Athena Chan, Ph.D.

Research Focus

My research investigates the psychosocial mechanisms of adult resilience facing stressors and healthy aging. I have proposed the Multisystemic Resilience Framework, which illuminates adult resilience as a developing capacity changing over time in response to the nature of stressors and sociocultural context. Much of my research has focused on exploring and examining the interplay of individual and family processes of at-risk adults in their middle and late adulthood living in the Western and Eastern cultures. I have published over 20 systematic reviews and empirical studies about the underlying psychosocial processes in the face of different stressors, such as childhood adversities, elder abuse, family caregiving, and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, my research highlights that intergenerational relationships may simultaneously promote and hinder pathways to adult resilience and healthy aging within sociocultural contexts.

To disentangle the complex dynamics, I use quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods design to empirically examine multiple influences on family interactions within sociocultural contexts. I use a variety of methodologies, including surveys, semi-structured interviews, card-sorting, and ambulatory assessments. I also have the privilege to collaborate with interdisciplinary colleagues to collect cross-cultural, longitudinal data and conduct secondary analysis using U.S. national datasets.

Area of Expertise

• Adult resilience in middle and late adulthood
• Healthy aging
• Caregiving and families
• Intergenerational relationships
• Diversity and culture
• Mixed methods research

Selected Publications

Adult Resilience

Leung., D., Chan, A. C. Y., & Ho, G. W. K. (2022). Resilience is a process of self-righting for emerging adults with adverse childhood experience: A qualitative systematic review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(1),163-181. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020933865

Wojciak, A. S., Powers, J., Chan, A. C. Y., Pleggenkuhle, A. L., & Hooper, L. M. (2022). ARCCH Model of Resilience: A flexible multisystemic resilience framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7),3920. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19073920

Chan, A. C. Y., Piehler, T. F., & Ho, G. W. K. (2021). Resilience and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from Minnesota and Hong Kong. Journal of Affective Disorders, 295, 771-780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2021.08.144

Ho, G. W. K., Chan, A. C. Y., Shevlin, M., Karatzias, T., Chan, P. S., & Leung, D. (2021). Childhood adversity, resilience, and mental health: A sequential mixed-methods study of Chinese young adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(19–20), NP10345–NP10370. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519876034

Ho, G. W. K., Chan, A. C. Y., Chien, W.-T., Bressington, D. T., & Karatzias, T. (2019). Examining patterns of adversity in Chinese young adults using the Adverse Childhood Experiences—International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ). Child Abuse & Neglect, 88, 179-188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.009

 

Healthy Aging

Chan, A. C. Y. & Piehler, T. F. (2024) Evaluation of prevention programs for grandparent caregivers: A systematic review. Prevention Science, 25(1), 137-154. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-023-01594-2

Chan, A. C. Y. & Sneed, R. S. (2023). Factors associated with healthcare delays among adults over 50 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journals of Gerontology, Series A: Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences, 78(4), 630-636. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glac174

Sneed, R. & Chan, A. C. Y. (2023). The implications of intergenerational relationships for minority aging: A review of recent literature. Current Epidemiology Reports, 10, 44-50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40471-023-00319-x

Chan, A. C. Y., Lee, S-K., Zhang, J., Banegas, J., Marsalis, S., & Gewirtz, A. H. (2023). Intensity of grandparent caregiving and well-being in cultural context: A systematic review. The Gerontologist, 63(5), 851-873. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnac026

Betz-Hamilton, A., Stum, M. S., & Chan, A. C. Y. (2023). Elder family financial exploitation offenders: Exploring the complexities of problematic behaviors. Victims & Offenders, 18(5), 943-960. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2022.2040068

Chan, A. C. Y., & Stum, M. S. (2022). A family systems perspective of elder family financial exploitation: Examining family context profiles. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 41(4), 945-951. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648211056927

Cheung, S. K. D., Ho, G. W. K., Chan, A. C. Y., Ho, L. M. K., Kwok, R. K. H., Law, Y. P. Y., & Bressington, D. (2022). A good dyadic relationship between older couples with one having mild cognitive impairment: A Q-methodology. BMC Geriatrics, 22, 764. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-022-03449-x

Chan, A. C. Y., & Stum, M. S. (2020). The state of theory in elder family financial exploitation: A systematic review. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 12(4),492-509. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12396  ***Awarded the 2021 Outstanding Doctoral Student and New Professional Paper Award in the Families and Health Section of the National Council on Family Relations***