Molly Maxfield

About

Molly Maxfield is an Associate Professor in the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University and a Fellow in the Center for Healthy and Resilient Aging (CIHRA). She is a clinical psychologist whose research focuses on psychology and aging, with particular attention to dementia-related anxiety among middle-aged and older adults. Her work includes developing behavioral interventions aimed at reducing dementia risk and investigating the long-term effects of childhood maltreatment on later-life cognitive functioning. Maxfield's research explores differences in subjective and objective memory functioning and the psychological impacts of aging and dementia-related concerns. She holds a PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Gerontology
• Clinical psychology
• Physical therapy
• Demography
• Virology
• Pathology

Selected publications

• COVID-19 worry, mental health indicators, and preparedness for future care needs across the adult lifespan

  Aging & Mental Health · 2020 · 47 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has been a source of worry for many, but older adults have been identified as more vulnerable to serious cases and may therefore feel more concerned about the virus. We assessed whether COVID-19 worry was related to indicators of mental health and preparedness for future care, in an adult lifespan sample.

  DOI

• Conceptualization, measurement and correlates of dementia worry: A scoping review

  Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics · 2020 · 45 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  DOI

• Physical Activity Among Predominantly White Middle-Aged and Older US Adults During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: Results From a National Longitudinal Survey

  Frontiers in Public Health · 2021 · 32 citations

  Effective strategies are needed to promote safe and socially-distanced PA among adults aged >50 years until the risk of contracting COVID-19 subsides. In the post-pandemic era, PA programming will be imperative to address pandemic-associated declines in PA.

  DOI

• Prolonged nightly fasting in older adults with memory decline: A single-group pilot study exploring changes in cognitive function and cardiometabolic risk factors

  Journal of Clinical and Translational Science · 2024-12-12 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Introduction: Older age significantly increases risk for cognitive decline. A growing number of older adults (≥ 65 years) experience cognitive decline that compromises immediate and/or long-term health. Interventions to mitigate cognitive decline are greatly needed. Intermittent fasting aligned with innate circadian rhythms is associated with health benefits and improved circadian rhythms; here, we explore impacts on cognition and cardiometabolic outcomes. Methods: We conducted a single…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• “How will I ever know I didn’t bring it on myself?”: Navigating personal responsibility in public health messaging on dementia risk

  Dementia · 2024-08-13 · 3 citations

  article

  Background and Objectives Public health messaging increasingly emphasizes the importance of “lifestyle interventions” to reduce dementia risk. Our study aimed to understand how people interpret and respond to information about dementia risk. In a second sub-aim, we examined how these interpretations may contribute to dementia-related lifestyle stigma. Research Design and Methods We engaged in a secondary analysis of 50 semi-structured interviews using a framework approach to understand, from the…

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Investigating dementia worry and its impact on older adults

  NIH · $400k · 2016–2020

Frequent coauthors

• Allie Peckham

  Arizona State University

  39 shared

• M. Aaron Guest

  Arizona State University

  21 shared

• Dara James

  Arizona State University

  16 shared

• Keenan A. Pituch

  Arizona State University

  14 shared

• Tom Pyszczynski

  14 shared

• Jeff Greenberg

  14 shared

• David W. Coon

  Arizona State University

  12 shared

• Fang Yu

  Arizona State University

  8 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Clinical Psychology

  University of Colorado Colorado Springs

• M.A., Clinical Psychology

  University of Colorado Colorado Springs

• B.A., Psychology

  Skidmore College

Awards & honors

• Fellow in the Center for Healthy and Resilient Aging (CIHRA)

Similar researchers at Arizona State University

• Ross Andelh-62
• Shawn Youngstedth-62