Abigail T. Stephan

Welcome! I am a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and a faculty affiliate with the Institute for Engaged Aging at Clemson University in South Carolina. I earned my Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from the College of Education at Clemson University and became a Certified Family Life Educator (CFLE) through the National Council on Family Relations in 2022. 

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Through my primary research interests, I explore intergenerational relationships in family, community, and educational contexts. More specifically, my current work examines the bond between non-adjacent, or skipped, generations within families, such as grandparents and their grandchildren, and how their relationship impacts learning and health outcomes for those involved. 

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I am also interested more broadly in development across the lifespan with an emphasis on healthy aging and older adulthood. Some areas I explore in this work include social, psychological, and emotional well-being as well as lifelong, self-directed, and non-formal learning.