Willa Doswell

My area of research is health promotion in preadolescent girls, pubertal development, adolescent health, and early sexual behavior, especially among African American girls between the ages of 9 and 14 years. I have conducted NIH-funded intervention to reduce early sexual behavior and teen dating violence. In addition, I have done some pilot work studying mother-daughter dyads to pilot an intervention designed to enhance development of healthy habits in preadolescent girls and influence mothers’ ability to communicate values about the prevention of teen sexual behaviors in their teen daughters. New areas of research include the use of a Parish Nurse Intervention model to reduce depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress, using problem-solving theory and spiritual intervention strategies. Additionally, I am exploring the relationship between stress, racism, and culture in African American females.