Dr. Ronald Simons
(Curriculum
Vitae) Dr. Ron Simons, Distinguished Research Professor
of Sociology, has been at the University of Georgia
since 2002. He received a Ph.D. in Sociology from Florida
State University and completed his post doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin. His specialty areas include: a)
the manner in which family processes, peer associations,
community context and incarceration combine to influence risk for
criminal behavior and emotional problems, b) the causes and
consequences of domestic violence, c) the effect of discrimination and racial socialization
on physical and mental health, and d) social experiences and cognitive processes that influence the quality of romantic relationships.
Dr. Simons most recent work examines first, the ways in which family processes influence the development of child and adolescent deviant behavior (e.g. delinquency, substance abuse, mood disorders). This work has focused upon the consequences of various dimensions of parenting, marital conflict, and changes in family structure. Second, he has been using a life course perspective to investigate the factors that account for the onset, amplifications, and desistance from antisocial behavior. This work investigates the mediating and moderating influences of parents, school, and peers during adolescence, and romantic partners, peers, and employment during adulthood. Third, Dr. Simons is concerned with a variety of theoretical questions relating to domestic violence. This includes issues such as the relation between domestic violence and other types of deviant behavior, the processes that account for intergenerational transmission, and the extent to which marital violence and child abuse are stable behaviors over time. Fourth, he is investigating factors such as cognitive models of relationships that influence quality of interaction with romantic partners. Fifth, he is testing various hypotheses regarding the manner in which incarceration expperiences impact recidivism and emotional adjustment. Finally, he is interested in the ways in which community factors influence families and child conduct problems. For example, he has examined the way that the impact of various parenting practices varies by community context, he has attempted to isolate the cognitive factors that mediate the effect of community characteristics upon risk for criminal involvement, and he has investigated the deleterious effect of racial discrimination upon child development.
Selected Honors, Awards, and Grants
2007-2012. Principal Investigator, "Risk, Resilience, and Disorder: African Americans Transitioning to Adulthood." National Institute of mental Health, $3,275,160.
2009-2012. Principal Investigator, "Factors Influencing the Health Behavior of Young African American Adults." National Institute of Drug Abuse, $525,402.
2006-2011. Principal Investigator, "Vulnerability and Resilience among African American Parents." National Institute of Mental Health, $711,180.
2007. MacNamara Award from the American Criminal Justice Society for best article (with Eric Stewart).
2005. Appointed Distinguished Research Professor, University of Georgia.
2003. Ruben Hill Research and Theory Award, National Council on Family Relations
Selected Publications
Simons, R. L., L.G. Simons, Y. Chen, G.H. Brody, and K. LIn. 2007. "Identifying the psychological factors that mediate the association between parenting practices and delinquency." Criminology 45:451-518.
Simons, R. L., L. G. Simons, C. H. Burt, H. Drummund, E. A. Stewart, and G. H. Brody. 2006. "Supportive parenting moderates the effect of discrimination upon anger, hostile view of relationships, and violence among African American boys." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 47:373-389.
Simons, R. L., L. G. Simons, C. H. Burt, G. H. Brody, and C. Cutrona. 2005. "Collective efficacy, authoritative parenting, and delinquency: A longitudinal test of a model integrating community- and family-level processes." Criminology 43:989-1030.
Simons, Ronald L., Leslie Gordon Simons, and Lora Ebert Wallace. 2004. Families, delinquency, and crime : linking society's most basic institution to antisocial behavior. Los Angeles, CA.: Roxbury Pub. Co.
Simons, R. L., Y. Chen, E. A. Stewart, and G. H. Brody. 2003. "Incidents of discrimination and risk for delinquency: A longitudinal test of strain theory with an African American sample." Justice Quarterly 20:501-528.
Simons, R. L., K. Lin, L. C. Gordon, G. H. Brody, V. Murry, and R. D. Conger. 2002. "Community contextual differences in the effect of parental behavior on child conduct problems: A multilevel analysis with an African American sample." Journal of Marriage and Family 64:331-345.
Simons, R. L., E. A. Stewart, L. C. Gordon, R. D. Conger, and G. H. Elder. 2002. "A test of life course explanations for stability and change in antisocial behavior from adolescence to young adulthood." Criminology 40:901-934.
Contact Information
Department of Sociology
116 Baldwin Hall
Athens, GA 30602-1611
706-542-3232 (office)
706-542-4320 (fax)
rsimons@uga.edu
