Shayna Skakoon-Sparling
Assistant Professor
College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, Psychology
Research Areas
- Romantic relationships
- Risk-taking
- Prejudice and discrimination
- Health and well-being
- Decision making
- Applied Social Psychology
Dr. Sparling's research primarily focuses on motivated reasoning and how intra- and interpersonal factors influence sexual health decision-making and negotiation with new sex partners. In particular, her work examines the need to belong, with a current focus on the roles of loneliness and social support in the health and well-being of marginalized populations such as gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men.
Publications
Skakoon-Sparling, S., Palma, P.A., Zahran, A., Hart, T. A., Moore, D.M., Cox, J., Lachowsky, N. J., … & Grace, D. (2023). Loneliness and the sexual health of sexual minority men in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, E12814. http://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12814
Skakoon-Sparling, S., Card, K., Novick, J., Berlin, G. W., Lachowsky, N. J., Adam, B., Brennan, D. J., … & Hart, T. A. (2022). The relevance of communal altruism for sexual minority men in the age of biomedical HIV prevention. Journal of Community Psychology, 51(4), 1461-1478. http://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22923
Skakoon-Sparling, S., Cox, J., Lachowsky, N. J., Kirshbaum, A. L., Berlin, G. W., Gaspar, M., Adam, B. D., Brennan, D. J., Moore, D. M., Apelian, H., Sang, J. M., Jollimore, J., Grace, D., Grey, C., & Hart, T. A. (2022). Minority Stressors and Connectedness Among Urban Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Men. Psychology of Men & Masculinities. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/men0000388
Skakoon-Sparling, S., Berlin, G., Lachowsky, N. J., Moore, D. M., Cox, J., Apelian, H., Sang, J., Grace, D., Lambert, G., & Hart, T. A. (2021). The impact of perceived social support on the sexual health of gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Health Psychology https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001131. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34928633.
Gaspar, M., Skakoon-Sparling, S., Adam, B., Brennan, D. J., Lachowsky, N. J., Moore, D., Cox, J., Hart, T. A., & Grace, D. (2021). ‘You’re gay, it’s just what happens’: Sexual minority men recounting experiences of unwanted sex in the era of #MeToo. The Journal of Sex Research, online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2021.1962236
Skakoon-Sparling, S., & Milhausen, R. M. (2021). Sexual Excitation and Sexual Inhibition in the Context of Sexual Risk-Taking. Journal of Sex Research, 58, 671-680. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1776820
Skakoon-Sparling, S., & Cramer, K. M. (2021). Sexual risk taking intentions under the influence of relationship motivation, partner familiarity, and sexual arousal. Journal of Sex Research, 58, 659-670. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1743227