Dr. Carmen Poulin
Department of Psychology
University of New Brunswick
Department of Psychology
University of New Brunswick
 Kristin Newman
kristin.newman@unb.ca PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, UNB Main Research Interest: Mothers of children with Autism |
| Background Since September 2000, I have been studying in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at the University of New Brunswick. Previously, I obtained a Master of Arts in Social/Personality Psychology from Brock University, and a Bachelor of Arts, honours in Applied Psychology, from Bishop’s University. Throughout my academic career, my research interests have evolved from a focus on substance use to women’s issues. In my undergraduate dissertation, I examined the correlations between personality traits and different levels of substance use. While completing my Master of Arts, I examined the relationships between reasons for drinking and drinking problems. As the literature suggested differences in men and women on these factors, I also examined gender differences. This sparked my present interest in research on gender. My choice of research methodology has also evolved. During my Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees, I highly valued and enjoyed statistical analyses grounded in logical positivism. While studying at Brock University, I attended a colloquium where the speaker presented the results of a qualitative research project. This colloquium caused me to question some of the assumptions on which my research was based. I sought information on qualitative research, discussed it with my colleagues, and began to understand the benefits of such a research approach. I concluded that qualitative research was a good avenue for me to pursue. Therefore, when applying to doctoral programs, I specifically sought a research supervisor whose interests matched my newly developing ones in gender and qualitative methodologies. I was fortunate to have been accepted to work with Dr. Poulin. Present Research Under the supervision of Dr. Carmen Poulin, my research interests have become increasingly focused on women and diversity. My first research project, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Carmen Poulin and in collaboration with Bette Brazier and Andrea Cashmore, examined how university women understand emotional abuse. More specifically, it examined the schemata used by young university women to understand the emotional abuse of women within heterosexual dating relationships. This project has been published in the book Doing ethnography: researching everyday life, edited by D. Pawluch, B. Shaffir, & C. Miall. My doctoral dissertation, conducted under the supervision of Dr. Carmen Poulin and in collaboration with Dr. Barabara D'Entremont (website), examines a particular instance of motherhood, that of mothers of children with autism. This research seeks to uncover their daily obstacles and the cognitive processes in which they engage in order to make sense of and cope with these challenges. In particular, we will examine the cognitive strategies they use when they come into contact with various institutions (i.e., education and medical systems). I have also worked as a research assistant for Dr. Rosemary Clews, a social work professor at St. Thomas University. The project utilises the narratives of World War II war-brides to test a model of resettlement. The model will then be used to develop contemporary resettlement policies and programming for the benefit of immigrants and refugees coming to New Brunswick. We recently published an article, based on this research, in the McGill Journal of Education. Through my doctoral work, I have come to value multi-disciplinary research, because of its account of both social and individual factors. For example, my dissertation project references academics dominant in sociology, philosophy, political science, as well as psychology. Furthermore, the research that I pursue at present is increasingly practical in its application. For example, one goal of my dissertation project is to influence policy assessments relevant to mothers of children with autism, and my research with Dr. Clews will be used develop contemporary resettlement policies and programming. Through my research experiences, I have acquired a comprehensive knowledge of and an appreciation for a variety of different research approaches. In the future, I wish to continue my multi-disciplinary and social psychological research. Finally, I am excited to continue my research on women and am interested in pursuing research on other minority groups and on the psychology of men. Publications Newman, K., Poulin, C., Brazier, B., & Cashmore, A. (2005). Media’s depiction of emotional abuse: Reactions and commentaries amongst young university women. In D. Pawluch, B. Shaffir, & C. Miall (Eds.), Doing ethnography: researching everyday life. Clews, R., & Newman, K. (2005). Multiple learnings about identity from narrative research: Canadian war-brides as teachers and catalysts. McGill Jounral of Education, 40, 80-94. Newman, K., Poulin, C., & D’Entremont, B. (2004). Organising impacts of motherhood and government services on the psychologies of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Canadian Psychology, 45 (2a), 135-136. Newman, K., & Sadava, S. W. (2001). Motivational models of problem drinking for men and women. Canadian Psychology, 42 (2a), 82. Conference Presentations Newman, K., Poulin, C., & D’Entremont, B. (2005). The psychologies and sociologies of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders: An application of the “Psycho-social ethnography of the commonplace.” Poster presented at The Sixth International Interdisciplinary Conference: Advances in Qualitative Methods. Newman, K. (2004). Socio-Cultural Ideologies, Gay Identities, and Eating Disturbance and Body Dissatisfaction in Gay Men. The Canadian Sex Research Forum, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Clews, R., Newman, K., & MacAulay, S. (2004). Finding Answers for Rural Social Work in Rural Places: The Value of Narratives. Presented at the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work Annual Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba. Clews, R., Taylor, L., & Newman, K. (2004). ‘You Only Make the Crossing Once:’ Stories of British Women Who Crossed the Atlantic and Became Canadian War- Brides. Paper presented at the 29th Annual Conference of the British Association for Canadian Studies: How Wide is the Atlantic Ocean? Egham, United Kingdom. Clews, R., Taylor, L., & Newman, K. (2004). Exploring the Untold Stories: Missing Years in Narratives from War Brides. Paper presented at Narrative Matters: The Power of Story in a Postmodern World, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Newman, K. L. (2004). Cross-Generational Relationships among Women: Reflections of a Young Researcher. Paper presented at Narrative Matters: The Power of Story in a Postmodern World, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Newman, K. L., Poulin, C., & D’Entremont, B. (2004). Organisational Impacts of Motherhood and Government Services on the Psychologies of Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Paper presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, St. John’s, Newfoundland. Newman, K. (2003). A Comprehensive Description of and Framework for Understanding the Socio-Cultural Risk Factors Placing Gay Men at Risk for Eating Disorders. Paper presented at the Third Annual Meeting of the Emerging Issues in Psychology Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Newman, K., Poulin, C., & Brazier, B. (2002). University women’s understandings of emotional abuse within heterosexual relationships. Paper presented at the 19th Annual Qualitative Analysis Conference: Studying Social Life Qualitatively, Hamilton, Ontario.* *also presented at the Second Annual Meeting of the Emerging Issues in Psychology Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Newman, K. (2002). Interpreting data from a feminist standpoint. Paper presented at Narrative Matters: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Narrative Perspectives, Approaches, and Issues across the Humanities and Social Sciences, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Newman, K., & Sadava, S.W. (2001). Motivational models of problem drinking for men and women. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Annual Convention, Laval, Quebec. * *also presented at the First Annual Meeting of the Emerging Issues in Psychology Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick. < Thesis Titles Newman, K., & Poulin, C. Navigating Motherhood and the State: Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick. Newman, K., & Sadava, S. (2000). Motivational Models of Problem Drinking for Men and Women. Unpublished master’s dissertation, Brock University, St. Catherines, Ontario. Newman, K., & Drumheller, A. (1997). Personality Correlates of Marijuana Use versus Polydrug Use. Unpublished bachelor’s dissertation, Bishop’s University, Lennoxville, Quebec. |
||
© 2008 C.Poulin