Assistant Professor
Psychology

Sarah Ehlke

250 MILLS GODWIN LIFE SCIENCES BLDG
NORFOLK, 23529

Dr. Sarah Ehlke received her Ph.D. from Old Dominion University in Health Psychology. She then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the TSET Health Promotion Research Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Ph.D. in Health Psychology, Old Dominion University , (2020)

M.A. in Psychology, The University of North Carolina at Wilmington, (2014)

M.A. in Criminology, University of South Florida , (2013)

B.A. in Psychology, University of South Florida , (2010)

Research Interests

My research focuses on mental health outcomes and substance use behavior of sexual and gender minority individuals, particularly sexual minority women. Specifically, I seek to identify social, environmental, and cognitive factors that may influence health behaviors, and can be adapted in interventions for this high-risk group. I also am interested in understanding the bidirectional association between sexual violence and substance use among young women.

Articles

Kendzor, D. E.., Ehlke, S., Boozary, L. Kharazi., Smith, M. A.. and Cohn, A. M.. (2022). Characteristics of adults with a medical cannabis license, reasons for use, and perceptions of benefit following medical cannabis legalization in Oklahoma. PREVENTIVE MEDICINE REPORTS 27.
Ehlke, S., Ganz, O., Kendzor, D. E.. and Cohn, A. M.. (2022). Differences between adult sexual minority females and heterosexual females on menthol smoking and other smoking behaviors: Findings from Wave 4 (2016-2018) of the population assessment of tobacco and health study. ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 129.
Ehlke, S., Cohn, A. M.., Boozary, L. K.., Alexander, A. C.., Waring, Joseph J. C., Businelle, M. S.. and Kendzor, D. E.. (2022). Discrimination, Substance Use, and Mental Health among Sexual and Gender Minority Adults Accessing Day Shelter Services. SUBSTANCE USE & MISUSE 57 (8) , pp. 1237-1247.
Ehlke, S., Kelley, M., Lewis, R. J. and Braitman, A. (2022). The Role of Alcohol Demand on Daily Microaggressions and Alcohol Use Among Emerging Adult Bisexual plus Women. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 36 (2) , pp. 209-219.
Ehlke, S., Young, M., Colangelo, M., Stamates, A. and Braitman, A. (2021). Event-specific drinking and protective behavioral strategy use among college students. ADDICTION RESEARCH & THEORY 29 (1) , pp. 47-54.
Lewis, R. J., Romano, K. A.., Ehlke, S., Lau-Barraco, C., Sandoval, C. M.., Glenn, D. J.. and Heron, K. E. (2021). Minority Stress and Alcohol Use in Sexual Minority Women's Daily Lives. EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY 29 (5) , pp. 501-510.
Ehlke, S., Kelley, M. and Braitman, A. (2021). Weekly Drinking and Binge Drinking Mediate the Association Between Drinking Location and Sexual Coercion. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 36 (19-20) , pp. NP10843-NP10862.
Ehlke, S., Braitman, A., Dawson, C. A.., Heron, K. E. and Lewis, R. J. (2020). Sexual Minority Stress and Social Support Explain the Association between Sexual Identity with Physical and Mental Health Problems among Young Lesbian and Bisexual Women. SEX ROLES 83 (5-6) , pp. 370-381.
Ehlke, S., Stamates, A., Kelley, M. and Braitman, A. (2019). Bisexual Women's Reports of Descriptive Drinking Norms for Heterosexual, Bisexual, and Lesbian Women. PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER DIVERSITY 6 (2) , pp. 256-263.
Ehlke, S. and Kelley, M. (2019). Drinking to Cope Motivations as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Sexual Coercion Victimization and Alcohol Use Among College Women: The Role of Depressive Symptoms. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 25 (6) , pp. 721-742.
Kelley, M., Ehlke, S., Braitman, A. and Stamates, A. (2019). Testing a Model of Binegativity, Drinking-to-Cope Motives, Alcohol Use, and Sexual Coercion Among Self-Identified Bisexual Women. JOURNAL OF BISEXUALITY 18 (4) , pp. 478-496.
Kelley, M., Ehlke, S., Lewis, R. J., Braitman, A., Bostwick, W., Heron, K. E. and Lau-Barraco, C. (2018). Sexual Coercion, Drinking to Cope Motives, and Alcohol-Related Consequences among Self-Identified Bisexual Women. SUBSTANCE USE & MISUSE 53 (7) , pp. 1146-1157.
Cohn, A. and Ehlke, S. (2017). Association of current and lifetime DSM-IV drug use disorder diagnoses to 6-month changes in smoking behavior in risky drinking smokers: A pilot study. Substance Use & Misuse 52 (13) , pp. 1784-1794.
Cohn, A. M.., Ehlke, S., Cobb, C. O.. and Soule, E. K.. (2017). Hookah tobacco smoking in a large urban sample of adult cigarette smokers: Links with alcohol and poly-tobacco use. ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 68 , pp. 1-5.
Cohn, A., Ehlke, S. and Cobb, C. O.. (2017). Relationship of nicotine deprivation and indices of alcohol use behavior to implicit alcohol and cigarette approach cognitions in smokers. ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 67 , pp. 58-65.
Kelley, M., Ehlke, S., Lewis, R. J., Braitman, A., Bostwick, W., Heron, K. E. and Lau-Barraco, C. (2017). Sexual Coercion, Drinking to Cope Motives, and Alcohol-Related Consequences Among Self-Identified Bisexual Women. Substance Use \& Misuse , pp. 1-12.
Ehlke, S. and Cohn, A. M.. (2016). Was it the drink? The conditioned association of alcohol and desire to quit smoking on the dual use of little cigars/cigarillos and cigarettes among men and women. ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 59 , pp. 48-51.
Ehlke, S., Hagman, B. T.. and Cohn, A. M.. (2012). Modeling the Dimensionality of DSM-IV Alcohol Use Disorder Criteria in a Nationally Representative Sample of College Students. SUBSTANCE USE & MISUSE 47 (10) , pp. 1073-1085.

Conference Proceeding

Heron, K. E., Lewis, R. J., Ehlke, S., Rice, C. Exten. and Fish, J. (2019). ARE ALL SEXUAL MINORITIES CREATED EQUAL?: EXAMINING HEALTH DISPARITIES AMONG SEXUAL MINORITY SUBGROUPS (pp. S487-S487) ANNALS OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE.
  • 2021: NIH Loan Repayment Program in Health Disparities Research, NIDA
  • 2019: P.E.O. Scholar Award,
  • 2013: Outstanding Criminology Ambassador Award, USF