Benton Renley

Entered the Program: 2021

Ph.D., Human Development and Family Sciences

Area of Specialization: Health, Wellbeing, and Prevention

Education:

Graduate Certificate in College Instruction, University of Connecticut Neag School of Education, 2024

M.A., Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2023

B.A., Human Development and Family Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2020

B.A., Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, 2020

A.A., Liberal Arts, Norwalk Community College, 2017

Research Interests:

Sexual and gender minority youth health and wellbeing
Intersectional minority stress related to disability

Advising Committee:

Major Advisor: Dr. Ryan J. Watson

Associate Advisors: Dr. Lisa Eaton, Dr. Raymond Moody, & Dr. Samantha Lawrence

Publications:

Burson, E., Renley, B. M., Layland, E. K., Rathus, T., Caba, A. E., Simon, K. A., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2025). Associations between state-level structural stigma and sexual and gender minority youth mental health. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-024-01073-5

Renley, B. M., & Adamsons, K. (2024). Anxiety and depression in emerging adults: Exploring identity centrality, disability self-identification, and self-concept. Identity, 0(0), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15283488.2024.2436191

Salafia, C., Renley, B. M., Simon, K.A., Caba, A.E., & Watson, R.J. (In press). Bias-based bullying among sexual and gender minority youth living with disabilities. Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health. https://doi:10.1891/LGBTQ-2023-0033

Hanna-Walker, V., Caba, A. E., Simon, K. A., Renley, B. M., Lefkowitz, E. S., & Watson, R. J. (In press). Identity outness to family among gender diverse sexual minority youth: A latent profile analysis. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000713

Caba, A. E., Christophe, N. K., Renley, B. M., Simon, K. A., Feinstein, B. A., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Measurement invariance of the LGBT people of color microaggressions scale among LGBTQ+ youth. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 34(3), 759–775. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12937

Renley, B. M., Argenyi, M. S., Mereish, E. H., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Experiences of stress and social safety among sexual and gender minority youth by disability status. Disability and Health Journal, 17(3), 101614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2024.101614

Renley, B. M., Simon, K. A., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Schools as heteronormative and cisnormative spaces. In A. Goldberg (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of LGBTQ studies. Sage.

Renley, B. M., Salafia, C., Simon, K. A., Caba, A. E., Argenyi, M. S., Easton, L., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Disability Status and Associations with Family Social Support and Identity Disclosure among Gender Minority Youth. LGBTQ+ Family: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 0(0), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/27703371.2024.2327048

McCauley, P. S., Morgan, E., Caba, A. E., Renley, B. M., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Perceptions of bias in HIV prevention services, happiness with social support, and anticipated PrEP stigma among Black and Latine/x sexual and gender diverse individuals. AIDS Care, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540121.2024.2326126

McCauley, P. S., Del Farno, A. J., Caba, A. E., Renley, B. M., Shuler, S., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Stress of being outed to parents, LGBTQ family support, and depressive symptoms among sexual and gender diverse youth. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 34(1), 205–221. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12912

Watson, R. J., Caba, A. E., Lawrence, S. E., Renley, B. M., McCauley, P. S., Wheldon, C. W., Eaton, L. A., Russell, S. T., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2024). Examining mental health and bullying concerns at the intersection of sexuality, gender, race, and ethnicity among a national sample of sexual and gender diverse youth. LGBT Health. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2023.0072

Simon, K. A., Caba, A. E., Renley, B. M., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2024). Evidence of Differences in Gender-Affirming School Experiences in a Sample of Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth. Annals of LGBTQ Public and Population Health. https://doi.org/10.1891/LGBTQ-2023-0006

Renley, B. M., Watson, R. J., and Marcy, H. M. (2023, August). Gender Minority Youth: Links between State Laws, Region, and Gender Affirmation Experiences. Storrs, CT: UConn Collaboratory on School and Child Health. Available from: http://csch.uconn.edu/.

McCurdy, A. L., Renley, B. M., Lavner, J. A., Meslay, G., Watson, R. J., & Russell, S. T. (2023). Sexual minority youth in romantic relationships: Associations with youth well-being. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 33(4), 1368–1376. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12883

Caba, A. E., Mallory, A. B., Simon, K. A., Renley, B. M., Rathus, T., & Watson, R. J. (2023). Sexual identity disclosure and alcohol experiences among LGBTQ+ adolescents. Behavioral Medicine, 0(0), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2023.2190078

Renley, B. M., Burson, E., Simon, K. A., Caba, A. E., & Watson, R. J. (2022). Youth-specific sexual and gender minority state-level policies: Implications for pronoun, name, and bathroom/locker room use among gender minority youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(4), 780–791. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01582-9

Simon, K. A., Hawthorne, H. M., Clark, A. N., Renley, B. M., Farr, R. H., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2022). Contextualizing the well-being of asexual youth: Evidence of differences in family, health, and school outcomes. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51(1), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01500-5

Conference Presentations:

Renley, B. M., Argenyi M. S., Mereish E. H., & Watson R. J. (April, 2024). Disparities in multiple forms of stress and social safety among sexual and gender minority youth by disability status. Poster blitz presentation at Society for Research on Adolescence, Chicago, IL.

Renley, B. M., Salafia, C., Simon, K. A., Caba, A. E., Argenyi, M. S., Eaton, L., Watson, R. J. (2023, April). Family support, identity disclosure, and stress among gender minority youth living with disabilities. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.

Caba, A. E., Christophe, N. K., Renley, B. M., Simon, K. A., Feinstein, B. A., & Watson, R. J. (2023, April). Measurement invariance of the LGBT People of Color Microaggressions Scale in a sample of sexual and gender minority youth of color. Paper presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.

Simon, K. A., Caba, A. E., Renley, B. M., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2023, April). Evidence of differences in gender-affirming school experiences in a diverse sample of transgender youth. Flash talk paper presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.

Walters, T. L., Clark, A. N., Hannah-Walker, V., Lawrence, S. E., Renley, B. M., & Watson, R. J. (2024, November 13-17). “And that’s my issue, we’re not taught a damn thing”: Sexually and gender diverse adolescents’ recollections of LGBTQ+-specific school sexuality education. Paper to be presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, San Diego, CA.

Simon, K.A., Ross, C., Rathus, T., Caba, A., Renley, B. M., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2022, November). “I didn’t have anyone to turn to: Sexual education and behavior among LGBTQ+ youth with adoptive or kinship caregivers. Paper presented as part of the Adoption, Gender, and Sexuality: Shedding Light on Complex Issues in Adoption Symposium at the National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN.

Watson, R.J., Renley, B. M., & Eaton, L.A. (2022, August). Youth-specific LGBTQ+ state-level policies’ associations with pronoun, name, and bathroom use among gender minority youth in a US national sample. Paper presented at the European Association for Research on Adolescence conference, Dublin, Ireland.

Watson, R.J., Simon, K., Caba, A.E., Renley, B. M., & Eaton, L.A. (2022, May). Gender-Affirming School Experiences among Transgender/Non-binary Youth in the United States. Paper presented at the Society for Research on Child Development Construction of the Other Conference, Puerto Rico, US.

Simon, K. A., Hawthorne, H. M., Clark, A. N., Renley, B. M., Farr, R. H., Eaton, L. A., & Watson, R. J. (2022, March). Contextualizing the well-being of asexual youth: Evidence of differences in family, health, and school outcomes. Individual paper presented as part of a data blitz session at the Society for Research on Adolescence.

Rathus, T., Caba, A. E., Renley, B. M., Watson, R.J. (2022, March) Exploring school social transition factors and lifetime marijuana use among transgender adolescents. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.

Csizmadia, A., Renley, B. M., & Watson, R.J. (2021, November). LGBTQ identity-based family acceptance and depressive symptoms among biracial LGBTQ adolescents: A within-group approach. Poster presentated at the National Council on Family Relations, Baltimore, MD.

Renley, B. M. (2020, April). Exploring the relationship between identity and clinically diagnosed anxiety and depression [Poster session cancelled]. Frontiers in Undergraduate Research at the University of Connecticut. Storrs, CT.

Assistantship Experience:

Instructor of Record: HDFS 3261 Men and Masculinities (Spring 2024)

Teaching Assistantships: HDFS 1070: Individual and Family Development (Spring 2025); 4097 Honors Thesis Preparation Seminar (Fall 2024-Spring 2025); HDFS 2001 Diversity Issues (Fall 2024); HDFS 3087 Honors Proseminar (Fall 2024); HDFS 3520 Public Policy and the Family (Spring 2024); HDFS 3080 Supervised Field Experience (Fall 2023); HDFS 1060 Close Relationships Across the Lifespan (Spring 2023)

Research Assistantships: SHINE Lab (Fall 2021 – Spring 2024); UConn School of Social Work (Fall 2024 – present)

Departmental Service:

Fall 2024 – Spring 2025, Assessment Committee

Fall 2022 – Spring 2023, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee

Spring 2022 – Spring 2023, Council on Family Relations, UConn (president)

Fall 2021 – Spring 2022, HDFS Strategic Planning Committee

Email	ben.renley@uconn.edu
Campus	Storrs