Abbie Goldberg, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Psychology
Clark University
Worcester, MA 01610-1477
Phone: 508.793.7289
Email: agoldberg@clarku.edu
Dr. Goldberg received a B.A. from Wesleyan University in 1999, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts in 2001 and 2005, respectively. She has been at Clark since 2005.
Current Research and Teaching
Dr. Goldberg is interested in how a variety of social locations (e.g., gender, sexual orientation, social class) and contexts (e.g., work, family, community) shape processes of development and mental health. Her research focuses on parenthood, relationship quality, and well-being in diverse families (e.g., adoptive parent families, lesbian/gay parent families) in an effort to increase our understanding of family diversity. For over a decade, she has been conducting a longitudinal study of adoptive parenthood among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual couples. She is also currently conducting research on transgender students’ experiences in higher education. She teaches courses on the psychology of sexual orientation, human sexuality, diverse families, and ethics in clinical psychology.
Major Interests: adoption; gay/lesbian parenting; the transition to parenthood; family diversity; sexual diversity; schools and diversity.
Selected Publications
Goldberg, A. E., Allen, K. R., Black, K., Frost, R., & Manley, M. (2018). “There is no perfect school…”: The complexity of school decision-making among lesbian and gay adoptive parents. Journal of Marriage & Family. doi:10.1111/jomf.12478
Goldberg, A. E., Black, K., Manley, M., & Frost, R. (2017). “We told them that we are both really involved parents”: Sexual minority and heterosexual adoptive parents’ engagement in school communities. Gender & Education, 5, 614-631.
Goldberg, A. E., & Smith, J. Z. (2017). Parent-school relationships and young adopted children’s psychological adjustment in lesbian-, gay-, and heterosexual-parent families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 40, 174-187.
Black, K., Moyer, A. M., & Goldberg, A. E. (2016). From face to face to Facebook: The role of technology and social media in adoptive family relationships with birth family. Adoption Quarterly, 19, 307-332.
Goldberg, A. E., & Garcia, R. L. (2016). Gender-typed behavior over time in children of lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents. Journal of Family Psychology, 30, 854-865.
Goldberg, A. E., Sweeney, K., Black, K., & Moyer, A. (2016). Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents’ socialization approaches to children’s minority statuses. The Counseling Psychologist, 44, 267-299.
Goldberg, A. E., & Smith, J. Z. (2014). Preschool selection considerations and experiences of school mistreatment among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29, 64-75.
Goldberg, A. E., & Smith, J. Z. (2013). Work conditions and mental health in lesbian and gay dual-earner parents. Family Relations, 62, 727-740.
Goldberg, A. E., Moyer, A. M., & Kinkler, L. A. (2013). Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents’ perceptions of parental bonding during early parenthood. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 2, 146-162.