Catherine Walker O'Neal

College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Human Development and Family Science

Assistant Professor

Family Science Center II (House D)
405 Sanford Dr.
Athens, GA 30602

cwalker1@uga.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Education

Degree Field of Study Institution Graduation
Ph.D. Child and Family Development The University of Georgia 2011
M.S. Human Development and Family Studies with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy Auburn University 2008
B.S. Psychology The University of Georgia 2006

Research

My research examines the interplay of risk and resilience among families facing acute or chronic stressors to inform evidence-based outreach efforts promoting well-being. This focus has led me to research several specific populations, including couples in later adulthood and military families.

My research and outreach efforts focused on military families currently include two funded projects:

  1. Evaluation planning and implementation for the U. S. Department of the Air Force financial readiness program. This project is comprised of evaluation and research opportunities and ensures programs and policies are informed by the latest family research. (principal investigator)
  2. Military REACH synthesizes military family research to make it accessible and relevant for families, helping professionals, and policymakers. (Co-Investigator; PI of the UGA sub-award)

Teaching

  • Issues in Family Systems (HDFS 3920)
  • Advanced quantitative methods

Areas of Expertise

  • Couple and family relationships
  • Family stress
  • Advanced quantitative analyses (e.g., dyadic data, longitudinal data, latent profile analyses)
  • Lifespan development
  • Military and Veteran families
  • Program evaluation

Books

Wickrama, K. A. S., Lee, T. K., O’Neal, C. W., & Lorenz, F. O. (2021). Higher-Order Growth Curves and Mixture Modeling with Mplus: A Practical Guide. (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis.

Blaisure, K. R., Saathoff-Wells, T., Marini, C., O'Neal, C. W., Lucier-Greer, M., Wadsworth, S. M., & Combro, A. L. (forthcoming). Serving Miltiary Families (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Select book chapters

Lucier-Greer, M., & O’Neal, C. W. (2021). Family life education with military and veteran families. In S. M. Ballard & A. C. Taylor (Eds.), Family life education with diverse populations (2nd edition). Sage.

Wickrama, K. A. S., O’Neal, C. W., & Lee, T. K. (2020). Family socioeconomic context and mental health in parents and children: A heuristic framework (6th ed.). In K. R. Bush and C. A. Price (Eds.), Families and change: Coping with stressful events and transitions. Sage.

Publications

Select recent publications (see my CV for a complete listing)

O'Neal, C. W., & Lavner, J. (2022). Latent profiles of post-deployment reintegration among service members and their partners. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(1), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000894

Peterson, C. T.*, O’Neal, C. W., & Futris, T. G. (2022). Military couples’ childhood experiences and romantic relationship satisfaction: The role of accepting influence. Family Process, 61(2), 689-704. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.1268

O'Neal, C. W., & Wickrama, K. A. S., (2021). The Contribution of stressful marital interactions to loneliness and health across mid-life and later adulthood. Journal of Family Issues, 42(3), 553-570. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X20921927

O'Neal, C. W., & Mancini, J. (2021). Military families' stressful reintegration, family climate, and their adolescents' psychosocial health. Journal of Marriage and Family, 83(2), 375-393. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12711

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