Linda M. Chatters

Paula Allen-Meares Collegiate Professor Emerita of Social Work, Professor Emerita of Social Work, School of Social Work and Professor Emerita of Health Behavior and Health Equity, School of Public Health

Linda M. Chatters is a professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health and professor in the School of Social Work. She is a faculty associate with the Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research and the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health. The focus of Dr. Chatters' research is the study of adult development and aging in relation to the mental and physical health status and functioning of older persons in a variety of social contexts (i.e., the family, church, and community). She is also interested in religious involvement among African Americans and the independent effects of religious, personal, and social status factors on personal well-being. Dr. Chatters' research is supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging. Dr. Chatters is a Fellow, Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of The Gerontological Society of America and has been designated by Thomson-ISI as a Highly Cited Researcher in the Category of General Social Sciences.

Dr. Chatters co-edited Family Life in Black America (1997) and Aging in Black America (1993) and is co-author of the book, Religion in the Lives of African Americans: Social, Psychological and Health Perspectives (2004). Other areas of research/scholarly interest: family social support networks and intergenerational family relationships, the impact of social support and negative interaction impact on well-being and psychological distress. Recent articles include "Use of complementary and alternative medicines for mental and substance use disorders: A comparison of African Americans, Black Caribbeans, and non-Hispanic Whites" in Psychiatric Services; "Use of clergy services among individual seeking treatment for alcohol use problems" in The American Journal on Addictions; "Demographic correlates of psychological well-being and distress among older African Americans and Caribbean Black adults" in Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal; and "Emotional support, negative interaction and DSM IV lifetime disorders among older African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) in International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Research Interests

Religious involvement and well-being, social support networks of adult/elderly African Americans, intergenerational family relations, families and health.

Curriculum Vitae

Contact Information

  • [email protected]

  • (734) 763-1417

  • 3818 SPH I
    University of Michigan
    Hlth Behavior & Hlth Educ
    1080 S. University
    Ann Arbor, MI 481093794 SSWB
    University of Michigan
    School of Social Work
    1080 S. University
    Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Education

  • 1983 PhD Psychology
    University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  • 1977 Certificate Specialist in Aging
    Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan - Wayne State University
  • 1975 AB Psychology
    University of California, Berkeley

News

Activities

Publications

Moody, M. D., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2025). Subjective Well-Being among African Americans: Findings from the National Survey of American Life. Sociological Focus, 58(1), 138-151.
Taylor, R. J., Kim, E., Chatters, L. M. & Nguyen, A. W. (2025). Research on Religion and Aging among Black Americans and Mexican Americans: The Impact of the National Institute on Aging. The Gerontologist, 65(2).
Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, H. O., Tsuchiya, K., & Ochoa, A. (2024). Friendship Social Support Networks of African Americans. Sociological Focus, 57(4), 493-503.
Hope, M. O., Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2024). Correlates of Spirituality among African American and Black Caribbean Emerging Adults. Religions, 15 (3), 341.
Taylor, H. O., Taylor, R. J., Tsuchiya, K., & Chatters, L. (2024). Social Isolation, Self-Rated Health, and Self-Rated Oral, Health among African Americans. The Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved, 35 (1), 18-36.
King, W. M., Gamarel, K. E., Fleischer, N. L., Radix, A. E., Poteat, T. C., Chatters, L. M., Operario, D., Reisner, S. L., & Wirtz, A. L. (2024). Racial/ethnic differences in the association between transgender-related US state policies and self-rated health of transgender women. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 911.
Nguyen, A. W., Taylor, Harry O., Taylor, Robert J., Ambroise, A. Z., Hamler, T., Qin, W., & Chatters,L. M. (2024). The role of subjective, interpersonal, and structural social isolation in 12-month and lifetime anxiety disorders. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 1-10.
King, W. M., Fleischer, N. L., Operario, D., Chatters, L. M., & Gamarel, K. E. (2024). Inequities in the distribution of adverse childhood experiences and their association with health among transgender people of color. Child Abuse & Neglect, 149, 106654.
Chatters, L. M., Taylor, R. J., Neighbors, H. W., Bowman, P. J., Williams, D. R., Mezuk, B. & Caldwell, C. H. (2023). James S. Jackson and the Program for Research on Black Americans: Contributions to Psychology and the Social Sciences. American Psychologist, 78 (4), 413-427.
Ellis, K. R., Nguyen, A., Miller, E., Zhou, Y., & Chatters, L. (2023). Advancing family-focused health equity: Reconceptualizing family in social work research and practice. Journal for the Society of Social Work Research, 14(3), 579-589.

Honors and Awards

Year Description
2025 Social Work Distinguished Faculty Award, UM School of Social Work
2025 Society for Social Work Research Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award
2023 Flame Keeper Award, Caucus on Public Health and the Faith Community, American Public Health Association
2016 Designated as a highly cited female scholar in a School of Social Work. Michael J. Holosko, John R. Barner, and Junior Lloyd Allen. (2015). Citation Impact of Women in Social Work: Exploring Gender and Research Culture. Research on Social Work Practice.
2015 Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award, University of Michigan
2015 Designated as the second most highly cited African American scholar in a School of Social Work. Huggins-Hoyt et al. (2014). Citation Impact Scores of Top African American Scholars in Social Work Schools: The Story Behind the Data. Research on Social Work Practice, 1-7.
2014 Noted as a pioneer in research on African American elderly in the article, Brown, C.S et al. “A Review of Our Roots: Blacks in Gerontology” in The Gerontologist (2014) 54 (1): 108-116. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnt103
2006 Distinguished Guest Lecturer, Center on Aging, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
2004 Designated by Thomson-ISI® as a Highly Cited Researcher™ in the Category of General Social Sciences. ISI Author Publication Number A0347-2004-0
2004 Fellow, Behavioral and Social Sciences Section, The Gerontological Society of America http://www.geron.org/bssfellows.htm
1999 Woman of the Year for Human Relations, Women of Color Task Force, University of Michigan
1987 Mazer Award for Faculty Research, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts

Presentations

Year Description
2021 Chatters, L. M., Taylor, H. O., & Taylor, R. J. (November, 2021). Racism and the Life Course: Social and Health Equity for Older Black Americans. Gerontological Society of America, Presidential Symposium: From Disruption to Transformation: Challenging and Changing the New Normal.
2021 Chatters, L. M., Taylor, H. O., & Taylor, R. J. (November 11, 2021). Racism and the Life Course: Social and Health Equity for Older Black Americans. Gerontological Society of America, Presidential Symposium: From Disruption to Transformation: Challenging and Changing the New Normal.
2019 Ober, J. A., Chatters, L. M., Watkins, D., Johnson-Lawrence, V. (November 17, 2019). Does Coping Matter? Coping and Chronic Physiological Distress Among Aging U.S. Black and White Men. Presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.
2019 Nguyen, A., Taylor, R. J., & Chatters, L. M. (2019, March). Objective and Subjective Social Isolation among African Americans with Anxiety Disorders. Presentation at the International Conference for Psychological Sciences. Paris, France.
2019 Ober, J.A., Chatters, L.M., Watkins, D., Johnson-Lawrence, V. (2019, November). Does Coping Matter? Coping and Chronic Physiological Distress Among Aging U.S. Black and White Men. Presentation at the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.

Courses

Past Courses

Title Instructor Term Course Section Meeting Start Meeting End
Behavioral, Psychosocial and Ecological Aspects of Health, Mental Health and Disease Chatters, Linda M. Fall 2025 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Behavioral, Psychosocial and Ecological Aspects of Health, Mental Health and Disease Chatters, Linda M. Fall 2024 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Families and Health (Public Health) Chatters, Linda M. Fall 2024 001 02:30 pm 05:30 pm View Course
Families and Health (Public Health) Chatters, Linda M. Fall 2023 001 02:30 pm 05:30 pm View Course
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Chatters, Linda M. Winter 2023 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Families and Health (Public Health) Chatters, Linda M. Fall 2022 001 02:30 pm 05:30 pm View Course
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Chatters, Linda M. Winter 2022 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course
Families and Health (Public Health) Chatters, Linda M. Fall 2021 001 03:00 pm 06:00 pm View Course
Families and Health (Public Health) Chatters, Linda M. Winter 2021 001 04:00 pm 07:00 pm View Course
Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Chatters, Linda M. Winter 2021 001 09:00 am 12:00 pm View Course