Assistant Professor
Psychology

Sage Hawn

MILLS GODWIN LIFE SCIENCES BLDG
NORFOLK, 23529

Dr. Sage Hawn is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology and directs the Trauma, Resilience, and Comorbidities Lab (Hawn TRAC Lab). Her interdisciplinary research focuses on understanding how biological (e.g., genetic) and psychosocial factors interact to influence responses to trauma, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and comorbid conditions. The ultimate goal of this work is to identify risk and protective factors that may predispose individuals to, or buffer against, trauma exposure and subsequent mental and physical health outcomes in order to inform early and integrative intervention efforts.

Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University , (2020)

M.S. in Clinical Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University , (2015)

B.S. in Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University , (2012)

Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research

Hawn, S. "NIH Loan Repayment Program. Federal. 2021 - 2025
"Junior Faculty Research Mentorship Program. 2023 - 2024
Hawn, S. "NIH F31 Award" $105,975. Federal. 2017 - 2020

Expertise

Clinical Research
Trauma-related comorbidities; Behavioral genetics/epigenetics; Health biomarkers
Trauma
PTSD, resilience, substance use, physical health

Research Interests

Trauma; Comorbidity; Genetics; Epigenetics; Biomarkers

Articles

Wolf, E. J.., Hawn, S., Sullivan, D. R.., Miller, M. W.., Sanborn, V., Brown, E., Neale, Z., Fein-Schaffer, D., Zhao, X., Logue, M. W.., Fortier, C. B.., McGlinchey, R. E.. and Milberg, W. P.. (2023). Neurobiological and Genetic Correlates of the Dissociative Subtype of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND CLINICAL SCIENCE 132 (4) , pp. 409-427.
DeLaney, E. N.., Williams, C. D.., Jones, Shawn C. T., Hood, K. B.., Cage, J., Coston, B. Ethan., Hawn, S., Santana, A. and Dick, D. M.. (2023). Sexual Victimization and Mental Health Among LGBQ plus College Students: Examining Social Support and Trauma-Related Drinking as Mediators. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION.
Hawn, S., Hawrilenko, M., McDowell, Y., Campbell, S., Garcia, N. M.. and Simpson, T. L.. (2022). An in-depth look at latent classes of DSM-5 psychiatric comorbidity among individuals with PTSD: Clinical indicators and treatment utilization. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 78 (11) , pp. 2214-2244.
Hawn, S., Cusack, S. E.., George, B., Sheerin, C. M.., Dick, D. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2022). Diagnostic validity of the PC-PTSD screen in college students. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH 70 (6) , pp. 1909-1919.
George, B. A.., Bountress, K. E.., Brown, R. C.., Hawn, S., Weida, Emily A. Brown, McDonald, S. D.., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett., Sheerin, C. M.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2022). Does Prior Civilian Trauma Moderate the Relationship Between Combat Trauma and Post-deployment Mental Health Symptoms?. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 37 (7-8) , pp. NP4604-NP4625.
Hawn, S., Neale, Z., Wolf, E. J.., Zhao, X., Pierce, M., Fein-Schaffer, D., Milberg, W., McGlinchey, R., Logue, M. and Miller, M. W.. (2022). Methylation of the AIM2 gene: An epigenetic mediator of PTSD-related inflammation and neuropathology plasma biomarkers. DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY 39 (4) , pp. 323-333.
Fein-Schaffer, D., Hawn, S., Annunziata, A. J.., Ryabchenko, K., Miller, M. W.. and Wolf, E. J.. (2022). Premorbid traumatic stress and veteran responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS 35 (2) , pp. 559-569.
Zhao, X., Logue, M. W.., Hawn, S., Neale, Z. E.., Zhou, Z., Huber, B. R.., Miller, M. W.. and Wolf, E. J.. (2022). PTSD, major depression, and advanced transcriptomic age in brain tissue. DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY 39 (12) , pp. 824-834.
DeLaney, E. N.., Williams, C. Derlan., Mosley, Della V., Hawn, S. and Dick, D. M.. (2022). The Associations Between Sexual Victimization and Health Outcomes Among LGBQA College Students: Examining the Moderating Role of Social Support. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 37 (11-12) , pp. NP10393-NP10417.
Brown, R. C.., Mortensen, J., Hawn, S., Bountress, K., Chowdhury, N., Kevorkian, S., McDonald, S. D.., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett., Thomas, S. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2021). Drinking patterns of post-deployment Veterans: The role of personality, negative urgency, and posttraumatic stress. MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY 33 (4) , pp. 240-249.
Wolf, E. J.., Zhao, X., Hawn, S., Morrison, F. G.., Zhou, Z., Fein-Schaffer, D., Huber, B., Miller, M. W.. and Logue, M. W.. (2021). Gene expression correlates of advanced epigenetic age and psychopathology in postmortem cortical tissue. NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS 15.
Bountress, K. E.., Hawn, S., Dick, D. M.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2021). Latent Profiles of Alcohol Consumption Among College Students Exposed to Trauma. JOURNAL OF ADDICTIONS NURSING 32 (1) , pp. 3-13.
Bountress, K. E.., Bustamante, D., Sheerin, C., Dick, D. M.., Amstadter, A. B.., Pedersen, K., Neale, Z., Thomas, N., Adkins, A. E.., Bannard, T., Cho, S. B.., Adkins, A. E.., Barr, P., Berenz, E. C.., Caraway, E., Clifford, J. S.., Cooke, M., Do, E., Edwards, A. C.., Goyal, N., Hack, L. M.., Halberstadt, L. J.., Hawn, S., Kuo, S., Lasko, E., Lend, J., Lind, M., Long, E., Martelli, A., Meyers, J. L.., Mitchell, K., Moore, A., Moscati, A., Nasim, A., Opalesky, J., Overstreet, C., Pais, A. Christian., Pedersen, K., Raldiris, T., Salvatore, J., Savage, J., Smith, R., Sosnowski, D., Su, J., Thomas, N., Walker, C., Walsh, M., Willoughby, T., Woodroof, M., Yan, J., Sun, C., Wormley, B., Riley, B., Aliev, F., Peterson, R. and Webb, B. T.. (2021). Precollege and New-Onset College Interpersonal Trauma as Predictors of Baseline and Changes in Alcohol Use Disorder Symptoms During College. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 36 (21-22) , pp. 10842-10852.
McNett, S., Lind, M. J.., Brown, R. C.., Hawn, S., Berenz, E. C.., Brown, E., McDonald, S. D.., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett., Thomas, S. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2021). Sleep Quality Moderates the Relationship between Anxiety Sensitivity and PTSD Symptoms in Combat-exposed Veterans. BEHAVIORAL SLEEP MEDICINE 19 (2) , pp. 208-220.
Hawn, S., Aggen, S. H.., Cusack, S. E.., Dick, D. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2020). Examination of a novel measure of trauma-related drinking to cope. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 76 (10) , pp. 1938-1964.
Paltell, K. C.., Smith, R. L.., Kansky, J., Cox, C. M.., Amstadter, A. B.., Dick, D., Dick, D. M.., Pedersen, K., Neale, Z., Thomas, N., Adkins, A. E.., Bannard, T., Cho, S. B.., Barr, P., Berenz, E. C.., Caraway, E., Clifford, J. S.., Cooke, M., Do, E., Edwards, A. C.., Goyal, N., Hack, L. M.., Halberstadt, L. J.., Hawn, S., Kuo, S., Lasko, E., Lend, J., Lind, M., Long, E., Martelli, A., Meyers, J. L.., Mitchell, K., Moore, A., Moscati, A., Nasim, A., Neale, Z., Opalesky, J., Overstreet, C., Pais, A. Christian., Raldiris, T., Salvatore, J., Savage, J., Smith, R., Sosnowski, D., Su, J., Walker, C., Walsh, M., Willoughby, T., Woodroof, M., Yan, J., Sun, C., Wormley, B., Riley, B., Aliev, F., Peterson, R., Webb, B. T.., Salvatore, J. E.. and Berenz, E. C.. (2020). Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, relationship quality, and risky alcohol use among trauma-exposed students. ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 102.
Hawn, S., Bountress, K. E.., Sheerin, C. M.., Dick, D. M.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2020). Trauma-Related Drinking to Cope: A Novel Approach to the Self-Medication Model. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 34 (3) , pp. 465-476.
Bountress, K. E.., Cusack, S. E.., Sheerin, C. M.., Hawn, S., Dick, D. M.., Kendler, K. S.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2019). Alcohol Consumption, Interpersonal Trauma, and Drinking to Cope With Trauma-Related Distress: An Auto-Regressive, Cross-Lagged Model. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 33 (3) , pp. 221-231.
Hawn, S., Chowdhury, N., Kevorkian, S., Sheth, D., Brown, R. C.., Berenz, E., McDonald, S., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett., Thomas, S. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2019). Examination of the effects of impulsivity and risk-taking propensity on alcohol use in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans. JOURNAL OF MILITARY VETERAN AND FAMILY HEALTH 5 (2) , pp. 88-99.
Smith, R. L.., Salvatore, J. E.., Aliev, F., Neale, Z., Barr, P., Dick, D. M.., Pedersen, K., Thomas, N., Bannard, T., Cho, S. B.., Adkins, A. E.., Barr, P., Berenz, E. C.., Caraway, E., Cho, S. B.., Clifford, J. S.., Cooke, M., Do, E., Edwards, A. C.., Goyal, N., Hack, L. M.., Halberstadt, L. J.., Hawn, S., Kuo, S., Lasko, E., Lend, J., Lind, M., Long, E., Martelli, A., Meyers, J. L.., Mitchell, K., Moore, A., Moscati, A., Nasim, A., Neale, Z., Opalesky, J., Overstreet, C., Pais, A. Christian., Pedersen, K., Raldiris, T., Savage, J., Smith, R., Sosnowski, D., Su, J., Thomas, N., Walker, C., Walsh, M., Willoughby, T., Woodroof, M., Yan, J., Sun, C., Wormley, B., Riley, B., Aliev, F., Peterson, R. and Webb, B. T.. (2019). Genes, Roommates, and Residence Halls: A Multidimensional Study of the Role of Peer Drinking on College Students' Alcohol Use. ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 43 (6) , pp. 1254-1262.
Ksinan, A. J.., Su, J., Aliev, F., Dick, D. M.., Dick, D. M.., Pedersen, K., Neale, Z., Adkins, A. E.., Thomas, N., Neale, Z., Pedersen, K., Bannard, T., Cho, S. B.., Adkins, A. E.., Barr, P., Berenz, E. C.., Caraway, E., Cho, S. B.., Clifford, J. S.., Cooke, M., Do, E., Edwards, A. C.., Goyal, N., Hack, L. M.., Halberstadt, L. J.., Hawn, S., Kuo, S., Lasko, E., Lend, J., Lind, M., Long, E., Martelli, A., Meyers, J. L.., Mitchell, K., Moore, A., Moscati, A., Nasim, A., Neale, Z., Opalesky, J., Overstreet, C., Pais, A. Christian., Pedersen, K., Raldiris, T., Salvatore, J., Savage, J., Smith, R., Sosnowski, D., Su, J., Thomas, N., Walker, C., Walsh, M., Willoughby, T., Woodroof, M. and Yan, J. (2019). Unpacking Genetic Risk Pathways for College Student Alcohol Consumption: The Mediating Role of Impulsivity. ALCOHOLISM-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 43 (10) , pp. 2100-2110.
Hawn, S., Kurtz, E. D.., Brown, E., Brown, R. C.., Berenz, E. C.., McDonald, S., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett. and Amstadter, A. (2018). A Cluster-Analytic Approach to Determining Drinking Motives and Personality Typologies: Trauma Group Differences and Respective Relations to PTSD and Problematic Alcohol Use. PSYCHOLOGY OF ADDICTIVE BEHAVIORS 32 (5) , pp. 528-539.
Overstreet, C., Brown, E., Berenz, E. C.., Brown, R. C.., Hawn, S., McDonald, S., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett., Thomas, S. and Amstadter, A. (2018). Anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance typologies and relations to posttraumatic stress disorder: A cluster analytic approach. MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY 30 (6) , pp. 547-556.
Chowdhury, N., Kevorkian, S., Hawn, S., Amstadter, A. B.., Dick, D., Kendler, K. S.. and Berenz, E. C.. (2018). Associations between personality and distress tolerance among trauma-exposed young adults. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 120 , pp. 166-170.
Hawn, S., Lind, M. J.., Conley, A., Overstreet, C. M.., Kendler, K. S.., Dick, D. M.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2018). Effects of social support on the association between precollege sexual assault and college-onset victimization. JOURNAL OF AMERICAN COLLEGE HEALTH 66 (6) , pp. 467-475.
Hawn, S., Sheerin, C. M.., Webb, B. T.., Peterson, R. E.., Do, E. K.., Dick, D., Kendler, K. S.., Bacanu, S. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2018). Replication of the Interaction of PRKG1 and Trauma Exposure on Alcohol Misuse in an Independent African American Sample. JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS 31 (6) , pp. 927-932.
Brown, R. C.., Overstreet, C., Sheerin, C., Berenz, E., Hawn, S., Pickett, T., McDonald, S., Danielson, C. Kmett. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2018). The Nomological Network of a Behavioral Distress Tolerance Task in Veterans. JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS 31 (6) , pp. 876-885.
Lind, M. J.., Hawn, S., Sheerin, C. M.., Aggen, S. H.., Kirkpatrick, R. M.., Kendler, K. S.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2017). An examination of the etiologic overlap between the genetic and environmental influences on insomnia and common psychopathology. DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY 34 (5) , pp. 453-462.
Lind, M. J.., Baylor, A., Overstreet, C. M.., Hawn, S., Rybarczyk, B. D.., Kendler, K. S.., Dick, D. M.. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2017). Relationships between potentially traumatic events, sleep disturbances, and symptoms of PTSD and alcohol use disorder in a young adult sample. SLEEP MEDICINE 34 , pp. 141-147.
Overstreet, C., Stratton, K. J.., Berenz, E., Sheerin, C., Hawn, S., Roberson-Nay, R. and Amstadter, A. (2017). Resilience to Interpersonal Trauma and Decreased Risk for Psychopathology in an Epidemiologic Sample. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPATHOLOGY AND BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT 39 (3) , pp. 506-513.
Lind, M. J.., Brown, E., Farrell-Carnahan, L., Brown, R. C.., Hawn, S., Berenz, E., McDonald, S., Pickett, T., Danielson, C. Kmett., Thomas, S. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2017). Sleep Disturbances in OEF/OIF/OND Veterans: Associations with PTSD, Personality, and Coping. JOURNAL OF CLINICAL SLEEP MEDICINE 13 (2) , pp. 291-299.
Brown, R. C.., Nugent, N. R.., Hawn, S., Koenen, K. C.., Miller, A., Amstadter, A. B.. and Saxe, G. (2016). Predicting the Transition From Acute Stress Disorder to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Children With Severe Injuries. JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE 30 (6) , pp. 558-568.
Stratton, K. J.., Wells, B. D.., Hawn, S., Amstadter, A. B.., Cifu, D. X.. and Walker, W. C.. (2015). Pain Descriptors Used by Military Personnel Deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan Following Combat-Related Blast Experience. MILITARY PSYCHOLOGY 27 (6) , pp. 376-383.
Hawn, S., Paul, L., Thomas, S., Miller, S. and Amstadter, A. B.. (2015). Stress reactivity to an electronic version of the Trier Social Stress Test: a pilot study. FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY 6.
Stratton, K. J.., Hawn, S., Amstadter, A. B.., Cifu, D. X.. and Walker, W. C.. (2014). Correlates of pain symptoms among Iraq and Afghanistan military personnel following combat-related blast exposure. JOURNAL OF REHABILITATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 51 (8) , pp. 1189-1202.
Stratton, K. J.., Clark, S. L.., Hawn, S., Amstadter, A. B.., Cifu, D. X.. and Walker, W. C.. (2014). Longitudinal Interactions of Pain and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms in US Military Service Members Following Blast Exposure. JOURNAL OF PAIN 15 (10) , pp. 1023-1032.
  • 2022: ADAA Donald F. Klein Early Career Investigator,