Kerth O'Brien is interested in social roles, social relationships, and health and well-being. Her research addresses practical questions in community settings from a social psychological perspective. Current research projects address preventive health behaviors, psychological well-being, and patient involvement in health care, particularly with regard to HIV prevention and treatment, and cultural competency in professional care relationships. With her graduate student research team, she is also investigating social psychological aspects of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).

Primary Interests:

Applied Social Psychology
Culture and Ethnicity
Gender Psychology
Health Psychology
Life Satisfaction, Well-Being

Applied Social Psychology
Culture and Ethnicity
Gender Psychology

Health Psychology
Life Satisfaction, Well-Being

Journal Articles:

O'Brien, K. (1993). Using focus groups to develop health surveys: An example from research on social relationships and AIDS-preventive behavior. Health Education Quarterly, 20(3), 361-370.
O'Brien, K., Wortman, C. B., Kessler, R. C., & Joseph, J. G. (1993). Social relationships of men at risk for AIDS. Social Science and Medicine, 36(9), 1161-1167.
Van Beneden, C. A., Modesitt, S., O'Brien, K., Yusem, S., Rose, A., & Fleming, D. (2002). Sex at an urban bathhouse 15 years into the AIDS epidemic. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 30(5), 522-526.
Weir, B. W., Bard, R. S., O'Brien, K., Casciato, C. J., & Stark, M. J. (2008). Violence against women with HIV risk and recent criminal justice system involvement: Prevalence, correlates and recommendations for intervention. Violence against Women, 14(8), 944-960.
Weir, B. W., O'Brien, K., Bard, R. S., Casciato, C. J., Maher, J. E., Dent, C. W., Dougherty, J. A., & Stark, M. J. (2009). Reducing HIV and partner violence risk among women with criminal justice system involvement: A randomized controlled trial of two Motivational Interviewing-based interventions. AIDS & Behavior, 13(3), 509-522.

Courses Taught:

(Graduate) Adult Socialization
(Graduate) Advanced Applied Social Psychology
(Graduate) Social Psychology and Mental Health
(Graduate) Survey Research Methods
Focus Group Research Methods
Health Psychology
Psychology of Women
Social Psychology

(Graduate) Adult Socialization
(Graduate) Advanced Applied Social Psychology
(Graduate) Social Psychology and Mental Health
(Graduate) Survey Research Methods
Focus Group Research Methods

Health Psychology
Psychology of Women
Social Psychology

Kerth O'Brien
Department of Psychology
Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207-0751
United States

Phone: (503) 725-3973


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Kerth O'Brien

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