Professor
Psychology

Christina Rodriguez

757-683-4210
Parenting Challenges with Kids Lab

244H MILLS GODWIN BLDG
NORFOLK, 23529

Dr. Rodriguez is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Clinical Training at Old Dominion University. Her research has investigated theoretical and methodological advances in understanding mothers’ and fathers’ risk to engage in physical abuse that would inform prevention and intervention programs. Her research and clinical interests focus on prevention, particularly concentrating on at-risk and abusive parenting and family violence. She has simultaneously considered parental disciplinary behaviors, beliefs, and abuse risk that may be associated with children’s internalizing difficulties, such as the development of depressive and anxious symptomatology, paying particular attention to potential cognitive mechanisms that can be transmitted intergenerationally. To better understand potential avenues leading to abusive parenting, the Parenting Challenges with Kids (PaCK) Lab considers factors that promote optimal parenting in addition to factors that affect parenting in more at-risk, challenging circumstances.
Dr. Rodriguez made a number of stops along the way before arriving at ODU. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University of Miami, with minor concentrations in English and Mathematics/Computer Science. She obtained her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Florida and then completed her pre-doctoral internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tennessee-Memphis. She began her academic career at the University of Otago in New Zealand, followed by work at the University of Utah, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Ph.D. in Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, (1993)

B.S. in Psychology, University of Miami, (1988)

Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research

Rodriguez, C. "Innovation in Assessing Parent-Child Aggression Risk among Physical Child Abuse Perpetrators" $159,040. 2017 - 2021
Rodriguez, C. "Salivary Biomarkers as Indicators of Maternal and Paternal Parent-Child Aggression Risk" $76,626. 2018 - 2020
Rodriguez, C. "Predicting Later Parent-Child Aggression in Expectant Parents: The Triple F Study" $429,358. 2012 - 2016

Expertise

Psychology
Clinical Child Psychology

Articles

Pu, D. F.. and Rodriguez, C. (2022). Child and Parent Factors Predictive of Mothers' and Fathers' Perceived Family Functioning. JOURNAL OF FAMILY PSYCHOLOGY.
Gonzalez, S., Rodriguez, C. and Paine, E. (2022). Examining Gender-Specific Modeling in the Intergenerational Transmission of Parenting Style and Physical Child Abuse Risk. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES.
Pu, D. F.., Rodriguez, C. and Dimperio, M. D.. (2022). Factors Distinguishing Reciprocal Versus Nonreciprocal Intimate Partner Violence Across Time and Reporter. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 37 (15-16) , pp. NP13654-NP13684.
Lee, S. J.., Ward, K. P.. and Rodriguez, C. (2022). Longitudinal Analysis of Short-term Changes in Relationship Conflict During COVID-19: A Risk and Resilience Perspective. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 37 (15-16) , pp. NP14239-NP14261.
Rodriguez, C., Ferguson, A. Gowda. and Gonzalez, S. (2022). Mediators between Positive and Negative Parenting and Child Depressive and Anxious Symptoms: Findings from a Diverse, At-Risk Sample. CHILDREN-BASEL 9 (3).
Lee, S. J.., Ward, K. P.., Lee, J. Y.. and Rodriguez, C. (2022). Parental Social Isolation and Child Maltreatment Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic. JOURNAL OF FAMILY VIOLENCE 37 (5) , pp. 813-824.
Morgan, C. H.., Pu, D. F.. and Rodriguez, C. (2022). Parenting style history in predicting harsh parenting and child abuse risk across the transition to parenthood: Role of gender*. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 127.
Rodriguez, C. and Silvia, P. J.. (2022). Psychometric Evidence for Indirect Assessment of Child Abuse Risk in Child Welfare-Involved Mothers. CHILDREN-BASEL 9 (5).
Rodriguez, C. and Lee, S. J.. (2022). Role of maternal emotion in child maltreatment risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF FAMILY VIOLENCE.
Rodriguez, C. and Silvia, P. J.. (2022). Spotlight on Maternal Perceptions of Child Behavior: A Daily Diary Study with Child Welfare-Involved Mothers. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES 12 (2).
Rodriguez, C., Silvia, P. J.., Lee, S. J.. and Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2021). Assessing Mothers' Automatic Affective and Discipline Reactions to Child Behavior in Relation to Child Abuse Risk: A Dual-Processing Investigation. ASSESSMENT.
Pu, D. F.. and Rodriguez, C. (2021). Bidirectional Spillover in the Family across the Transition to ParenthoodPalabras clave(sic)(sic)(sic). FAMILY PROCESS 60 (1) , pp. 235-250.
Gonzalez, S. and Rodriguez, C. (2021). Development and psychometric characteristics of analog measures of parental empathy. PLOS ONE 16 (11).
dos Anjos, Sarah M., Mark, V. W.., Rodriguez, C., Morris, D. M.., Crago, J. E.., King, D. K.., Uswatte, G. and Taub, E. (2021). Reliability and Validity of the Lower Extremity Motor Activity Log for Measuring Real-World Leg Use in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis. ARCHIVES OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE AND REHABILITATION 102 (4) , pp. 626-632.
Pu, D. F.. and Rodriguez, C. (2021). Spillover and Crossover Effects: Mothers' and Fathers' Intimate Partner Violence, Parent-Child Aggression Risk, and Child Behavior Problems. CHILD MALTREATMENT 26 (4) , pp. 420-430.
Rodriguez, C., Granger, D. A.. and Leerkes, E. M.. (2021). Testosterone Associations With Parents' Child Abuse Risk and At-Risk Parenting: A Multimethod Longitudinal Examination. CHILD MALTREATMENT 26 (1) , pp. 50-62.
Rodriguez, C., Lee, S. J.., Ward, K. P.. and Pu, D. F.. (2021). The Perfect Storm: Hidden Risk of Child Maltreatment During the Covid-19 Pandemic. CHILD MALTREATMENT 26 (2) , pp. 139-151.
Rodriguez, C., Lee, S. J.. and Ward, K. P.. (2021). Underlying mechanisms for racial disparities in parent-child physical and psychological aggression and child abuse risk. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 117.
Gracia, E., Rodriguez, C., Martin-Fernandez, M. and Lila, M. (2020). Acceptability of Family Violence: Underlying Ties Between Intimate Partner Violence and Child Abuse. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 35 (17-18) , pp. 3217-3236.
Rodriguez, C., Wittig, Shannon M. O. and Silvia, P. J.. (2020). Refining social-information processing theory: Predicting maternal and paternal parent-child aggression risk longitudinally. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 107.
Romero-Martinez, A., Lila, M., Gracia, E., Rodriguez, C. and Moya-Albiol, L. (2019). Acceptability of Intimate Partner Violence among Male Offenders: The Role of Set-Shifting and Emotion Decoding Dysfunctions as Cognitive Risk Factors. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 16 (9).
Rabbitt, S. M.. and Rodriguez, C. (2019). Assessing Parental Attributions through an Implicit Measure: Development and Evaluation of the Noncompliance IAT. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES 28 (4) , pp. 894-905.
Rodriguez, C., Pu, D. F.. and Foiles, A. R.. (2019). Cognitive-Affective Pathways to Child Depressive and Anxious Symptoms: Role of Children's Discipline Attributions. CHILD PSYCHIATRY & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT 50 (1) , pp. 163-171.
Wittig, Shannon M. O. and Rodriguez, C. (2019). Emerging Behavior Problems: Bidirectional Relations Between Maternal and Paternal Parenting Styles With Infant Temperament. DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 55 (6) , pp. 1199-1210.
Gowda, A. S.. and Rodriguez, C. (2019). Gender role ideology in mothers and fathers: Relation with parent child aggression risk longitudinally. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 96.
Wittig, Shannon M. O. and Rodriguez, C. (2019). Interaction between maternal and paternal parenting styles with infant temperament in emerging behavior problems. INFANT BEHAVIOR & DEVELOPMENT 57.
Rodriguez, C. and Wittig, Shannon M. O. (2019). Predicting child problem behavior and maternal/paternal parent-child aggression: Identifying early prevention targets. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 60 , pp. 76-86.
Rodriguez, C., Silvia, P. J.. and Gaskin, R. E.. (2019). Predicting Maternal and Paternal Parent-Child Aggression Risk: Longitudinal Multimethod Investigation Using Social Information Processing Theory. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE 9 (3) , pp. 370-382.
Rodriguez, C., Wittig, Shannon M. O. and Christl, M. (2019). Psychometric Evaluation of a Brief Assessment of Parents' Disciplinary Alternatives. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES 28 (6) , pp. 1490-1501.
Pu, D. F.., Rodriguez, C. and Baker, L. R.. (2019). When Couples Disagree: Predicting Informant Differences in Adults' Emotion Regulation. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES 28 (6) , pp. 1548-1557.
Rodriguez, C., Silvia, P. J.., Gonzalez, S. and Christl, M. (2018). Disentangling the Cycle: Potential Mediators and Moderators in the Intergenerational Transmission of Parent-Child Aggression. CHILD MALTREATMENT 23 (3) , pp. 254-268.
Rodriguez, C., Gonzalez, S. and Foiles, A. R.. (2018). Maternal ADHD Symptoms and Physical Child Abuse Risk: A Multi-Informant Study. JOURNAL OF CHILD AND FAMILY STUDIES 27 (12) , pp. 4015-4024.
Rodriguez, C. (2018). Predicting Parent-Child Aggression Risk: Cognitive Factors and Their Interaction With Anger. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 33 (3) , pp. 359-378.
Rodriguez, C., Silvia, P. J.. and Pu, D. F.. (2018). Predictors of change in mothers' and fathers' parent-child aggression risk. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 86 , pp. 247-256.
  • 2022: President, American Psychological Association Division 37, Society for Child and Family Policy and Practice
  • 2021: Elected Member, American Psychological Association Board for the Advance of Psychology in the Public Interest
  • 2018: Fellow, American Psychological Association
  • 2015: Editorial Board, Journal of Child and Family Studies
  • 2008: Editorial Board, Child Maltreatment
  • 2005: Editorial Board, Journal of Marriage & Family
  • 2002: Editorial Board Member, Child Abuse & Neglect

Organizational Chart