Dr. Overstreet’s program of research examines sociocultural factors that contribute to mental and sexual health disparities among Black women and other marginalized groups. Her primary research examines the consequences of intimate partner violence-related stigma on health outcomes from a multi-level perspective (i.e., personal, interpersonal, structural level). She recently received funding from Fordham University’s HIV and Drug Abuse Prevention Research Ethics Training Institute, sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, to investigate the role of intersectional stigma in HIV research among HIV-infected African American women. Her second line of work focuses on the influence of societal stereotypes around race and gender on the sexual health and well-being of marginalized groups, with a particular focus on the synergistic relationship between sexual objectification and violence against women. Dr. Overstreet conducts this research using multiple methods including experiments, surveys, and qualitative interviews.
