Sarah J. Ehlke, PhD
Email: sehlke@odu.edu
Google Scholar Citations
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Old Dominion University. I am a member of the Health Psychology concentration, and an affiliate of the Clinical Psychology concentration. My program of research focuses on identifying factors associated with substance use (e.g., alcohol, nicotine/tobacco, and cannabis) that can be adapted for interventions for sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals. Most of my research focuses on young adults and sexual minority women, specifically bisexual+ (bisexual, pansexual, etc) women. I incorporate cross-sectional, experimental and daily diary/ecological momentary assessment methodologies to understand reasons for substance use among these populations. I have used the Implicit Association Task (IAT) to examine implicit attitudes related to blame for an alcohol-involved sexual assault, and alcohol and cigarette cognitions. I have also used daily diary studies to examine same-day correlates of alcohol and cigarettes. More recently, I have examined reasons and factors related to cannabis use, including routes of administration (e.g., blunt use, cannabis vaping) and harm perceptions. Throughout my training I have worked with diverse populations including young adults, SGM individuals, college students, non-college student emerging adults, survivors of sexual and domestic violence, same-sex couples, drug court clients, military service members and veterans.
I have a secondary interest in understanding the relationship between substance use and sexual violence among young adult women. This is an area of research that I would like to continue given the alarmingly high rates of sexual assault among young individuals.
When I am not working I enjoy working out and cooking. However, these hobbies have taken a backseat as I spend most of my time entertaining my two young kids. So until 2028-ish you can usually find me with my family at a children’s museum, park, playgroup, or trampoline park.