- Associate Professor
- Health Studies
- Phone: 401.874.5439
- Email: sabik@uri.edu
- Office Location: Independence Square, Suite P, Room 221
Research
Dr. Sabik’s research is in the areas of psychology, gender studies, and public health. Specifically, she examines how self-perceptions and identity “get under the skin” to affect individuals’ health and psychological-well being.
She has two primary lines of research; in the first, she examines how perceptions of gender, age, ethnicity, and other social and identity factors influence health and well-being, particularly among older women. In the second, she examines potential biological pathways linking social and individual perceptions to health outcomes. Specifically, she examines whether negative self-perceptions, such as low body esteem, are linked to higher levels of stress and consequently, poor health. Her research provides information about how cultural and social factors contribute to psychological and physical health outcomes, with implications for health disparities across social groups.
Education
- Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Brandeis University
- Ph.D., University of Michigan
- M.S., University of Michigan
- M.A., George Washington University
- B.A., The Ohio State University
Selected Publications
(SELECTED)
Sabik, N. J. (2021). The Intersectionality Toolbox: A resource for teaching and applying an intersectional lens in public health. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 772301 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.772301
Sabik, N. J., Matsick, J. L., McCormick-Huhn, K., & Cole, E. R. (2021). Bringing an intersectional lens to “open” science: An analysis of representation in the reproducibility project. Psychology of Women Quarterly, online first, https://doi.org/10.1177/03616843211035678
Strübel, J., Sabik, N., & Tylka, T. (2020). Body image and depressive symptoms among transgender and cisgender adults: Examining a Model Integrating the Tripartite Influence Model and Objectification Theory. Body Image, 35, 53-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.08.004
Ward-Ritacco, C. L., Meyer, A., Walker, G., Riebe, D., & Sabik, N. J. (2020). Percent body fat, but not lean mass, is associated with objectively measured physical function in middle-aged women. Maturitas, 142, 11-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2020.06.006
Sabik, N. J., Falat*, J., Magagnos*, J. (2019). Is women’s self worth contingent on social media feedback? Associations with psychological well-being. Sex Roles, online first publication (in press), doi: /10.1007/s11199-019-01062-8
Sabik, N. J., Geiger, A. M., Thoma, M. V., Gianferante, D., Rohleder, N., & Wolf, J. M. (2019). The effect of perceived appearance judgments on psychological and biological stress processes across adulthood. Stress and Health, 1-12, doi: 10.1002/smi.2863
Cohen, S. A., Sabik, N. J., Cook, S. A., Azzoli*, A., & Mendez-Luck, C. (2019). Differences within differences: Gender differences in caregiving intensity vary by race and ethnicity in informal caregivers. Journal of Cross Cultural Gerontology, doi: 10.1007/s10823-019-09381-9
Betz, D., Sabik, N. J., & Ramsey, L. (2019). Ideal comparisons: Body ideals harm women’s body image through social comparison. Body Image, 29, 100-109. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.03.004
Sabik, N.J., Lupis, S.B., Geiger, A. G., & Wolf, J.M. (2018). Are body perceptions and perceived appearance judgments by others linked to stress and depressive symptoms? Journal of Applied Biobehavioral Research. doi:10.1111/jabr.12131
Cohen, S. A., Cook, S. K., Sando, T. A., & Sabik, N. J. (2017). What aspects of rural life contribute to rural-urban health disparities in older adults? Evidence from a national survey. J Rural Health. Nov 29. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12287. [Epub ahead of print].
Sabik, N. J. (2017) Is social engagement linked to body perceptions and depression among aging women? Journal of Women and Aging, 29(5), 405-416. doi:10.1080/08952841.2016.1213106
Sabik, N. J. & Cole, E. R. (2017). Growing older and staying positive: Associations between diverse aging women’s perceptions of age and body satisfaction. Journal of Adult Development, 24(3), 177-188. doi: 10.1007/s10804-016-9256-3
Lupis, S. B., Sabik, N. J., & Wolf, J. M. (2016). Role of shame and body esteem in cortisol stress responses. J Behav Med, 39(2):262-75.
Sabik, N. J., & Versey, H. S. (2016). Functional limitations, body perceptions, and health outcomes among African American women. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 22(4), 594-601. doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000106
Sabik, N. J. (2016). Digging deeper: Research practices and recommendations for exploring intersectionality and social and cultural influences on personality, identity, and well-being. In T. A. Roberts, N. Curtin, L. Cortina, & L. Duncan (Eds.), Feminist Perspectives on Building a Better Psychological Science of Gender. Springer International Publishing. Doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-32141-7
Sabik, N. J. (2015). Body image. In S. K. Whitbourne, The Encyclopedia of Adulthood and Aging. Wiley Publishing.
Sabik, N. J. (2015). Ageism and body esteem: Associations with psychological well-being among late middle-aged African American and European American women. Journals of Gerontology, Series B. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbt080
Geiger, A., Sabik, N. J., Lupis, S., & Wolf, J. M. (2014). Body esteem moderates the association between social exchanges and psychological and biological stress. Biological Psychology, 103, 297-304.
Sabik, N. J., Cole, E. R., & Ward, L. M. (2010). Are all minority women equally buffered from negative body image? Intra-ethnic moderators of the buffering hypothesis. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 139-151. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2010.01557.x
Tylka, T. L., & Sabik, N. J. (2010). Integrating social comparison theory and self esteem within objectification theory to predict women’s disordered eating. Sex Roles, 63(1-2), 18-31. doi: 10.1007/s11199-010-9785-3
Cole, E. R., & Sabik, N. J. (2010). Associations between femininity and women’s political behavior during midlife. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 34, 508-520. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.2010.01600.x