Dawson Building, Room 112D
120 Ridge View Drive
Dunmore, PA 18512
Biography
Ray Petren is an Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Studies and Program Coordinator for the First Year Seminar Program at Penn State Scranton. His research addresses parenting and family relationships across family structures and transitions with a focus on co-parental relationships and the roles of fathers and stepfathers in families. He has published work on parenting and coparenting after divorce, stepfamily relationships and stability, foster parenting, multiple partner fertility, and the use of identity theory to inform fatherhood scholarship. He is a member of the National Council on Family Relations and the International Association for Relationship Research.
Honors
- Excellence in Diversity Award, Pennsylvania State University Scranton, 2019
- Dr. Richard J. and Sally Matthew Award for Scholarly Activity, Pennsylvania State University Worthington Scranton, 2018
- Advisory Board Award for Teaching, Pennsylvania State University Worthington Scranton, 2017
Speakers' Bureau Topics:
Family relationships and functioning; family stressors and transitions; parental separation, divorce, and stepfamilies
Research Interests
Research Area: Parenting and family relationships in separation, divorce, and stepfamilies; fathers and stepfathers; family routines
Publications
- Petren, R. E., Ferraro, A. J., Cox-Zimmermann, M. L., Anthony, M. V. & Pasley, K. (in-press). A cross-lagged model of coparental interaction and father involvement shortly after divorce. Family Relations.
- Cooley, M. E. & Petren, R. E. (2020). A qualitative examination of coparenting among foster parent dyads. Children & Youth Services Review, 110, 1-9.
- Petren, R. E., Lardier, D. T., Bible, J., Bermea, A., & van Eeden-Moorefield, B. (2019). Parental relationship stability and parent-adult child relationships in stepfamilies. Journal of Family Psychology, 33, 143-153.
- Ferraro, A.J., Petren, R. E., & Pasley, K. (2019). Patterns of parental interactions after divorce and individual wellbeing. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 28, 1413-1424.
- Bermea, A., van Eeden-Moorefield, B., Bible, J., & Petren, R. E. (2019). Undoing normativities and creating family: A queer stepfamily’s experience. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 15, 357-372.
- Petren, R. E., Garneau-Rosner, C. L., Yildirim, E. D. (2018). Union stability among mothers and stepfathers: Contributions of stepfathers and biological fathers. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 1142-1151.
- Petren, R. E., Ferraro, A. J., Pasley, K., Davis, T. R. (2017). Factors associated with coparental support and conflict following divorce. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 58, 145-160.
- Petren, R. E. (2017). Paternal multiple partner fertility and environmental chaos among unmarried non-resident fathers. Journal of Social Service Research, 43, 100-114.
- Ferraro, A. J., Davis, T. R., Petren, R. E., & Pasley, K. (2016). Post-divorce parenting: A study of recently divorced mothers and fathers. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 57, 485-503.
- Pasley, K., Petren, R. E., & Fish, J. N. (2014). Use of identity theory to inform fathering scholarship. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 6, 298-318.
- Cooley, M. E., Veldorale-Brogan, A., Petren, R. E., & Mullis, A. K. (2014). Parent-child interaction therapy: A meta-analysis of child behavior outcomes and parent stress. Journal of Family Social Work, 17, 191-208.
- Cooley, M. E., & Petren, R. E., (2011). Foster parent perceptions of competency: Implications for foster parent training. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 1968-1974.
Book Chapters / Encyclopedia Entries
- Petren, R. E., & Parmar, P. (2018). Multiple partner fertility. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of lifespan human development (pp. 1465-1466). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Pasley, K., & Petren, R. E. (2016). Family structure. In C. L. Shehan (Ed.), The Wiley Blackwell encyclopedia of family studies (Vol. 2, pp. 779-782). Boston, MA: Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Pasley, K., & Petren, R. E., (2013). Single and custodial fathers. In R. E. Emery (Ed.), Cultural sociology of divorce: An encyclopedia (Vol. 3, pp. 1100-1105). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Education
- PhD, Family Relationships, Florida State University, 2014
- MA, Marriage & Family Therapy, Mercer University School of Medicine, 2010
- BS, Human Development, Sociology, Mercer University, 1995