Abagail L Horton

Entered the Program: 2019

Current program: 

  • Ph.D., Human Development and Family Sciences
  • Area of Specialization: Child and Adolescent Development; Health, Wellbeing, and Prevention

Previous Education:

  • M.A., Human Development and Family Sciences, UConn, 2021
  • B.A., Psychology, University of Alabama, 2019

Research Interests:

  • Children’s social-emotional development and well-being during times of stress
  • Caregivers’ well-being and spillover effects
  • Emotion regulation (i.e., mindfulness)
  • Mental health (i.e., depression, stress, anxiety, burnout)
  • School and community interventions

Major Advisor: Beth Russell

Associate Advisor: Na Zhang

Associate Advisor: Preston Britner

Assistantship Experience:

  • Research Assistant, Center for Applied Research and Human Development (CARHD), Spring 2020-Present
  • Teaching Assistant, HDFS 4007w: Professional Communication in HDFS, Spring 2023
  • Solo Instructor, HDFS 2001: Diversity Issues in HDFS, Summer 2022 & Fall 2022
  • Solo Instructor, HDFS 2100: Human Development: Infancy Through Adolescence, Spring 2022
  • Teaching Assistant, HDFS 1070: Individual and Family Development Teaching Assistant, Fall 2021
  • Research Assistant, Evaluation of a U.S. Department of Agriculture funded project, Summer 2021
  • Graduate Assistant, Academic Advising, Fall 2020 & Spring 2021
  • Teaching Assistant, HDFS 1060: Close Relationships Across the Lifespan, Fall 2019 & Spring 2020

Publications:

  • Russell, B. S., Hu, Y., Horton, A. L., & Wink, M. N. (2024, In Press). Intersection influences on absences in K-12 education: Evidence of cumulative disadvantage. The Urban Review.
  • Hu, Y., Russell, B. S., Wu, R., Adamsons, K., Horton, A. L., & Tambling, R. R. (2024, In Press). Relationship factors in the longitudinal spillover of stress between parents and children during COVID-19. Journal of Family Issues.
  • Horton, A. L., Russell, B. S., Tambling, R. R, Elias, H., & Mas, M. (2023). Family experiences of ambiguous loss during COVID-19. Family Relations. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12918
  • Russell, B. S., D’Aniello, C., Tambling, R. R. & Horton, A. L. (2022). Distress among family caregivers of individuals with substance use disorders: Factors that shape the context of care. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-022-00884-0
  • Horton, A. L., Russell, B. S., Tambling, R. R, Britner, P. A., Hutchison, M., & Tomkunas, A. J. (2022). Predictions of children’s emotion regulation outcomes during COVID-19: Role of conflict within the family. Family Relations, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12717
  • Russell, B. S., Tambling, R. R, Horton, A. L., Hutchison, M., & Tomkunas, A. J. (2021). Clinically significant depression among parents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining the protective role of family relationships. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 10(3), 190-201. https://doi.org/10.1037/cfp0000175
  • Russell, B. S., Tomkunas, A. J., Hutchison, M., Tambling, R. R., & Horton, A. L. (2021). The protective role of parent resilience on mental health and the parent-child relationship during COVID-19. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 53(1), 183-196. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-021-01243-1
  • Tambling, R. R, Tomkunas, A. J., Russell, B. S., Horton, A. L., & Hutchison, M. (2021). Thematic analysis of parent-child conversations about COVID -19: “Playing it safe.” Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30(2), 325-337. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-020-01889-w
  • Tambling, R. R., Russell, B. S., Tomkunas, A., Horton, A. L., & Hutchison, M. (2021). Factors contributing to parents’ psychological and medical help seeking during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Family & Community Health, 44(2), 87-98. https://doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000298
  • Russell, B. S., Hutchison, M., Tambling, R. R, Tomkunas, A. J., & Horton, A. L. (2020). Initial challenges of caregiving during COVID-19: Caregiver burden, mental health, and the parent–child relationship. Child Psychiatry & Human Development, 51(5), 671-682. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-020-01037-x
  • Tambling, R. R., Russell, B. S., Park, C., Feindrich, M., Hutchison, M., Horton, A. L., & Tomkunas, A. J. (2020). Measuring cumulative stressfulness: Psychometric properties of the COVID-19 Stressors Scale. Health Education & Behavior, 35(1), 119-137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198120979912

Honors and Awards:

Outstanding Graduate Instructor of the Year, UConn Human Development and Family Sciences, Fall 2022-Spring 2023

Conference Participation Award, UConn Graduate School, Fall 2022

Student Travel Award, American Psychological Association, Summer 2022

Honors Student Recognition, National Council on Family Relations, Spring 2021

Headshot, Abagail Horton
Contact Information
Emailabagail.horton@uconn.edu