Grace da Rosa
Senior Lecturer Gerontology- Education
Ph.D., Iowa State University
2012 Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies (Minor: Gerontology)
Dissertation title: The Relationship between personality, life events and healthy longevity: A comparison of U.S. and Japanese centenarians.
M.A., Iowa State University
B.A., University Dom Bosco, Campo Grande, Brazil
- Specializations
Research Interests:
Personality, Mental health, life events, healthy longevity, cross-cultural research, resiliency,
and psychological well-being.
Teaching Interests:
Psychology of Aging, Introduction to Gerontology; Adult development and aging; Diversity and Aging; Life Span Developmental Psychology; Seminar in Gerontology, and Aging and the Family; Family, Intimacy, & Aging.
- Biography
Dr. Grace da Rosa is a Lecturer and has been in the Gerontology Institute since Fall, 2016. She received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in Gerontology from Iowa State University.
Dr. da Rosa teaches a variety of aging courses (Psychology of Aging, Introduction to Gerontology, Diversity and Aging, and Gerontology Internship). She worked for several years with the Georgia Centenarian Study (GCS, Phase 3) and her research interest has been on mental health and healthy longevity. Dr. da Rosa is interested in better understand the role of life events, resources, and psychosocial factors on healthy longevity (e.g., mental health, and psychological well-being) and resiliency in older adults. Dr. da Rosa dissertation investigated the effect of personality and life events on healthy longevity (i.e., Mental and Cognitive Health) of U.S. and Japanese centenarians. During her Master Thesis, Dr. da Rosa assessed age (i.e., sexagenarians, octogenarians, and centenarians), gender, and ethnic (i.e., African Americans and Caucasians) differences and changes in mental health among older adults.
- Publications
da Rosa, G., Martin, P., Kim, J., Russell, D., Abraham, W. T., Gondo, Y., Hirose, N., Masui, Y., & Poon, L. W. (2020). A Cultural Comparison of Personality Profiles of U.S. and Japanese Centenarians. Manuscript submitted for publication.
da Rosa, G., Martin, P., Gondo, Y., Hirose, N., Ishioka, Y., & Poon, L. W. (2014). Examination of Important life experiences of the oldest-old: Cross-cultural comparisons of U.S. and Japanese Centenarians. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 29, 2, 109-130. doi: 10.1007/s10823-014-9223-z
Martin, P., da Rosa, G., Margrett, J. A., Garasky, S., & Franke, W. (2012). Stability and change in affect among centenarians. International Journal of Aging & Human Development, 75, 337-349. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2190/AG.75.4.c
Martin, P., da Rosa, G.,& Poon, L. W. (2011). The impact of life events on the oldest old. In L. W. Poon & J. Cohen-Mansfield (Eds.), Understanding well-being in the oldest old. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Poon, L. W., Martin, P., Bishop, A., Cho, J., da Rosa, G., Deshpande, N., Hensley, R., MacDonald, M., Margrett, J., Randall, K., & for the Georgia Centenarian Study (2010). Understanding centenarians’ psychosocial dynamics and their contributions to health and quality of life. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research, 2010, 1-13.
Martin, P., da Rosa, G., Siegler, I., Davey, A., MacDonald, M., Poon, L. W. et al. (2006). Personality and longevity: Findings from the Georgia Centenarian Study. Age, 28, 343-352.
Martin, P., & da Rosa, G. (2006). Age differences in depressive symptoms and morale among the oldest old. Global Ageing, 4, 42-51.