Molly Copeland

Molly Copeland
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department of Sociology
  • PhD, Duke University, 2020
  • Berkey Hall
  • 509 E. Circle Drive Room 316
  • East Lansing, MI 48824

LINKS

Molly Copeland

BIOGRAPHY

Molly Copeland is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Michigan State University. Her research joins social network analysis and medical sociology to examine how social relationships can benefit or introduce risks to health across the life course. Most of her work examines how patterns of connections with others relate to mental health in ways that vary by gender, by network context, and for at-risk groups, such as isolated youth. Current research projects examine how adolescent peer networks relate to depression, self-harm, physical health, and substance use in adolescence, with persistent effects on adult health. She received her doctoral degree in sociology from Duke University.

PUBLICATIONS

Liu, Hui, Molly Copeland, Gerald Nowak*, William J. Chopik, and Jeewon Oh*. 2023. “Marital Status Differences in Loneliness among Older Americans during the COVID-19 Pandemic". Population Research and Policy Review, 42:74 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-023-09822-x 

 

Copeland, Molly, Christina Kamis, and Jessica S. West. 2023. “To Make and Keep Friends: The Role of Physical Health in Adolescent Network Tie Formation and Persistence.” Social Networks, 74: 216-223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socnet.2023.04.005. 

 

Copeland, Molly, Christina Kamis, and Gabriel Varela*. 2023. “Pathways from Peers to Mental Health: Adolescent Networks, Role Attainment, and Adult Depressive Symptoms.” Social Science & Medicine, Online First, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115859 

Gonzalez, Christopher, Molly Copeland, Martin Shapiro, and James Moody. 2023. “Associations of Peer Generational Status on Adolescent Weight across Hispanic Immigrant Generations: A Social Network Analysis”. Social Science & Medicine. 323:115831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115831. 

Neray, Balint, Molly Copeland, and James Moody. 2023. “Our Friends Keep Us Together - The Stability of Adolescents' Cross-Race Friendships”. Social Forces, Online First, https://doi-org/10.1093/sf/soad025 

 

Copeland, Molly. 2023.“Embedded Distress: Social Integration, Gender, and Adolescent Depression.” Social Forces, 101(3): 1396-1421. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soac034 

 

Crudgington*, Holly, Emma Wilson*, Molly Copeland, Craig Morgan, and Gemma Knowles. 2022. “Peer-friendship networks and self-injurious thoughts and behaviors in adolescence: a systematic review of sociometric school-based studies that use social network analysis.” Adolescent Research Review, Online First, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40894-022-00196-3 

 

Copeland, Molly and Hui Liu. 2022. “Who Gets Help? A National Longitudinal Study of Personal Networks and Pandemic Support Among Older Adults.” The Journals of Gerontology: Series B 78(2), 341-351. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbac23 

 

Copeland, Molly, Gerald R. Nowak III*, and Hui Liu. 2022. “Social Participation and Self-Reported Depression during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Older Adults.” Aging & Mental Health, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2022.2126821 

 

Copeland, Molly and Christina Kamis. 2022. “Who Does Cohesion Benefit? Race, Gender, and Peer Networks Associated with Adolescent Depressive Symptoms.” Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51: 1787-1797.https://doi-org./10.1007/s10964-022-01631-3 

Kamis, Christina*, Allison Stolte*, and Molly Copeland. 2022. “Parental Death and Mid-Adulthood Depressive Symptoms: The Importance of Life Course Stage and Parent’s Gender.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 63(2): 250-265. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221465211061120 

 

Copeland, Molly, Rajaa T. Alqahtani, James Moody, Brent Curdy, Mohammad Alghamdi & Fathiya Alqurashi. 2021. When Friends Bring You Down: Peer Stress Proliferation and Suicidality, Archives of Suicide Research, 25(3): 672-689, DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2020.1746939  

 

Copeland, Molly. 2021. “The Long Shadow of Peers: Adolescent Networks and Young Adult Mental Health.” Social Sciences, 10(6): 231. DOI:10.3390/socsci10060231 

Kamis, Christina* and Molly Copeland. 2020. “The Long Arm of Social Integration: Gender, adolescent social networks, and adult depressive symptom trajectories.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 61(4): 437-452, DOI:10.1177/0022146520952769