Melissa Franks
I joined the Family Studies faculty in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies at Purdue University in the fall of 2007. My program of research focuses on marital processes in the management of chronic illness. In this work, my colleagues and I investigate health lifestyles and marital interactions and their association with the physical health and psychological well-being of both marital partners. Our current work is funded by the National Institute on Aging.
I am a social psychologist, and I received my doctoral degree from Kent State University. My dissertation research ignited my continuing interest in marital processes in the context of illness. Together with my graduate mentor, Mary Ann Stephens, I investigated the social support that husbands provide to their wives who are caring for an aging parent. This work on family caregiving led me to pursue postdoctoral training in gerontology. I received an NIA postdoctoral fellowship through the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan. My postdoctoral training with Dr. A. Regula Herzog focused on productive aging and on self-making among older adults. Following my postdoctoral training, I joined the faculty at Wayne State University where I began my research on the management of chronic illness in married couples. I later returned to the University of Michigan to continue my research in the Institute for Research on Women and Gender.
At Purdue, I am a faculty associate in the Center on Aging and the Life Course. My families and health research is conducted through the Relationships and Healthcare Lab, in collaboration with Dr. Cleveland Shields. Several exciting projects are underway in this lab, and new projects are being developed by affiliated faculty and students. These projects will contribute new knowledge about the influence of marriage and family relationships on the health and well-being of individual members.
Primary Interests:
- Close Relationships
- Gender Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Interpersonal Processes
- Life Satisfaction, Well-Being
Research Group or Laboratory:
- Relationships and Healthcare Laboratory
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Journal Articles:
- Franks, M. M., & Herzog, A. R. (1995). Age and gender differences in productive activities: Revisited. Statistical Journal of the United Nations ECE, 12, 147-155.
- Franks, M. M., Pierce, L. S., & Dwyer, J. W. (2003). Expected parent-care involvement of adult children. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 22, 104-117.
- Franks, M. M., & Stephens, M. A. P. (1996). Social support in the context of caregiving: Husbands' provision of support to wives involved in parent care. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 51B, 43-52.
- Franks, M. M., Stephens, M. A. P., Rook, K. S., Franklin, B. A., Keteyian, S. J., & Artinian, N. T. (2006). Spouses’ provision of health-related support and control to patients participating in cardiac rehabilitation. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 311-318.
- Franks, M. M., Wendorf, C.A., Gonzalez, R., & Ketterer, M. W. (2004). Aid and influence: Health promoting exchanges of older married partners. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 21, 431-445.
- Herzog, A. R., Franks, M. M., Holmberg, D., & Markus, H. R. (1998). Activities and well-being in older age: Effects of self-concept and educational attainment. Psychology and Aging, 13, 179-185.
- Kinney, J. M., Stephens, M. A. P., Franks, M. M., & Norris, V. K. (1995). Stresses and satisfactions of family caregivers to older stroke patients. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 14, 3-21.
- Matire, L. M., Stephens, M. A. P., & Franks, M. M. (1997). Multiple roles of women caregivers: Feelings of mastery and self esteem as predictors of psychosocial well-being. Journal of Women and Aging, 9, 117-132.
- Penner, L. A., Orom, H., Albrecht, T. L., Franks, M. M., Foster, T. S., & Ruckdeschel, J. C. (2007). Camera-related behaviors during video recorded medical interactions. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 31, 99-117.
- Stephens, M. A. P., & Franks, M. M. (1999). Parent care in the context of women’s multiple roles. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 8, 149-152.
- Stephens, M. A. P., & Franks, M. M. (1995). Spillover between daughters' roles as caregiver and wife: Interference or enhancement? Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 50B, 9-17.
- Stephens, M. A. P., Franks, M. M., & Atienza, A. A. (1997). Where two roles intersect: Spillover between parent care and employment. Psychology and Aging, 12, 30-37.
- Townsend, A. L., & Franks, M. M. (1997). Quality of the relationship between elderly spouses: Influence on spouse caregivers' subjective effectiveness. Family Relations, 46, 33-39.
Other Publications:
- Marsiske, M., Franks, M. M., & Mast, B. T. (1998). Psychological perspectives on aging. In L. Morgan & S. Kunkel (Eds.), Aging: The social context. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
Courses Taught:
- Advanced Family Studies
- Aging and Family
- Families and Health
- Families and Health Research
- Health in a Social Context
- Independent Undergraduate Research – Honors
- Introduction to Family Processes
Melissa Franks
Department of Human Development and Family Science
Fowler House, Purdue University
1200 W. State Street
West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2055
United States of America
- Phone: (765) 494-2942
- Fax: (765) 494-0503
