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Karen Van Gundy

Department Chair, Sociology
Professor
Phone: (603) 862-2500
Office: McConnell Hall, Room 341d, Durham, NH 03824
Websites:
Curriculum Vitae
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Drawing on sociological life-course and stress-process perspectives, my research examines psychological and behavioral health patterns across youth and emerging adulthood.

Courses Taught

  • SOC 599: Sociological Analysis
  • SOC 620: Drugs and Society
  • SOC 720: Sociology of Drug Use
  • SOC 720/820: Sociology of Drug Use
  • SOC 799H: Senior Honors Thesis
  • SOC 820: Sociology of Drug Use
  • SOC 901: Sociological Methods I

Education

  • Ph.D., Sociology, University of Miami
  • M.A., Sociology, University of Cincinnati
  • B.S., Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Research Interests

  • Life course
  • Young Adults
  • Substance use
  • Rural Health
  • Stress processes and mental health

Selected Publications

  • Van Gundy, K. (2027). Mental Health and the Stress Process in Youth and Emerging Adulthood. In K. Marcussen, M. Gallagher, & R. Adams (Eds.), Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health (3 ed.). Springer. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/book/9783032433657

  • Van Gundy, K. T., & Burke, J. (2025). Chronic Strain, Coping Style, and Mental Health in Emerging Adulthood: Considering Age-Linked Patterns in the Stress Process. Emerging Adulthood, 13(5), 1277-1293. doi:10.1177/21676968251352015

  • Van Gundy, K. T., & Staunton, M. S. (2017). Marijuana Examining the Facts. ABC-CLIO.

  • Van Gundy, K. T., Rebellon, C. J., Jaffee, E. M., Stracuzzi, N. F., Sharp, E. H., & Tucker, C. J. (2016). Perceived Local Job Prospects and School Connectedness in a Struggling Rural Economy: A Life-Course Perspective. Peabody Journal of Education, 91(2), 224-245. doi:10.1080/0161956x.2016.1151748

  • Van Gundy, K. T., Tucker, C. J., Stracuzzi, N. F., Sharp, E. H., & Rebellon, C. J. (2016). The rural context of substance misuse in the United States Emerging adult patterns and local perceptions following the Great Recession. In ROUTLEDGE INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK OF RURAL CRIMINOLOGY (pp. 253-263). Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

  • Van Gundy, K. T., Howerton-Orcutt, A., & Mills, M. L. (2015). Race, Coping Style, and Substance Use Disorder Among Non-Hispanic African American and White Young Adults in South Florida. SUBSTANCE USE & MISUSE, 50(11), 1459-1469. doi:10.3109/10826084.2015.1018544

  • Van Gundy, K. T., Mills, M. L., Tucker, C. J., Rebellon, C. J., Sharp, E. H., & Stracuzzi, N. F. (2015). Socioeconomic Strain, Family Ties, and Adolescent Health in a Rural Northeastern County. RURAL SOCIOLOGY, 80(1), 60-85. doi:10.1111/ruso.12055

  • Van Gundy, K. T., Stracuzzi, N. F., Rebellon, C. J., Tucker, C. J., & Cohn, E. S. (2011). Perceived Community Cohesion and the Stress Process in Youth. RURAL SOCIOLOGY, 76(3), 293-318. doi:10.1111/j.1549-0831.2011.00050.x

  • Van Gundy, K., & Rebellon, C. J. (2010). A Life-course Perspective on the "Gateway Hypothesis". JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, 51(3), 244-259. doi:10.1177/0022146510378238

  • Van Gundy, K., Morton, B. A., Liu, H. Q., & Kline, J. (2006). Effects of web-based instruction on math anxiety, the sense of mastery, and global self-esteem: A quasi-experimental study of undergraduate statistics students. In TEACHING SOCIOLOGY Vol. 34 (pp. 370-388). Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

  • Schieman, S., Whitestone, Y. K., & Van Gundy, K. (2006). The nature of work and the stress of higher status. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, 47(3), 242-257. doi:10.1177/002214650604700304

  • Van Gundy, K., Schieman, S., Kelley, M. S., & Rebellon, C. J. (2005). Gender role orientations and alcohol use among Moscow and Toronto adults. SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 61(11), 2317-2330. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.07.033

  • Turner, R. J., Taylor, J., & Van Gundy, K. (2004). Personal resources and depression in the transition to adulthood: Ethnic comparisons. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, 45(1), 34-52. doi:10.1177/002214650404500103

  • Van Gundy, K. (2002). Gender, the assertion of autonomy, and the stress process in young adulthood. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY QUARTERLY, 65(4), 346-363. doi:10.2307/3090107

  • Schieman, S., Van Gundy, K., & Taylor, J. (2001). Status, role, and resource explanations for age patterns in psychological distress. JOURNAL OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, 42(1), 80-96. doi:10.2307/3090228

  • Schieman, S., & Van Gundy, K. (2000). The personal and social links between age and self-reported empathy. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY QUARTERLY, 63(2), 152-174. doi:10.2307/2695889

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