Jamie Alexander, PhD

Bio

Dr. Jamie Alexander, an assistant professor and human development and family science extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University, earned her PhD in human sciences from Oklahoma State University in 2015. Broadly speaking, her research focuses on the ways in which contextual- and individual-level factors shape family well-being. More specifically, Dr. Alexander’s work focuses on parenting and parental well-being and their influence on adolescent and emerging adult outcomes. She is especially interested in the ways in which sense of purpose influences parenting as well as how parents shape purpose development and its related outcomes among adolescents and emerging adults.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, walking the greenways, hiking trails, cooking and baking, watching a good sports game or movie, and catching up with friends.

Programs and Initiatives

• Opportunities for Purpose-Transformed Identities for Career Success (OPTICS)

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• AEHS 502: Family Theories
• AEHS 540: Environmental Influences on the Family
• AEHS 543: Applied Concepts in Parenting and Family Life Education
• AEHS 578: Research Methods
• AEHS 539: Family Health & Well-Being
• AEHS 590 (Special Topics): Engaging Purpose
• HON 295: Exploring Purpose in Life

Contributing Websites

• https://families.ces.ncsu.edu/ (in-process)

Selected Publications

• Alexander, J.D., Harris, C., & Durocher, S. (2024). Purpose: A potential catalyst and anchor for optimal work-family balance and well-being. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 16(4), 695 – 714. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12595
• Alexander, J. D., & Harris, C. (2022). Parenting styles’ effects on college students’ career decision-making self-efficacy. Career Development Quarterly, 70, 229– 236. https://doi.org/10.1002/cdq.12303
• Harris, C., Alexander, J. D., & Vazsonyi, A. T. (2022). Maternal closeness, kinship ties, and future orientation among rural African American youth: The mediating role of ethnic identity. Journal of Adolescence, 1– 7. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12034
• Alexander, J., Cox, R., & Behnke, A, & Larzelere, R. (2017). Is all parental “non-involvement” equal? Barriers to parental involvement and their relationship to Latino academic achievement. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 39, 169 – 179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986317700837
• Cox, R. B., Shreffler, K. M., Merten, M. J., Schwerdtfeger Gallus, K. L., & Dowdy, J. (2014). Parenting, peers, and perceived norms: What predicts attitudes toward sex among early adolescents? Journal of Early Adolescence, 35, 30 – 53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272431614523131

Area(s) of Expertise

• Parenting
• Career Development
• Adolescence & Emerging Adulthood
• Purpose