My current research activities include an ongoing interest in the area of stress and coping. Specifically, I am involved in identifying dimensions of chronic stressors and daily hassles applicable to college students, and to ascertaining the factors associated with their occurrence prospectively. My interest in stress and coping began with my experience examining the stress and coping responses of families to the Love Canal disaster in Niagara Falls, NY.
Other ongoing research includes a spatial analysis of crime to ascertain how geographic location, socioeconomic variables, and demographic factors affect crime rates in an urban setting. I am also currently involved in a study to ascertain student perceptions of empathy in teaching.
Over the past three years I have presented papers/posters at several conferences that include the following;
Barker, D.B. Stress Generation of First-Year College Undergraduates.
Eastern Psychological Association Meetings. March 2, 2018, Philadelphia, PA.
MacPhedran, A.K., PT, PhD, CCS, Barker, D.B., PhD, Fogarty, K., PhD,
Vangsnes, E., PhD, & Marbey, M., M.D., F.A.C.C. (2017, February 16). A
mixed-methods approach to understanding the association between changes
in functional status and quality of life after elective open heart surgery
[Poster presentation]. San Antonio, TX: 2017 American Physical Therapy
Association Combined Sections Meeting.
Barker, D.B., & Titzel, M. R. Stress and coping of family caregivers across the
stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. Eastern Sociological Society Meetings
February 25, 2017. Philadelphia, PA.
Barker, D.B. (2017, June 3). Three dimensions of political self-presentation in the
communication of values: Values images revealed. Theatre of Resistance –
Part 2 [Panel presentation]. New York, NY. Left Forum.
Barker, D.B. Identity salience, identity commitment, distress and
resources: Precursors to stressors experienced in a role domain. Paper
presented at the Eastern Psychological Association. February 22, 2015.
Philadelphia, PA.