Dr. Kevin Rand
Assistant Professor
Office: LD 120E
Phone: (317) 274-6771
Email: klrand@iupui.edu
1996 B.A Architecture, University of Cincinnati
2000 B.A. Psychology, Northern Kentucky University
2002 M.A. Psychology, University of Kansas
2006 Clinical Psychology Internship, Duke University Medical Center
2006 Ph.D. Clinical Psychology, University of Kansas
Current Research Interests:
I investigate phenomena occurring at the intersection of social psychology, personality psychology, and clinical psychology. Because my particular research focuses on human strengths, my work also falls under the category of ‘positive psychology.’ Specifically, I am interested in the influences of hopeful and optimistic thinking on people’s behaviors and mental and physical health. Previous research suggests that both hope and optimism confer benefits across a variety of life domains, including physical health, psychological well-being, academic and athletic performance, and interpersonal relationships. To date, however, little work has been done to synthesize the research on these concepts in order to better understand their common and unique impacts on human behaviors and adjustment.
Hence, one of my goals is to incorporate hope and optimism into an overall model of stress and coping. I am interested in people’s responses to normal life stressors, such as taking exams and managing relationships, as well as extraordinary stressors, such as coping with cancer or losing a loved one. Hence, I am interested in conducting research with diverse populations, including college students, athletes, cancer patients, and individuals struggling with severe and persistent mental illness.
Currently, I am conducting a series of studies examining the roles of hope and optimism in the academic performance of college students. Also, I am collaborating with Dr. Jesse Stewart to conduct research examining hope and optimism as predictors of processes relevant to cardiovascular disease (e.g., reactivity to and recovery from stress, inflammation markers). My future research plans include investigating the changes in hopeful and optimistic thought processes of cancer patients and their families as they transition into palliative care.
Within the realm of clinical psychology, I am particularly interested in the vulnerability to and recovery from depression. Specifically, I examine how people differ in their appraisals of and reactions to stressors and how these differences might confer protection from or vulnerability to developing depressive symptoms. In addition, I am interested in studying the efficacy of interventions aimed at elevating people’s hope and optimism in treating depression.
Selected Publications:
Rand, K. L., & Ilardi, S. (2005). Toward a consilient science of psychology. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 61, 7-20.
Snyder, C. R., Rand, K. L., & Ritschel, L. A. (2006). Hope over time. In L. J. Sanna & E. C. Chang (Eds.), Judgments over time: The interplay of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (pp. 100-119). New York: Oxford University Press.
Garratt, G., Ingram, R., Rand, K. L., & Sawalani, G. (in press). Cognitive processes in cognitive therapy: Evaluation of the mechanisms of change in the treatment of depression. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice.
