Attitudes about Childlessness and Family
Dr. Koropeckyj-Cox conducts research on attitudes about childlessness and their connection to contemporary fertility trends and work-family dilemmas. She has published articles on attitudes about childlessness in the U.S., including the gender gap in attitudes (Journal of Marriage and Family, 2007). Similar comparisons among European and other countries are underway using data from the European Values Surveys (with Alin Ceobanu, UF).
She is conducting a survey of college students’ attitudes about gender, childlessness, and family issues. A recent article in Journal of Family Issues compares perceptions of parents and childless/childfree couples. Findings on students’ attitudes about childless individuals and couples appeared in the journal Sex Roles (2007).
A parallel survey, conducted among Turkish university students by Dr. Zeynep Copur of Hacettepe University, has allowed for cross-national comparisons of perceptions and attitudes (Journal of Family Issues, 2010; Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 2015, respectively).
She has also collaborated on a cross-cultural study of perceptions and attitudes among students in Florida, Turkey, and Japan (with Dr. Yoshimi Kataoka and Dr. Takashi Fukino of Shimane University, Japan, and Dr. Zeynep Copur, Hacettepe University, Turkey).
Implications of Childlessness over the Life Course
Dr. Koropeckyj-Cox has examined the implications of childlessness for psychological well-being in middle and old age. Using U.S. national data, she has compared depression and loneliness of childless adults and parents over 50 (Journals of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 1998; Journal of Family Issues, 2009, with Dr. Regina Bures and Michael Loree). She has also examined how attitudes about childlessness and quality of parent-child relationships are linked to psychological well-being (Journal of Marriage and Family, 2002) and the implications of fertility timing for women’s well-being in late midlife (with Dr. Amy Pienta and Dr. Tyson H. Brown in International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 2007).
Singlehood in Midlife and Older Adulthood
With funding from the Anthony Marchionne Foundation, Dr. Koropeckyj-Cox examined the demographic characteristics and psychological well-being of never-married and long-term single older adults. This study with psychologist Dr. Susan Bluck included in-depth interviews with older, single men and women in Florida. Drawing on this research, Dr. Koropeckyj-Cox contributed a commentary on the social stigma of singlehood, published in Psychological Inquiry (July 2005).
Other Collaborative Projects
Dr. Koropeckyj-Cox has published an article with Dr. Alin Ceobanu on attitudes about immigration and population aging in Europe. Using the EuroBarometer surveys, they compared data from 27 countries to assess attitudes about “replacement migration” (Population Research and Policy Review, 2012).
She has worked with Dr. Allen Glicksman (Philadelphia Corporation for Aging) on several projects related to aging in the American Jewish population (The Gerontologist, 2009; Journal of Religion, Spirituality & Aging, 2017)
Dr. Koropeckyj-Cox has also collaborated with Dr. Justin Coran (University Hospitals, Cleveland) and Dr. Christa Arnold (University of North Florida) on studies of the extent of agreement in physician-patient dyads (Health Education and Behavior, 2013) and communication skills and challenges among Florida physicians (Florida Communication Journal, 2016).
Other published articles with current and former graduate students include a study of subjective well-being among older Korean-American immigrants (Dr. Hunhui Oh, St. Ambrose University, with Dr. Monika Ardelt, UF) and a study of parent-care concerns among Chinese only-children studying overseas (Dr. Tianhan Gui).