Joseph P. Allen

About

Joseph P. Allen is the Hugh Kelly Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. His research focuses on adolescent social development, family and peer relationships, problematic behaviors such as delinquency, teen pregnancy, depression, and anxiety, as well as long-term outcomes into adulthood. His work investigates what about adolescence predicts development into adulthood, including adolescent social relationship predictors of long-term health and epigenetic aging. Allen also studies the development of peer influence and peer pressure in adolescence, as well as group interventions to leverage the positive potential of teen-peer relationships. Additionally, his research explores the development of autonomy and relatedness in adolescent and young adult social interactions with parents, peers, and romantic partners.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Social psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Biology
• Sociology
• Nursing
• Pedagogy

Selected publications

• When friendships surpass parental relationships as predictors of long-term outcomes: Adolescent relationship qualities and adult psychosocial functioning

  Child Development · 2021 · 65 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  Perceptions of adolescent-parent and adolescent-peer relationship qualities, and adolescents' attachment states of mind were examined as predictors of adult social and romantic relationship quality, depressive symptoms, and work performance. Adolescents (86 male, 98 female; 58% White, 29% African American, 8% mixed race/ethnicity, 5% other groups) were followed from age 13 to 24 via observational, self-, parent-, and close friend-reports. Adolescent close friendship quality was a significantly b…

  DOI

• Here for You: Attachment and the Growth of Empathic Support for Friends in Adolescence

  Child Development · 2021 · 52 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  = .29), which was associated with teens' responsiveness to such calls. The findings suggest that secure attachment predicts teens' ability to provide empathic support in close friendships.

  DOI

• Perceived Psychological Control in Early Adolescence Predicts Lower Levels of Adaptation into Mid-Adulthood

  Child Development · 2020 · 44 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  This study examined perceived parental psychological control in early adolescence as a critical stressor likely to be associated with lower levels of adaptation into mid-adulthood. A diverse sample of 184 adolescents was followed from age 13 through 32 to assess predictions to adult adaptation. Perceived parental psychological control at age 13 predicted relative decreases in observed support, lower likelihood of being in a romantic relationship, and lower academic attainment (after accounting f…

  DOI

• Facilitating connection to enhance college student well‐being: Evaluation of an experiential group program

  American Journal of Community Psychology · 2022 · 29 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  This randomized controlled trial examined the impact of The Connection Project, an experiential, relationship-focused intervention designed to improve school belongingness and decrease symptoms of depression and loneliness among new college students. Participants were 438 first-year and transfer students (232 treatment, 206 waitlist-control) at a medium-sized, 4years, predominantly White public university in the Southeastern United States. At postintervention, the treatment group reported signif…

  PublisherDOI

• The Connection Project: Changing the peer environment to improve outcomes for marginalized adolescents

  Development and Psychopathology · 2020 · 29 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  This study evaluated a school-based intervention to enhance adolescent peer relationships and improve functional outcomes, building upon Ed Zigler's seminal contribution in recognizing the potential of academic contexts to enhance social and emotional development. Adolescents (N = 610) primarily from economically or racially/ethnically marginalized groups were assessed preintervention, postintervention, and at 4-month follow-up in a randomized controlled trial. At program completion, interventio…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Social Relationship Qualities as Predictors of Health & Aging from Adolescence through Mid-Adulthood

  NIH · $5.4M · 2023–2028

• NIH Grant R03MH045239

  NIH · $42k · 1991

• Adolescent Peer and Family Relationship Predictors of Adult Health

  NIH · $5.4M · 2008–2018

Frequent coauthors

• James A. Coan

  University of Virginia

  65 shared

• Meghan A. Costello

  University of Virginia

  63 shared

• Stuart T. Hauser

  University of Virginia

  51 shared

• Bert N. Uchino

  44 shared

• Jingrun Lin

  University of Virginia

  41 shared

• Nauder Namaky

  Providence College

  37 shared

• Emily L. Loeb

  University of Virginia

  25 shared

• David E. Szwedo

  James Madison University

  24 shared

Similar researchers at University of Virginia

• Eric Turkheimerh-62
• Tobias Grossmannh-59
• Paul Perrinh-56