Congratulations to PhD Candidate Fiona Doherty who was recently awarded a grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues’ (SPSSI) Grants in Aid program (GIA). The new funding will support her dissertation project “Social Connectedness and Extreme Weather Adaptive Capacity in Appalachian Ohio: An Intergenerational Participatory Photo Mapping Dissertation Study.”
SPSSI GIA supports scientific research in social problem areas related to its interests and goals, and particularly supports those unlikely to receive support from traditional sources.
According to Doherty, social disconnectedness and climate change are converging crises that result in a dangerous loop of vulnerability for individuals and communities. Extreme weather attributable to climate change amplifies disconnectedness by altering physical and social environments, reducing opportunities for community connection, and straining social relationships. Additionally, social disconnectedness adversely affects extreme weather adaptive capacity such as how communities respond to and fare in extreme weather events. Doherty’s research explores these interlinked social and environmental challenges and addresses them simultaneously for more efficient and responsive action.
More specifically, her dissertation explores the interconnected crises of social disconnectedness and climate change vulnerability in Athens County, Ohio, an underserved Appalachian region with high social and climate vulnerability. She uses an underutilized research approach, participatory photo mapping, to integrate visual, spatial and narrative data that captures community members’ lived experiences.
Doherty engages older adults (aged 65+) and emerging adults (aged 18-29) to foster intergenerational collaboration and compare experiences across age cohorts. She expects to identify localized strengths and opportunities for targeted interventions that enhance social connectedness and extreme weather response. Community partners supporting this project include Age-Friendly Athens, the Athens City-County Health Department, the Age-Friendly Innovation Center, Athens Photo Project, and Rural Action.
“In the spirit of community-engaged research, the grant funds will be used to compensate participants for their time,” says Doherty, “and to disseminate study findings at a community photo exhibit, aimed at bridging the gap between research and action.”
Doherty’s dissertation committee members include Drs. Smitha Rao (chair), Holly Dabelko-Schoeny, Michelle Kaiser and Amy Krings.
