New grandfamilies articles in Geriatrics, Healthcare, and the Journal of Applied Gerontology

Three articles from the Grandfamilies Lab were published or accepted this year, each with current or former lab students as co-authors.

• McLin, M.A., Shillingsburg, L.A., Mason, A.L., Barfield, K.M., & Nadorff, D.K. (2026). Bias and beliefs: Age discrimination, perceived control over cognitive aging, and executive functioning in caregiving grandparents. Geriatrics, 11(4), 87.
• Nadorff, D.K., Ralston, M., Shillingsburg, L.A., & Mason, A.L. (2026). It takes a village (or a city): Perceived economic strain, caregiver ambivalence, and quality of life among caregiving grandparents across perceived residential area types. Healthcare, 14(18), 2972.
• Ralston, M., Nadorff, D.K., Mason, A.L., & Shillingsburg, L.A. (in press). Location, location, location: How community distress shapes physical and mental health outcomes for caregiving grandparents. Journal of Applied Gerontology.

Dr. Danielle Nadorff awarded $3.2 million SAMHSA grant for SAFE RESPONSE MS

Dr. Nadorff received a four-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) through its First Responders Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (FR-CARA) program. The award provides $783,338 in its first year and about $3.2 million over four years, beginning September 30, 2026. As Principal Investigator and Project Director, Dr. Nadorff will lead SAFE RESPONSE MS, which will train at least 5,000 first responders and community members across 20 rural Mississippi counties to recognize and reverse opioid overdoses. Everyone who completes the training receives a free naloxone (overdose-reversal medication) kit. A peer recovery support specialist will follow up with overdose survivors and their families and connect them to treatment services, and the team will take an inventory of the resources already available in each county. The grant will also fund graduate research assistantships for doctoral students in Dr. Nadorff's lab.

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Maia McLin successfully defends her dissertation

Maia McLin successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, "Not All Heroes Wear Capes: The Superwoman Schema, Coping, and Depressive Symptoms in African American Caregiving Grandmothers." The Superwoman Schema describes a cultural expectation that Black women present strength, suppress their emotions, and put the needs of others before their own. Dr. Nadorff chaired the committee, and Dr. Cliff McKinney, Dr. Ty Stafford, and Dr. Melanie Stearns served as members. Maia will receive her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology after she completes her clinical internship. Congratulations, Maia!

Amara Mason successfully defends her masters thesis

Amara Mason successfully defended her master's thesis, "Breaking the Chain or Passing the Torch?: Caregiver Type, Perceived Caregiving, and Extent of Aggression and Attachment Outcomes in Emerging Adult Relationships." Drawing on Intergenerational Transmission of Violence Theory, Social Learning Theory, and Attachment Theory, the thesis examines whether alternative caregiver-led caregiving buffers or exacerbates the development of violent behavior patterns associated with early adversity in emerging adults aged 18 to 25. Congratulations, Amara!

Dr. Danielle Nadorff wins Inclusive Excellence Teaching Grant for PSY 4503

The Mississippi State University College of Arts & Sciences awarded Dr. Nadorff the Inclusive Excellence Teaching Grant ($500) to support inclusive excellence in PSY 4503, the new course-based undergraduate research experience launching in Spring 2027.

Dr. Nadorff to guest edit a Behavioral Sciences special issue on family caregiving

Dr. Nadorff is lead Guest Editor, with Dr. Cathy Tompkins (George Mason University) and Dr. Melanie Stearns (University of South Florida), of a special issue of Behavioral Sciences titled "Family Caregiving and Mental Health: With a Focus on Grandparent Caregivers." The issue welcomes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies, systematic reviews, and theoretical papers. Submissions are open through January 31, 2027, and accepted papers are published online as they finish peer review.

Dr. Danielle Nadorff wins Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects Grant

Dr. Nadorff received the Ottilie Schillig Special Teaching Projects Grant from the Center for Innovation in Teaching Excellence (CITE) at Mississippi State University. The grant supports the launch of PSY 4503, a course-based undergraduate research experience that integrates research training with professional-development modules for psychology majors.

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Dr. Danielle Nadorff awarded $100,000 for Mississippi Blues Opioid Needs Assessment Grant

Dr. Nadorff was awarded $100,000 from the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, drawing on State of Mississippi Opioid Settlement Funds, to lead Mississippi Blues: A Statewide Needs Assessment. As Principal Investigator, Dr. Nadorff and her team will conduct the state's first unified, evidence-based assessment of opioid prevention, treatment, and recovery needs, in partnership with the Wolfgang Frese Survey Research Laboratory and the Mississippi Department of Mental Health. Funding becomes available July 1, 2026.

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