Sarah T. Giff

Sarah T. Giff

Sarah T. Giff

Graduate Research Assistant

PTSD, trauma, couples, parenting, families, emotion socialization, military psychology, interpersonal impacts of psychopathology

Sarah Giff is a doctoral candidate in GMU's Clinical Psychology program and works with Dr. Keith Renshaw in the Anxiety, Stress, & Relationships Lab. Sarah's research is primarily focused on the bidirectional associations between trauma/PTSD and close interpersonal relationships, including understanding ways that PTSD symptoms impact relationships and how social relationships can support treatment and recovery from PTSD. For her dissertation, Sarah is investigating how PTSD symptoms may relate to emotion-related parenting behaviors and child adjustment in military families. 

Currently, Sarah is on internship completing her training with the Charleston Consortium Psychology Internship program through the Medical University of South Carolina and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. 

During graduate school, Sarah completed clinical practicums in a variety of settings, including GMU's community clinic, the Washington DC VA Medical Center, and Pediatric Specialists of Virginia's Endocrine Clinic. Prior to attending GMU, Sarah gained clinical research experience at the Cpl. Michael J. Crescenz Philadelphia VA Medical Center and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Center for Autism Research. 

 

Selected Publications

Giff, S. T., Disabato, D. D., Renshaw, K. D., & Campbell, S. B. (2021). Longitudinal Associations of Global and Daily Support with Marital Status. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2021.1913667

Giff, S. T., Renshaw, K. D., Carter, S. P., & Paige, L. C. (2020). Deployment-related coping strategies in military couples: Associations with relationship satisfaction. Military Psychology, Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08995605.2020.1803725

Giff, S. T., Renshaw, K. D., & Allen, E. S. (2018). Post-deployment parenting in military couples: Associations with service members' PTSD symptoms. Journal of Family Psychology, 33, 166-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000477

Carter, S. P., Giff, S. T., Campbell, S. B., & Renshaw, K. D. (2019). Supporting a spouse with military posttraumatic stress: Daily associations with partners' affect. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32, 323-329. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22390

Renshaw, K. D., Allen, E. S., Fredman, S. J., Giff, S. T., & Kern, C. (2020). Partners’ motivations for accommodating posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in service members: The Reasons for Accommodation of PTSD Scale. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 71, 102100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2020.102199

Taft, C. T., Weatherill, R. P., Panuzio-Scott, J., Thomas, S. A., Kang, H.K., & Eckhardt, C.I. (2015) Social information processing in anger expression and partner violence in returning veterans. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 28, 315-321. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22017

Grants and Fellowships

Fellowship: NICHD, Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA), F31 
Role: Principal Investigator
Sponsors: Keith D. Renshaw, Ph.D.; Abigail Gewirtz, Ph.D.; Susanne Denham, Ph.D. 
Project: Parental Emotion Socialization and Protective Factors Related to Child Psychosocial Outcomes in the Context of Military Families and PTSD     
Status: Awarded May 2019

Grant: APA Division 7 Dissertation Research Grant in Developmental Psychology 
Role: Principal Investigator
Project: Parental Emotion Socialization and Protective Factors Related to Child Psychosocial Outcomes in the Context of Military Families and PTSD     
Status: Awarded May 2020

 

Courses Taught

PSYC211 - Lifespan Development
PYSC313 - Child Development 

Education

M.A. Psychology, George Mason University, 2017
B.A. Psychology, B.A. History, Villanova University, 2012

Recent Presentations

Giff, S.,Renshaw, K., & Allen, E. (2021, April). Examining Within- and Between-Family Associations of Military Fathers’ PTSD Symptoms and Child Psychosocial Functioning. In M. R. Franz (Chair). Parenting After Trauma: Addressing the Effects of PTSD on the Family. Symposium conducted at the Society for Research in Child Development (virtual conference).

Giff, S. T., Saleem. S., & Renshaw, K. D. (2019, November). Investigating racial/ethnic differences in associations among emotion socialization, emotion regulation, and mental health outcomes in emerging adults. In S. Carter (Chair), Interpersonal relationships among marginalized populations: Implications for mental health and treatment. Symposium presented at the 53rd annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Atlanta, GA

Giff, S. T.,Renshaw, K. D. , & Allen, E. S. (2018, November). Post-deployment parenting in military couples: Associations with PTSD. In J. Biesen & B. Wang (Chairs), Cognitions, behaviors, and emotions across the romantic relationship life span: Assessing relational conflict competencies using novel methodology. Symposium presented at the 52nd annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Washington, D. C.

Renshaw, K. D., *Thomas, S. A., & Allen, E. S. (2016, November). PTSD symptoms and parenting in service members and their partners. In S. Fredman (Chair), Partnering and parenting in the presence of PTSD. Symposium presented at the 50th annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, New York, NY.

 

In the Media

George Mason University’s Center for Psychological Services receives grant to provide services to veterans

Mason Doctoral Student Receives National Research Award to Study the Relationship between PTSD and Children's Emotional Functioning