Primary Concentration:
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Research and Professional Affiliations:Alabama Research Institute on Aging (ARIA), Executive Director
Society of Clinical Geropsychology, Past President Council of Professional Geropsychology Training Programs Past President Courses: Affect and Lifespan Development, Clinical Psychology of Aging Intervention and Assessment, Geropsychology Practicum, Undergraduate Research |
Board certified in Geropsychology January 2024 CV
Research Interests
Dr. Allen’s research and clinical interests are: 1) clinical training issues (e.g., substance and opioid use disorders, empowering underserved communities to facilitate effective treatment delivery through community-based partnerships, health and mental health disparities); 2) interventions to reduce the stress of individuals, family, and professional caregivers within the context of advanced chronic or terminal illness; and 3) the cultural dynamics (race/ethnicity, rural/urban) of healthcare and financial decision making. She has published on translation of end-of-life/Dignity interventions, diversity in advance care planning, adapting surveys for cultural relevance, behavioral interventions in the community and long-term care, and ethical practice in interprofessional teams. Dr. Allen is a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) Committee on Aging and is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and the APA Division 20 (Adult Development and Aging).
NOTE: Dr. Allen is a First Generation Scholar and welcomes individuals with diverse intersectional identities into her laboratory.
NOTE: Dr. Allen is a First Generation Scholar and welcomes individuals with diverse intersectional identities into her laboratory.
Recent Publications (selected from over 150 in chronological and alphabetical order)
Empirical Journal Articles: * mentored student publications
- Allen, R. S., McIntyre, A.*, Oliver, J.S., Payne-Foster, P., Cox, B.S. Hay-McCutcheon, M.J., Wilson, L., Spencer, C., & Lee, H.Y. (2023). Church leaders share and implement solution-focused health strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Alabama. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01873-2.
- Lin, S.S.-H.*, Jacobs, M.L., Halli-Tierney, A., Carroll, D., & Allen, R. S. (2023). Psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) in older adult primary care patients. Clinical Gerontologist. DOI: 10.1080/07317115.2023.2276291
- Oliver, J.S., Allen, R. S., Anderson, B.B., Crowley, R.V.*, Peramsetty, G.S., & Payne-Foster, P. (2023). Providers’ perspectives on patient health literacy in the rural Deep South. Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care, 23(2), 186-209. https://doi.org/10.14574/ojrnhc.v23i2.756.
- Brasfield, M.B.*, Bui, C., Patihis, L., Crowther, M.R., Allen, R. S., & McDonough, I.M. (2023). Self-reported chronic stress is unique across lifetime periods: A test of competing structural equation models. The Gerontologist. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad042.
- Plys, E., Jacobs, M.L., Allen, R. S., & Arch, J. (2022). Psychological flexibility and psychological suffering in older adulthood: A scoping review. Aging and Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2036948
- Carden, K.D., McDuffie, D.L.*, Murry, K.*, Bui, C., & Allen, R. S. (2021). Minority stress process among older Black Americans: The role of age, perceived discrimination, and anxiety. Aging and Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2021.1904380.
- McDonough, I M., Erwin, H.*, Sin, N., & Allen, R. S. (2022). Pet ownership is associated with greater cognitive and brain health in a cross-sectional sample across the adult lifespan. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 14, 1-15. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.953889/full.
- Halli-Tierney, A.D., McKinney, R.E., Gold, A.E., Allen, R. S., & Carroll, D.G. (2021). Development of interprofessional case discussion series from an interprofessional geriatrics clinic and its influence on professional identity formation. New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1002/tl.20472.
- McDuffie, D.L.*, Allen, R. S., Crowther, M.R., & Black, S. (2021). Investigating the applicability of the Two-Track Model of Bereavement to a Southern sample of African American adults. Death Studies, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/07481187.2021.1880500
- Moore, T.*, Payne-Foster, P., Oliver, J.S., Spears, E.G., Spencer, C.H., Maye, J., & Allen, R.S. (2022). Community perspectives and environmental justice issues in an unincorporated Black township. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19 (12), 74-90. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127490
- Mumba, M. N., Mugoya, G. T., Glenn, A., Allen. R. S., Butler, A., Rogers, B., Richman, J. & Davis, L. (2022). The Feasibility and Acceptability of a Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention Intervention for Opioid Use Disorders. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 60(3), 11-14. doi: 10.3928/02793695-20220208-01.
- Reel, C.*, Allen, R. S., Lanai, B.*, Yuk, M.*, & Potts, D. (2022). Bringing Art to Life: Social and activity engagement through art in persons living with dementia. Clinical Gerontologist, 45(2), 327-337. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2021.1878404.
- Dorman, H.R.*, Strong, J.V., Tighe, C.A., Mast, B.T., & Allen, R. S. (2021). Geropsychology career pipeline perceptions. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(1), 90-104. DOI:10.1002/jclp.23035.
- Allen, R. S., Oliver, J.S., Eichorst, M.K.*, Mieskowski, L.*, Payne-Foster, P., & Sörensen, S. (2019). Preparation and planning for future care in the Deep South: Adapting a validated tool for cultural sensitivity. The Gerontologist, 59(6), e643-e652. DOI:10.1093/geront/gny102.
- Strong, J.V., Allen, R. S., Tighe, C., Jacobs, M.L., Dorman, H., & Mast, B. (2021). What psychology trainees think geropsychologists do and what we actually do: A mixed methods study. Gerontology and Geriatrics Education, 42(2), 277-296.1-20. DOI: 10.1080/02701960.2019.1697253.
- Allen, R. S., Carpenter, B.D., & Eichorst, M.K. (Eds). (2018). Perspectives on behavioural interventions in palliative and end-of-life care. Aging and mental health research series. London and New York: Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN: 978-0-4|57-9152-6.
- Allen, R. S., Carpenter, B.D., & Eichorst, M.K. (Eds). (2018). Perspectives on palliative and end-of-life care: Disease, Social and Cultural Context. Aging and mental health research series. London and New York: Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group.
- Bush, S.S., Allen, R. S., & Molinari, V. (2017). Ethical practice in geropsychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. ISBN: 978-1-4338-2626-9.
Favorite Lab Quotes and Mission:
- "Pay it forward."
- "If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change." --Mahatma/Mohandas Gandhi
- “How do we hold people accountable for wrongdoing and yet at the same time remain in touch with their humanity enough to believe in their capacity to be transformed?” -- Bell Hooks
- "You can't microwave trustworthiness. You have to crockpot it." -- Dr. David A. Hodge, National Center for Bioethics in Research & Healthcare, Tuskegee University
- "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them." --Maya Angelou
- "Trouble won't last always..." --LIFE Research Participant; Harris et al (2013) - DOI: 10.1177/1049732313482590
- "Progress is asking the right question at the right time and getting answers before you move on to the next question."