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“Linked Lives” are the social ties that connect us to one another.
“Linked Lives” are the social ties that connect us to one another.
Lifespan development is a process of growth and change from infancy to old age. Humans do not develop alone; our lives are linked, and through those links we influence each other’s development and well-being.
Our research focuses on the role of social support and integration in that developmental process throughout adulthood. Social connections with family, friends, neighbors, and communities are an integral factor influencing human development. In the Linked Lives Lab we seek to better understand how interpersonal connections are associated with development and well-being in adulthood and old age.
Lab members attended the Gerontological Society of America's annual scientific meeting in Seattle to present their research on aging in November 2024.
Lab members prepare Aging in Community Surveys for mailing in October 2024
General Research Focus
General Research Focus
Social relationships and well-being across the lifespan
Intergenerational family relationships
Adult development and aging
Social development in cross-cultural contexts
Linked Lives Lab is part of the Developmental Science and Gerontology Ph.D. programs at NDSU. To learn more about these programs click here.
Photos from Recent Research
Photos from Recent Research
Bryce Van Vleet presenting research on Discrimination and Social Support Experiences for Queer, Rural Adults
(L-R) Emily Kinkade, Heather Fuller, Debarati Kole, Toni Antonucci
Debarati Kole and Heather Fuller at the GSA 2025. Debarati presents research on the Role of helping and Internet use in the relationship between functional limitations and Relationship Satisfaction in Later Life
Teri Undem present research on Synthesizing Lifestyle Medicine and Successful Aging
(L-R) Dr. Bryce Van Vleet, Dr. Fuller, and Dr. Andrea Huseth-Zoselr present research on Methodological Challenges with Volatile Older Participants: Lessons from a Vaccine Hesitancy Survey
Members of the Linked Lives Lab with The Director of the Aging in Community Program
Members of the Linked Lives Research Lab
Debarati Kole presents research on Longitudinal association between Support provision and Depressive Symptoms in Older adults
The lab's recent publication on coping during COVID-19 in The Gerontologist
To see more research projects, visit Research Opportunities and News and Publications
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