Jooyoung Kong

Jooyoung Kong’s research focuses on the effects that childhood adverse experiences have on later-life health and well-being. Guided by the life-course perspective, she is interested in identifying risk factors that prolong the negative impact of childhood adversity on physical, psychological, and social health in adulthood, as well as in identifying resilience factors that can mitigate these harmful effects. Her current research examines whether and how adults with a history of childhood maltreatment continue to be distressed, or victimized, in relationships with the parent(s) who abused and/or neglected them or in the process of providing care to their abusive parent(s). Using a daily diary framework, she also investigates how childhood maltreatment negatively affects daily interactions and experiences in adulthood, which can lead to long-term, cumulative health risks. Her work involves quantitative analyses of large-scale longitudinal surveys, such as the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS), the study of Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), and the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE). Her ultimate research goal is to disentangle the persistent, negative effects of childhood adversity from diverse aspects of health and well-being in late adulthood and promote resilience in those who have survived early misfortune.