Christine Chang Presenting Her ResearchWe sit down with Crean College Alumni Christine Chang to discuss her research being published and her Chapman experience as an undergrad.

Can you tell me more about your research and publication of the article and why you chose to participate?

For my research, I investigated the relationship between parental leave length and maternal postpartum depressive symptoms and whether this relationship was influenced by women’s attitudes towards leave, whether leave was paid or unpaid, and the reason they returned to work. I found that longer leaves were associated with increased depressive symptoms for women who missed their previous activities at work. I also found that women who returned to work solely for monetary reasons exhibited more depressive symptoms then those who returned to work for other reasons. 

I chose to participate in this research because I was already involved in Dr. Glynn’s lab as a student research assistant and wanted to gain more experience in independent research through a senior thesis! 

What has it been like getting published as a young professional and what means to you?

Getting my senior thesis published has meant a lot to me. To be able to see the whole research process through to a publication was super rewarding and solidified my desire to pursue research as a career!Grad Photo of Christine Chang

What are your future goals post-graduation?

My goal post-graduation is to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical or Counseling Psychology. I ultimately hope to conduct research aimed at understanding the cultural and social contexts of minoritized populations and how this context contributes to racial and ethnic disparities in mental health outcomes.

Who has been a favorite professor/mentor/inspiration to you at Chapman?

I have so many people at Chapman to thank! I am most indebted to Dr. Frederick, Dr. Jenkins, and Dr. Glynn, who have been incredible mentors throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate research. As an undergraduate, I also worked as a student assistant for the Psychology department and would like to thank Dr. Gruenewald and Nicole Nungaray for being so supportive and welcoming! 

Christine-Chang-Dave-Fredricks

Any other things you wanted to add?

I graduated in the class of ’22 as a psychology major, law justice and social control minor. Reflecting on my time at Chapman, I am so thankful for all the opportunities that I have been able to receive! 

Thank you Christine for sharing your story. We wish you continued success in your career!