Current Research Projects

• Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents' Possible Selves
• Teen Dating Violence Meta-Analysis
• Sexual Assault on College Campuses
• Sexual Identity, Behaviors, and Relationships in Emerging Adulthood

Community Outreach Projects

• Strengthening Relationships/Strengthening Families is an educational program that teaches relationship and coparenting skills to pregnant and parenting adolescents in Central Texas.
• #RelationshipGoals is a research-based educational program for middle and high school students in Kansas that covers topics such as self-awareness, relationship expectations and values, forming and maintaining healthy relationships, pacing relationships, recognizing unhealthy relationship characteristics, decision-making, goal setting, communication skills, and conflict resolution strategies.

Relevant Publications

Adolescent Parents

• Resiliency and adolescent motherhood in the context of residential foster care
• “Students getting pregnant are not gonna go nowhere”: Manifestations of stigma in adolescent mothers’ educational environment
• “I haven’t done nothin’ crazy lately:” Conflict resolution strategies in adolescent mothers’ dating relationships
• “He’s not there when I need him:” The disjuncture between adolescent mothers’ romantic relationship expectations and experiences
• “I learned the bad things I’m doing”: Adolescent mothers’ perceptions of a relationship education program

Teen Dating Violence

• Risk markers for physical teen dating violence perpetration: A meta-analysis
• Parental factors as predictors of dating violence among Latinx adolescent mothers
• "She controlled everything that I'd do": A qualitative exploration of relationship abuse experiences by adolescent fathers
• Queerness and dating violence among adolescent mothers in foster care
• Psychological and physical dating violence perpetrated by pregnant and parenting Latina adolescents

Sexual Assault on College Campuses

• Who understands consent? A latent profile analysis of college students' attitudes toward consent
• Why sexual assault survivors do not report to universities: A feminist analysis
• Factors related to college students' decisions to report sexual assault

Relevant Presentations (past 3 years)

• Astle, S., McAllister, P., Anders, K., Vennum, A., Toews, M. L., Morrison, K. & Taylor, L. (2019, November). Examining depression, sexual decision-making, and gender on adolescents’ motivations for sex. Paper presented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
• Emanuels, S., Toews, M. L., Spencer, C., & Anders, K. (2019, November). Family of origin risk markers for physical teen dating violence perpetration: A meta-analysis. Paperpresented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
• Spencer, C., Toews, M. L., Anders, K., & Emanuels, S. (2019, November). Risk markers for physical teen dating violence perpetration: A meta-analysis. Paper presented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
• Toews, M. L., Clifford, C., Gevock, S., Anders, K., & Vennum, A. (2019, November). The 5 Cs of positive youth development as promotive factors of metal health among adolescents. Paper presented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
• Toews, M. L., Spencer, C., Anders, K., & Emanuels, S. (2019, November). Risk markers for emotional teen dating violence perpetration: A meta-analysis. Paperpresented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, Fort Worth, TX.
• Toews, M. L., Perez-Brena., N., Anders, K., & Duncan, J. (2019, July). “We have a more good relationship”: An overview and evaluation of a relationship education program for pregnant and parenting adolescents. Symposium paper presented at the International Association for Relationship Research Mini Conference, Brighton, UK.
• Anders, K. M., Goodcase, E., Yazedjian, A., & Toews, M. L. (2018, November). “Sex is easier to get and love is harder to find”: Costs and rewards of hooking up for college students. Poster symposium presented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Anders, K. M., Goodcase, E., Scroggs, B., Toews, M. L., Vennum, A., & Emanuels, S. (2018, November). Social norms in adolescence: Perceptions of peers’ sexual and romantic behaviors and sexual values. Paper presented at the National Conference on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Cedeno, D., Bermea, A. M, van Eeden-Moorefield, B., Toews, M. L., & Doubledee, R. R. (2018, November). Mexican-American adolescent fatherhood and gender: A transnational view. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. (Note: 2018 Latino(a) Research Focus Group Paper Winner)
• Cedeno, D., Bermea, A. M, & Toews, M. L. (2018, November). The vulnerability-stress-adaptation model and Latino adolescent fathers. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Goodcase, E., Toews, M. L., Perez-Brena, N., & Faflick, N. (2018, November). Dating violence: A cross-lag panel model with pregnant and parenting adolescents. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Perez-Brena, N., Toews, M. L., Anders, K., Goodcase, E., Emanuels, S., & Hoss, L. (2018, November). Being “as good of parents as teenagers”: Intersecting experiences of adolescent parents. Symposium paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Toews, M. L., Anders, K., Perez-Brena, N., & Mayen, S. (2018, November). “I have hope”: Exploring pregnant and parenting Latino adolescents’ possible selves. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Washburn-Busk, M., Vennum, A., Anders, K, & Toews, M. L. (2018, November). Predictive factors of certainty about sexual values in adolescence. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Toews, M. L., Goodcase, E., Anders, K., & Spencer, C. (2018, July). Predicting bystander behavior: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Paper presented at the International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference, Portsmouth, NH.
• Perez-Brena, N., Toews, M. L., & Huston, A. (2018, June). Adapting a coparenting-focused prevention program to serve Latino adolescent parents. Symposium paper presented at the Society for Prevention Research Annual Conference, Washington, DC.
• Perez-Brena, N., Villalpando, U., DeJong, C., & Toews, M. L. (2018, April). Parenting stress and coparenting among adolescent parents. Poster presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Minneapolis, MN.
• Dixon, K., Toews, M. L., Goodcase, E., Boeger, G., Perez-Brena, N., & Feinberg, M. (2017, November). The role of coparenting in predicting parental outcomes among teen parents. Poster presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Goodcase, E., Spencer, C., & Toews, M. L. (2017, November). Campus culture and attitudes regarding sexual assault and bystander behavior. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Hoss, L., Toews, M. L., Goodcase, E., Perez-Brena, N., & Feinberg, M. (2017, November). Parental factors as predictors of dating violence among adolescent parents. Poster symposium presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Perez-Brena, N., Toews, M. L., Hutson, A., & Feinberg, M. (2017, November). Adapting a coparenting-focused prevention program to serve Latino adolescent parents. Resource exchange presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Toews, M. L., Spencer, C., & Taylor, L. (2017, November). The role of campus environment on bystander intentions and behaviors. Praxis roundtable presented at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
• Beck, A. R., Spencer, C., Genc, E., Jones, D. L., Toews, M. L., & Stith, S. (2017, October). Who is responsible when a sexual assault occurs? A pilot study examining the beliefs of college students. Paper presented at the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Goodcase, E., & Toews, M. L. (2017, October). Family of origin factors predicting relationship education success. Paper presented at the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA.
• Toews, M. L., & Vennum, A. (2017, June). Strategies for success: Working together to develop and implement a sustainable teen pregnancy prevention program. Workshop presented at the Family and Youth Services Bureau Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Grantee Conference, St. Louis, MO.
• Bermea, A. M., Rueda, H. A., & Toews, M. L. (2017, April). Adolescent relationship conflict and dating violence at the intersection of queerness, motherhood, and residential foster care. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting, Austin, TX.