Megan L. Dolbin-MacNab, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Human Development
E-Mail mdolbinm@vt.edu
Mailing Address 840 University City Blvd., Suite 1 (0515)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
Phone 540-231-6807
Fax 540-231-7209
Office Hours By appointmentStaff Contact Ms. Chris Sokol (540-231-7201)
Curriculum Vitae
Primary Academic Interests
- Grandparents-Headed Families
- Intergenerational Ambivalence
- Marriage and Family Therapy
- Research Methods
Professional Credentials
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Clinical Member
- American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Approved Supervisor
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Current Research
- Grandchildren in Grandparent-Headed Families
- Health of Grandparent Caregivers
- Community-Based Programs for Grandparents Rising Grandchildren
Selected Publications
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2009). Becoming a parent again: An exploration of transformation
among grandparents raising grandchildren. In J. A. Mancini & K. A. Roberto (Eds). Pathways of development: Explorations of change (pp. 207-226). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Keiley, M. K. (2009). Navigating interdependence: How
adolescents raised solely by grandparents experience their family relationships. Family Relations, 58, 162-175.Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., Rodgers, B. E., & Traylor, R. M. (2009). Bridging the generations: A
retrospective examination of adults’ relationships with their kinship caregivers. Journal of Intergenerational Relationships, 7, 159-176.Keeling, M. L., Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., Hudgins, C., & Ford. J. (2008). Caregiving in family systems: Exploring the potential for systemic therapies. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 27, 45-63.
Roberto, K. A., Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Finney, J. W. (2008). Promoting the health of grandmothers parenting young grandchildren. In B. Hayslip, Jr. & P. Kaminski (Eds.), Parenting the custodial grandchild (pp. 75-89). New York: Springer.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2006). Just like raising your own? Grandmothers’ perceptions of parenting a second time around. Family Relations, 55, 564-575.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Keiley, M. K. (2006). A systemic examination of grandparents' emotional closeness with their custodial grandchildren. Research in Human Development, 3, 59-71.
Fingerman, K., & Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2006). The baby boomers and their parents: Cohort influences and intergenerational ties. In S. K. Whitbourne and S. L. Willis (Eds.), The baby boomers at midlife: Contemporary perspectives on middle age. (pp. 237-259). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Keiley, M. K., Dankoski, M., Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Liu, T. (2005). Covariance structure analysis: From path analysis to structural equation modeling. In D. H. Sprenkle and F. P. Piercy (Eds.), Research methods in family therapy (2nd ed., pp. 432-460). New York: Guilford.
Keiley, M. K., Martin, N. C., Liu, T., & Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2005). Multi-level modeling in the context of family research. In D. H. Sprenkle and F. P. Piercy (Eds.), Research methods in family therapy (2nd ed., 405-431). New York: Guilford.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Targ, D. B. (2003). Grandparents raising grandchildren: Guidelines for family life educators and other family professionals. In B. Hayslip, Jr. & J. H. Patrick (Eds.), Working with Custodial Grandparents (pp. 213-228). New York: Springer (Reprinted).
Recent Presentations
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2008, November). Multigenerational research: Learning from grandparent-headed families. In Brosi, W. A. Research and recruitment challenges in gerontology. Symposium presented at the 70th Annual Conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Little Rock, AR.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Traylor, R. M. (2008, November). Well-being of grandmothers raising adolescent grandchildren: The influence of grandchild behavior problems, parenting stress, and coping. Paper presented at the 70th annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Little Rock, AR.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2008, October). “Thanks for caring about me”: Perspectives on children being raised by grandparents and other relatives. Presentation to the New Hampshire Cooperative Extension Grandparents and Relatives as Parents Conference.Manchester, NH.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Rodgers, B. E., & Traylor, R. M. (2008, October). Adults’ relationship with their kinship caregivers. Poster presented at the 66th Annual Conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Memphis, TN.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L. (2008, September). Putting the puzzle together: A conceptual framework of risk and resilience for grandparents raising grandchildren. Paper presented at the 2008 Virginia Tech Institute for Culture, Society, Environment, Riva San Vitale, Switzerland.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Sanford, N. M. (2007, November). Hidden helpers: Grandchildren as caregivers of their custodial grandmothers. Poster presented at the 69th Annual Conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Pittsburgh, PA.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Sanford, N. M. (2007, October). Grandchild problem behavior: Predictors of agreement. Poster presented at the 65th Annual Conference of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Long Beach, CA.
Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., Burau, N., Rodgers, B., Stewart, S., Finney, J. W., & Roberto, K. A. (2006, October). Grandfamilies: Parenting satisfaction and family functioning. Poster presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, Austin, TX.
Glover, M. B., Cowart, B. L., Finney, J. W., Dolbin-MacNab, M. L., & Roberto, K. A. (2006, April). Grandchildren raised by grandparents: Parenting and financial stress, psychosocial problems, and health care use. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the National Conference on Child Health Psychology, Gainesville, FL.