Sue K. Adams

Sue Adams
  • Department Chair, Professor
  • Human Development and Family Science
  • Phone: 401.874.5958
  • Email: suekadams@uri.edu
  • Office Location: Quinn Hall, Suite 110
  • Accepting Students: Not at this time

Biography

Sue K. Adams, Ph.D. is Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of Rhode Island. After earning her B.A. in Psychobiology from Wheaton College (MA), Dr. Adams pursued her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. During that time, Dr. Adams was the recipient of a T32 training fellowship through the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium, where she worked with the Childhood Asthma Research Team to study health disparities in childhood asthma. Dr. Adams also went on to complete her clinical internship in Pediatric Psychology at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Consortium and her post-doctoral training at the Child Anxiety Program at the University of Rhode Island.

Dr. Adams’s teaching, research and clinical interests are focused in the area of physical and mental health promotion. Dr. Adams is a licensed psychologist and also the author of the book, Family and Community Health: A Developmental Approach. She is also former President of the New England Psychological Association.

Research

Most broadly, Dr. Adams’s research has focused on the impact of technology and sleep deprivation on the mental and physical health of college students.  In the URI Sleep Research Lab, Dr. Adams mentors 2-4 undergraduate and graduate students per semester to examine the factors that impact college student sleep habits and their physical and mental well-being. Recently Dr. Adams’s students have also been assisting on state grant funded projects exploring models of workforce development and developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood education and care classrooms.  Dr. Adams and the URI Child Development Center staff are funded by the Department of Human Services and the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children to train preschool and infant/toddler educators in high-quality, developmentally appropriate practices for education and care.

In her role as a licensed psychologist, Dr. Adams also provides clinical services to children and families experiencing an array of physical and mental health concerns. She utilizes a cognitive behavioral approach to treat children with anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and other medical issues such as asthma.

Education

  • Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2007
  • Predoctoral Clinical Internship, Brown University Clinical Psychology Consortium, 2006-2007
  • M.A., Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 2004
  • B.A., Psychobiology, Wheaton College (MA), 2001

Selected Publications

Adams, S.K., MacLeod, J., Kim, H., Behm, S. & Porto, N (In press). The role of professional development in bridging high-quality social-emotional learning in laboratory and community preschools. Perspectives in Early Childhood Psychology and Education.

Adams, S.K., Tran, D., Lofgren, I., Erickson, P.G., Erickson, S. & Feldstein Ewing, S. (2021). The psychological burden of diabetes:  Using evidence-based treatments to support clients in psychotherapy. Practice Innovations. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000159

Adams, S.K., Minkel, J. & Mushkat, Z. (2021).  Examining the impact of test anxiety and poor sleep on college students’ mood. Psychological Reports, 00332941211025268.

Adams, S.K., Diamond, B., Delmonico, M., Cook, E., Smith, C., Domos, C., & Lofgren, I. (2020). Sleep, exercise and eating right: How getting a good night’s sleep influences better overall health outcomes. Topics in Clinical Nutrition, 35(2), 135-143.

Adams, S.K., Murdock, K.K., Daly-Cano, M., & Rose. M. (2020). Sleep in the Social World of College Students: Bridging Interpersonal Stress and Fear of Missing Out with Mental Health. Behavioral Sciences, 10(2), 54.

Adams, S.K. (2019). Empowering and motivating undergraduate students through the process of developing publishable research. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-4.

Xu, F., Adams, S.K., Cohen, S.A., Earp, J.E., Greaney, M.L. (2019). Relationship between Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep Quantity and Quality in US Adolescents Aged 16–19. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 16, 1524.

Murdock, K.K., Adams, S.K., Crichlow-Ball, C., Horissian, M. & Roberts, M. (2019). Nighttime notifications and compulsivity illuminate the link between emerging adults’ cellphone use and sleep-related problems. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(1), 12.

Adams, S.K., Lofgren, I. & Liguori, G. (2017). Technology as a tool to encourage young adults to sleep and eat healthy. ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal, 21(4), 4-6.

Adams, S.K., Williford, D., Vaccaro, A., Kisler, T.S., Francis, A., & Newman, B. (2016). The Young and the restless: Socializing trumps sleep, fear of missing out, and technological distractions in first year college students. International Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1-12.

Vaccaro, A., Adams, S.K., Kisler, T.S., & Newman, B.M. (2015). The use of social media for navigating the transitions into and through the first year of college. Journal of The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 27(2), 29-48.

Adams, S.K., Kisler. T.S., & Feragne, R.M. (2015). Daytime Impairment due to College Student Technology use during Sleep: A First Step Toward Exploring Similarities to Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Austin Journal of Sleep Disorders, 2(1), 1-3.

Adams, S.K., Daly, J.F., & Morgan, K. (2015). Maternal Anxiety During and After Pregnancy: Effects on Child Internalizing Behavior. Annals of Depression and Anxiety, 1(7), 1031-1037.

Barreto, S. Adams, S.K., & Daly, J.F. (2014). Windows of opportunity: Family systems theory and developmental considerations for supporting youth, parents and clinicians in the digital age.  Journal of Youth Development, 9 (1), 14-28.

Conti, J., Adams, S.K. & Kisler, T. (2014). An examination of self-esteem, depression and sleep in college students. To appear in the Journal of Women in Higher Education, 7(1), 47-72.

Adams, S.K., Daly, J.F., & Williford, D.N. (2013). Adolescent sleep and cellular phone use: Recent trends and implications for research. Health Services Insights, 6, 99-103.

Adams, S.K. & Kisler, T. (2013). Sleep quality as a mediator between technology-related sleep quality, depression, and anxietyCyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16(1), 25-30.

Adams, S.K., Murdock, K.K., Lima, L.A., & McQuaid, E.L. (2011).  The role of parents’ medication beliefs, religious problem-solving, and risks for treatment nonadherence in urban families with asthma. Health Services Insights, 4, 11-21.

Adams, S.K. & Koinis Mitchell D. (2008). Perspective on alternative and complementary therapies in asthma. Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 4(6), 703-711.

Adams, S.K., Murdock, K.K., & McQuaid, E.L. (2007). Parental beliefs about complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and asthma-related outcomes: An urban perspective.  Journal of Asthma, 44, 775-782.