Social Organization, Social Relationships, and Social Psychology
Scientists in the SPE program conduct a wide range of studies examining the interrelationships among social organization (in families, communities, and other social groups), social relationships (such as intimate romantic, parent-child, sibling, neighbor relationships), and key dimensions of social psychology (including attitudes and beliefs, emotions, and psychiatric disorders).

Key Projects

Understanding the Connections among Genes, Environment, Family Processes, and Mental Health
R01 MH110872.   NIH/NIMH.   2017-2021.   $3,108,183.
Key Personnel: William G. Axinn, Co-PI, Jordan W. Smoller, Co-PI, Dirgha J. Ghimire, Co-I, Colter Mitchell, Co-I.

Improving Learning: Developing Measures of Accountability and Evaluating their Association with Students’ Gains in Achievement in Nepal
ES/P005551/1.   DFID/ESRC.   2017-2020.   $916,224.
Key Personnel: Dirgha J. Ghimire, PI, Brain Rowan, Co-I, William G. Axinn, Co-I.

Transition to Adulthood within its Life Course & Intergenerational Family Context (R01 Project 2)
P01 HD087155.   NIH/NICHD.   2016-2021.   $7,859,059.
Key Personnel: Narayan Sastry, P01 PI, William G. Axinn, R01 PI, Deirdre Bloome, Co-I, Pamela Davis-Keane, Co-I, Paula Fomby, Co-I.

Family Migration Context and Early Life Outcomes
P01 HD080659.   NIH/NICHD.   2015-2020.   $3,947,000.
Key Personnel: Jennifer E. Glick, P01 PI (PSU), Dirgha J. Ghimire, MI Subcontract PI.

Female Labor Force Participation and Child Outcomes
R03 HD086301.   NIH/NICHD.   2016-2018.   $171,627.
Key Personnel: Dirgha J. Ghimire, Co-PI, Sarah R. Brauner-Otto, Co-PI, Sarah Baird, Co-I.

Key Recent Publications

  1. Allendorf, Keera, Arland Thornton, Dirgha J. Ghimire, Linda Young-DeMarco and Colter Mitchell. 2020. “A Good Age to Marry? An Intergenerational Model of the Influence of Timing Attitudes on Entrance into Marriage.” European Journal of Population. doi: 10.1007/s10680-020-09565-x

  2. Axinn, William G., Yang Zhang, Dirgha J. Ghimire, Stephanie A. Chardoul, Kate M. Scott, and Ronny Bruffaerts. 2020. “The Association between Marital Transitions and the Onset of Major Depressive Disorder in a South Asian General Population.” Journal of Affective Disorders 266: 165-172. PMCID: PMC7103558.

  3. Brauner-Otto, S. R., W. G. Axinn, and D. J. Ghimire. 2020. Parents’ Marital Quality and Children’s Transition to Adulthood. Demography. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-019-00851-w

  4. Scott, Kate M., Yang Zhang, Stephanie Chardoul, Dirgha J. Ghiire, Jordan W. Smoller, and William G. Axinn. 2020. “Resilience to Mental Disorders in a Low-Income, Non-Westernized Setting.” Psychological Medicine 1-10. PMID: 32476631.

  5. Compernolle, Ellen, and William G. Axinn. Forthcoming. “Mass Education, International Travel, and Ideal Ages at Marriage.” Demography

  6. Axinn, William G., Maura E. Bardos, and Brady T. West. 2018. “General Population Estimates of the Association between College Experience and the Odds of Forced Intercourse.” Social Science Research 70:131-143. DOI.

  7. Mortier, Philippe, Randy P. Auerbach, Jordi Alonso, William G. Axinn, and et al. 2018. “Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors among College Students and Same-aged Peers: Results from the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 53(3):279-288. DOI. PMC5896296.

  8. Smith-Greenaway, Emily, Sarah R. Brauner-Otto, and William G. Axinn. 2018. “Offspring Education and Parental Mortality: Evidence from South Asia.” Social Science Research 76:157-168. DOI. PMC6408726.

  9. Axinn, William G., Dirgha J. Ghimire, and Emily Smith-Greenaway. 2017. “Emotional Variation and Fertility Behavior.” Demography 54(2):437-458. DOI. PMC5426117.

  10. Ghimire, Dirgha J., William G. Axinn, Heather H. Gatny, and Stephanie A. Chardoul. 2017. “Preparing a Culturally Appropriate Translation of a Survey Questionnaire.” SAGE Research Methods Cases Online Only. DOI.

  11. Auerbach, Randy P., Jordi Alonso, William G. Axinn, and et al. 2016. “Mental Disorders among College Students in the World Mental Health Surveys.” Psychological Medicine 46(14):2955-2970. DOI.

  12. Bhandari, Prem B., and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2016. “Rural Agricultural Change and Individual Out-migration.” Rural Sociology 81(4):572-600. DOI. PMC5220587.

  13. Hawes, Armani, William G. Axinn, and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2016. “Ethnicity and Psychiatric Disorders.” Annals of Psychiatry and Mental Health 4(4):1072. PMC5560443.

  14. Axinn, William G., Dirgha J. Ghimire, Nathalie E. Williams, and Kate M. Scott. 2015. “Associations between the Social Organization of Communities and Psychiatric Disorders in Rural Asia.” Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 50(10):1537-1545. DOI. PMC4594883.

  15. Axinn, William G., Kate M. Scott, and Stephanie A. Chardoul. 2015. “Demography of Mental Health.” Pp. 18-25 in Encyclopedia of Mental Health. 2nd ed., Vol. 2, edited by H. S. Friedman. Waltham, MA: Academic Press.

  16. Compernolle, Ellen. 2015. “Changing Attitudes Toward Care of Aging Parents: The Influence of Education, International Travel, and Gender.” International Journal of Sociology 45(1):64-83. DOI. PMC4389642.

  17. Ghimire, Dirgha J. 2015. “Wives’ and Husbands’ Nonfamily Experiences and First-Birth Timing.” International Journal of Sociology 45(1):4-23. DOI. PMC4587386.

  18. Ghimire, Dirgha J., William G. Axinn, and Emily Smith-Greenaway. 2015. “Impact of the Spread of Mass Education on Married Women’s Experience with Domestic Violence.” Social Science Research 54:319-331. DOI. PMC4607934.

  19. Allendorf, Keera, and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2013. “Determinants of Marital Quality in an Arranged Marriage Society.” Social Science Research 42(1):59-70. DOI. PMC3711098.

  20. Axinn, William G., Dirgha J. Ghimire, Nathalie E. Williams, and Kate M. Scott. 2013. “Gender, Traumatic Events and Mental Health Disorders in a Rural Asian Setting.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 54(4):444-461. DOI. PMC3891584.

  21. Ghimire, Dirgha J., and William G. Axinn. 2013. “Marital Processes, Arranged Marriage, and Contraception to Limit Fertility.” Demography 50:1663-1686. DOI. PMC3786027.

  22. Ghimire, Dirgha J., Stephanie A. Chardoul, Ronald Kessler, William G. Axinn, and Bishnu Adhikari. 2013. “Modifying and Validating the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for Use in Nepal.” International Journal for Methods in Psychiatric Research 22(1):71-81. DOI. PMC3610833.

  23. Jennings, Elyse A., William G. Axinn, and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2012. “The Effect of Parents’ Attitudes on Sons’ Marriage Timing.” American Sociological Review 77(6):923-945. DOI. PMC3590910.

  24. Thornton, Arland, Georgina Binstock, Kathryn M. Yount, Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, Dirgha J. Ghimire, and Yu Xie. 2012. “International Fertility Change: New Data and Insights from the Developmental Idealism Framework.” Demography 49(2):677-698. DOI. PMC3328099.

  25. Thornton, Arland, Georgina Binstock, Mohammad Jalal Abbasi-Shavazi, Dirgha J. Ghimire, Arjan Gjonca, Attila Melegh, Colter Mitchell, Mansoor Moaddel, Yu Xie, Li-Shou Yang, Linda Young-DeMarco, and Kathryn M. Yount. 2012. “Knowledge and Beliefs about National Development and Development Hierarchies: The Viewpoints of Ordinary People in Thirteen Countries.” Social Science Research 41:1053-1068. DOI. PMC3462366.

  26. Axinn, William G., and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2011. “Social Organization, Population, and Land Use.” American Journal of Sociology 117(1):209-258. DOI. PMC3162250.

  27. Axinn, William G., Linda Young-DeMarco, and Messo Caponi Roe. 2011. “Gender Double Standards in Parenting Attitudes.” Social Science Research 40(2):417-432. DOI. PMC3035381.

  28. Williams, Nathalie E., Arland Thornton, Dirgha J. Ghimire, and Linda Young-DeMarco. 2011. “Nepali Migrants to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: Values, Behaviors, and Plans.” Pp. 155-185 in Migrant Labour in the Persian Gulf, edited by M. Kamrava and Z. Babar. New York: Columbia University Press.

  29. Brauner-Otto, Sarah R., and William G. Axinn. 2010. “Parental Family Experiences, the Timing of First Sex, and Contraception.” Social Science Research 39(6):875-893. DOI. PMC2978908.

  30. Williams, Nathalie E. 2009. “Education, Gender, and Migration in the Context of Social Change.” Social Science Research 38(4):883-896. DOI. PMC3418604.

  31. Axinn, William G., Dirgha J. Ghimire, and Jennifer S. Barber. 2008. “The Influence of Ideational Dimensions of Social Change on Family Formation in Nepal.” Pp. 251-280 in International Family Change: Ideational Perspectives, edited by R. Jayakody, A. Thornton, and W.G. Axinn. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  32. Ghimire, Dirgha J., William G. Axinn, Scott T. Yabiku, and Arland Thornton. 2006. “Social Change, Premarital Nonfamily Experience, and Spouse Choice in an Arranged Marriage Society.” American Journal of Sociology 111(4):1181-1218. DOI.

  33. Barber, Jennifer S., and William G. Axinn. 2004. “New Ideas and Fertility Limitation: The Role of Mass Media.” Journal of Marriage and Family 66:1180-1200. DOI.

  34. Hoelter, Lynette F., William G. Axinn, and Dirgha J. Ghimire. 2004. “Social Change, Premarital Non-Family Experiences, and Marital Dynamics.” Journal of Marriage and Family 66:1131-1151. DOI.

  35. Axinn, William G., and Jennifer S. Barber. 2003. “Linking People and Land Use: A Sociological Perspective.” Pp. 285-313 in People and the Environment, edited by J. Fox, R.R. Rindfuss, S. Walsh, and V. Mishra. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

  36. Barber, Jennifer S., Ann E. Biddlecom, and William G. Axinn. 2003. “Neighborhood Social Change and Perceptions of Environmental Degradation.” Population and Environment 25(2):77-108. DOI.

  37. Beutel, Ann M., and William G. Axinn. 2002. “Gender, Social Change, and Educational Attainment.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 51(1):109-134. DOI.

  38. Axinn, William G., and Jennifer S. Barber. 2001. “Mass Education and Fertility Transition.” American Sociological Review 66(4):481-505. DOI.

  39. Axinn, William G., and Scott T. Yabiku. 2001. “Social Change, the Social Organization of Families, and Fertility Limitation.” American Journal of Sociology 106(5):1219-1261. DOI.

  40. Pienta, Amy Mehraban, Jennifer S. Barber, and William G. Axinn. 2001. “Social Change and Adult Children’s Attitudes toward Support of Elderly Parents: Evidence from Nepal.” Hallym International Journal of Aging 3(2):211-235.

  41. Shivakoti, Ganesh P., William G. Axinn, Prem B. Bhandari, and Netra Chhetri. 1999. “The Impact of Community Context on Land Use in an Agricultural Society.” Population and Environment 20(3):191-213. DOI.

  42. Axinn, William G., and Ganesh P. Shivakoti. 1997. “Demographic Issues and the Use of Natural Resources.” Pp. 83-85 in People, Participation, and Sustainable Development: Understanding the Dynamics of Natural Resource Systems, edited by Shivakoti et al. Bloomington, Indiana and Rampur, Chitwan: Winrock International.