B. Jan McCulloch

Recent News

McCulloch elected to NCFR Fellows Committee

McCulloch elected to two University councils

McCulloch receives Jack Davis Professional Achievement Award from University of Alabama

Research & Discovery

Rural Older Adult Quality of Life: In the area of rural older adult quality of life, Jan has supported her work with both internal and external funding to examine the effects of social risks and resources on older rural Appalachian adults mental and physical health, the relationship of psychological hardiness to aspects of mental health, and most recently, factors affecting the sustained work of older farmers. This body of work includes papers and presentations investigating the relationships of various psychosocial factors to mental health outcomes including depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and positive and negative affect; social and individual predictors of social service and rural health service utilization; the availability of psychological resources for older rural adults; barriers to service delivery and public policy in rural areas; and gender differences in family proximity, social support, mental health, and rural women's health decisions.

Older Women: A second theme found in Jan's research is the investigation of issues relating to older women and gender. Some of the empirical and review work in this area has focused on rural women while other pieces have examined issues relevant to the general population of older women. In collaboration with colleagues in 1997, Jan edited a book entitled Old, Female, and Rural. This collection of papers focused on the value of qualitative and quantitative contributions and the importance of critical comment of a collection of manuscripts.

Outreach & Engagement

University Women's Faculty Cabinet, 2013-Present

Elected Member, Graduate Education Council, 2014-2018

Head, Department of Family Social Science, 2003-2013

Teaching & Learning

FSoS 3102: Family Systems and Diversity

FSoS 4154W: Families and Aging

Honors & Awards

2012 Jack Davis Professional Achievement Award, University of Alabama

2002 Fellow, Gerontology Society of America

1997 Charter Fellow, Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

1993 President's Award, Outstanding Service, Southern Gerontological Society

1992 President's Award, Outstanding Service, Southern Gerontological Society

1988-1990 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, Duke University

Publications

1. Jackson, M.N.G., & McCulloch, B.J. (In Press). Heart Attack Symptoms and Decision Making: The Case of Older Rural Women. Rural and Remote Health.

2. McCulloch, B.J., Lassig, S., & Jackson, M.N.G. (In Press). Worry and Bother: Factors in Rural Women's Health Decision Making. Women & Aging.

3. Kramer, K., Kelly, E., & McCulloch, B.J. (In Press). Stay-at-Home Fathers: Definitions and Characteristics Based on 40 Years of CPS Data. Journal of Family Issues.

4. McCulloch, B. Jan, Lassig, S., & Matzek, A. (2011). Older White Adults and Mental Health. In E. Chang & C. Downey (Eds.), Mental Health Across Racial Groups: Lifespan Perspectives (pp. 245-259).  New York: Springer.

5. Albrecht, D., McCulloch, B.J., Beaulieu, B., Weber, B., Tickamyer, A.R., & Osborne, E. (Science Leaders). 2010. Challenge 7: We Must Strengthen Individual, Family, and Community Development and Resilience. White Paper prepared for A Science Roadmap for Food and Agriculture, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (A-P-L-U, Experiment Station Committee on Organization and Policy (ESCOP) – Science and Technology Committee.

6. See CV for more publications