors, health, and social media use. For Study 1, our 700 participants were 52% female and 48% White (mean age 12.7). Middle school students who played the high-risk games reported higher depressive …
A Larger Ecology of Family Sexuality Communication
Extended family can be a resource for conversations about sex, but extended family perspectives have been largely left out of existing research. The present study investigates how extended family, such as aunts and uncles, siblings and cousins, perceive communication with teens in their families about sex. A thematic analysis was conducted with data from interviews in the U.S. with 39 extended family members, primarily siblings, who reported talk…
Introduction to Special Issue
Asian American social media use
Do as I Say, Not as I Did
Communication between parents and teens about sexuality can reduce early sexual behavior. However, little research investigates how parents who were adolescents when they had children (early parents) talk with their teens about sex. In-depth interviews were conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 29 parents of seventh graders. Salient themes of conversations with adolescents were risks of early parenthood, sexually transmitted infe…
How have researchers studied multiracial populations? A content and methodological review of 20 years of research
The U.S. Census shows that the racial-ethnic makeup of over 9 million people (2.9% of the total population) who self-identified as multiracial is extremely diverse. Each multiracial subgroup has unique social and political histories that may lead to distinct societal perceptions, economic situations, and health outcomes. Despite the increasing academic and media interest in multiracial individuals, there are methodological and definitional challe…
Can Sex Education Delay Early Sexual Debut
In this study, we examine whether a nine-lesson sex education intervention, “ Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education That Works,” implemented in sixth grade, can reduce the number of adolescents who might otherwise become “early starters” of sexual activity (defined as heterosexual intercourse) by seventh grade. Participants were 548 boys and 675 girls who completed surveys in both sixth grade (baseline) and seventh grade (follow-up). The sample w…
Urban Early Adolescent Narratives on Sexuality
Importance of race and ethnicity
This mixed-method study used a grounded theory approach to explore the meanings underlying the importance that adolescents attach to their racial-ethnic identities. The sample consisted of 923 9th- to 12th-grade students from Black, Latino, Asian, and multiracial backgrounds. Thematic findings identified a broad range of explanations for adolescents' racial-ethnic centrality, ranging from pride and cultural connection to ambivalence and colorblin…
Race, Context, and Privilege
Race, Context, and Privilege
Importance of race and ethnicity
This mixed-method study used a grounded theory approach to explore the meanings underlying the importance that adolescents attach to their racial-ethnic identities. The sample consisted of 923 9th- to 12th-grade students from Black, Latino, Asian, and multiracial backgrounds. Thematic findings identified a broad range of explanations for adolescents' racial-ethnic centrality, ranging from pride and cultural connection to ambivalence and colorblin…
Can Sex Education Delay Early Sexual Debut
In this study, we examine whether a nine-lesson sex education intervention, “ Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education That Works,” implemented in sixth grade, can reduce the number of adolescents who might otherwise become “early starters” of sexual activity (defined as heterosexual intercourse) by seventh grade. Participants were 548 boys and 675 girls who completed surveys in both sixth grade (baseline) and seventh grade (follow-up). The sample w…
Do as I Say, Not as I Did
Communication between parents and teens about sexuality can reduce early sexual behavior. However, little research investigates how parents who were adolescents when they had children (early parents) talk with their teens about sex. In-depth interviews were conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 29 parents of seventh graders. Salient themes of conversations with adolescents were risks of early parenthood, sexually transmitted infe…
Urban Early Adolescent Narratives on Sexuality
Longitudinal associations between pet relationship quality and socio‐emotional functioning in early adolescence
Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disc…
Introduction to Special Issue
Race, Context, and Privilege
Importance of race and ethnicity
This mixed-method study used a grounded theory approach to explore the meanings underlying the importance that adolescents attach to their racial-ethnic identities. The sample consisted of 923 9th- to 12th-grade students from Black, Latino, Asian, and multiracial backgrounds. Thematic findings identified a broad range of explanations for adolescents' racial-ethnic centrality, ranging from pride and cultural connection to ambivalence and colorblin…
Urban Early Adolescent Narratives on Sexuality
Can Sex Education Delay Early Sexual Debut
In this study, we examine whether a nine-lesson sex education intervention, “ Get Real: Comprehensive Sex Education That Works,” implemented in sixth grade, can reduce the number of adolescents who might otherwise become “early starters” of sexual activity (defined as heterosexual intercourse) by seventh grade. Participants were 548 boys and 675 girls who completed surveys in both sixth grade (baseline) and seventh grade (follow-up). The sample w…
How have researchers studied multiracial populations? A content and methodological review of 20 years of research
The U.S. Census shows that the racial-ethnic makeup of over 9 million people (2.9% of the total population) who self-identified as multiracial is extremely diverse. Each multiracial subgroup has unique social and political histories that may lead to distinct societal perceptions, economic situations, and health outcomes. Despite the increasing academic and media interest in multiracial individuals, there are methodological and definitional challe…
Do as I Say, Not as I Did
Communication between parents and teens about sexuality can reduce early sexual behavior. However, little research investigates how parents who were adolescents when they had children (early parents) talk with their teens about sex. In-depth interviews were conducted with a racially/ethnically diverse sample of 29 parents of seventh graders. Salient themes of conversations with adolescents were risks of early parenthood, sexually transmitted infe…
Asian American social media use
Introduction to Special Issue
The Role of Pet Companionship in Online and Offline Social Interactions in Adolescence
Social and Behavioral Health Factors Associated with Violent and Mature Gaming in Early Adolescence
We examined how risk level of video games, measured by maturity and violence level, was associated with behavioral health, social impacts, and online social interactions. School-based surveys in two different cohorts assessed self-reported gaming behaviors, health, and social media use. For Study 1, our 700 participants were 52% female and 48% White (mean age 12.7). Middle school students who played the high-risk games reported higher depressive …
A Larger Ecology of Family Sexuality Communication
Extended family can be a resource for conversations about sex, but extended family perspectives have been largely left out of existing research. The present study investigates how extended family, such as aunts and uncles, siblings and cousins, perceive communication with teens in their families about sex. A thematic analysis was conducted with data from interviews in the U.S. with 39 extended family members, primarily siblings, who reported talk…
Same-Sex Attraction Disclosure and Sexual Communication Topics within Families
Few studies compare family communication about sex and relationships for sexual minority youth versus hetero-sexual teenagers. Further, existing studies often focus on mothers, overlooking fathers and extended family. Our survey of 952 adolescents aged 14-21 included 115 adolescents disclosing non-heterosexual attraction. Mothers offered more sexual protection methods messages to their non-SM teens, whereas fathers talked less with SM teens about…
Associations of early social media initiation on digital behaviors and the moderating role of limiting use
Longitudinal associations between pet relationship quality and socio‐emotional functioning in early adolescence
Adolescence is a key developmental period for socio-emotional skills, and companion animal relationships may be one potential source of emotional support and resilience during this time. This study used longitudinal data from 940 pet-owning adolescents, collected over four time points, from youth in the Northeastern United States. We assessed whether pet relationship quality (indexed by relationship satisfaction, companionship, and emotional disc…
Association Between Social Media Use and Substance Use Among Middle and High School-Aged Youth
Purpose: The purpose of our study was to identify whether different aspects of social media use were associated with substance use among middle- and high school-aged youth. Methods: Participants were recruited from four Northeast U.S. middle schools and invited to complete an online survey in Fall 2019 and Fall 2020. We conducted separate adjusted logistic mixed effects models the substance use outcomes: ever use of alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarette…
Sexual Minorities and Loneliness
We examined online and offline social supports for sexual minority adolescents, underscoring the understudied developmental period of early adolescence and the mental outcome of loneliness. Stemming from a larger study in the northeast U.S., 967 youth participants were 26% sexual minority, 53% female, 45% male, and 2% other/nonbinary (mean age = 13.1, SD = 1.52). LGBTQ+ youth reported significantly higher levels of loneliness compared to their he…
An Idiographic, Mixed Methods Approach to Understanding Adolescent-Dog Relationships in the Context of Social Anxiety
Social anxiety is prevalent among adolescents, however there is limited research examining how adolescents with social anxiety can be supported in coping adaptively with stressors. In particular, close relationships with dogs may provide regulation and support in this context. The objective of this study is to use an idiographic, mixed methods approach to explore adolescent–dog relationships in real-life contexts. We present four illustrative cas…
Psychology (16 works) · Developmental psychology (12 works) · Social Psychology (12 works) · Sociology (10 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Gender Studies (6 works) · Social media (6 works) · Social Media and Politics (6 works) · Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (5 works) · Demography (5 works)