LORENZ, Frederick
University Professor


On Leave

Recent Courses Taught and Teaching Awards:

  •  Stat 401: Statistical Methods for Research Workers
  • Stat 404: Regression for Social and Behavioral Research
  • Soc 613: Advanced Theory Construction and Model Building
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Career Achievement in Teaching Award (2007) and the Jerry Shakeshaft Master Teacher Award  (2007)
     

Research Interests:

  •  Structural equation modeling of multi-wave, multi-informant data.
  •  Continuity and change in family relationships, studies of which have been continuously funded by NIMH, NIDA and NICHD for more than 20 years.
  •  Experiments in Surveys: effects of question order and question wording on responses.
  • Founding member of the Iowa State University Institute for Social and Behavioral Research.

Current and recent NIH and NSF   funding:

  • Principal Investigator on “Relationship Development and Health in Young Adults” (HD051746-01)  Funded by NICHD, $1, 800,000 (2006 – 2011).
  •  Co-Investigator with Rand Conger on “Critical Transitions in Rural Families at Risk” (MH051361 – 11). Funded by NIMH, $2,158,000 (2006 – 2010).
  •  Co-Principle Investigator with Michael Larsen on “Fractional Imputation in Social Surveys” (NSF DMS 0532413). Funded by NSF, $177,000 (2005 – 2007).

Some Recent Publications:

  • Wickrama, K. A. S., Surjadi, F. F., Lorenz, F. O. & Elder, Jr., G. H. (In press). The influence of work control trajectories on men’s mental and physical health during the middle years: Mediational role of personal control. Journal of Genentology, Social Science.
  • Lorenz, F. O., J. N. Melby, R. D. Conger & X. Xu.  2007. The effects of context on the correspondence between observational ratings and questionnaire reports of hostile behavior: A multitrait, multimethod approach. Journal of Family Psychology 21: 498 – 509.
  • Cui M, R. D. Conger & F. O. Lorenz. 2006.Predicting change in adolescent adjustment from change in marital problems. Developmental Psychology 41: 812-823.
  • Lorenz F.O, K. A. S. Wickrama, R. D. Conger & G. H. Elder Jr. 2006. The short term and decade long effects of divorce on women’s midlife health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 47: 111-125.
  • Yeh H, F. O. Lorenz, K. A. S. Wickrama,  R. D. Conger & G. H. Elder Jr. 2006. Relationships between sexual satisfaction, marital satisfaction and marital instability at midlife. Journal of Family Psychology 20: 339-343.
  • Wickrama K.A.S., F. O. Lorenz, R. D. Conger & G. H. Elder Jr  2006. Changes in family financial circumstances and the physical health of married and recently divorced mothers. Social Science and Medicine 63: 123 – 136.
  • Wickrama, K.A.S, F. O. Lorenz, S. Fang, W. T. Abraham & G. H. Elder Jr. 2005. Gendered trajectories of work control and health outcomes in the middle years. Journal of Aging and Health 17:779-806.
  • Cui M, F. O. Lorenz, R. D. Conger, J. N. Melby & C. M. Bryant. 2005. Observer, self and partner reports of hostile behaviors in romantic relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family 67:1169-1181.


Invited seminars and workshops:

  • “Using MTMM to reconcile observational and questionnaire reports of behavior in close relationships.” A workshop in structural equation modeling presented September 8, 2005 to the faulty of Liberal Arts and Human Development, Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
  • “The short-term and decade long effects of divorce on women’s mental health.” The 1st seminar in the Human Development Initiative seminar series, presented September 9, 2005 to the faculty of Virginia Polytechnical Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA.
  • Invited workshop. A series of three presentations, “Multiple regression in two independent variables: examining the algebra of collinearity.”  “’Structural equations in latent variables,’ or ‘What can you learn from path analysis?’” and “Modeling growth and decline with structural equations,” were presented as a day-long workshop to the faculty of St. Cloud State University, April 1 2005.
  • “The effects of divorce on women’s physical and emotional health.” A presentation July 13 as part of a symposium on “Rural families: How family structure and process are related to mental and physical outcomes” at the18th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Ghent, Belgium, July 11 – 15, 2004.
  • “Garnering evidence to argue for change: A view of the world through the eyes of a statistician.” A plenary given at the conference, “The clock is ticking for rural America: A behavioral health and safety conference.” Marriott Country Club Plaza Hotel, Kansas City, MO., May 29 – 30, 2003.
  • “The chronicity of chronic conditions: health and distress implications for married and divorced women at midlife.” A Population Center/ Rural Sociology seminar presented at Pennsylvania State University, February 11, 2003.
  • “Time and Interaction: Modeling growth and decline in family processes.” A workshop presented June 20 at the 4th Annual Summer Institute of the Family Research Consortium III. Ballantyne Resort in Charlotte, NC., June 20-23, 2002.

Recent Papers Presented at Professional Meetings:

  • Bridget Lavelle, Frederick O. Lorenz & Jon Opsomer. 2007. A study of pathways from divorce to illness. Paper presented July 29 at the Joint Statistical Meetings in Salt Lake City, UT, July 29 – Aug 1.
  • Frederick O. Lorenz, K. A. S. Wickrama & Xiang Qun. 2006. How coping strategies affect change in the emotional health of rural women. Paper presented August 11 at the annual meetings of the Rural Sociological Society in Louisville, KY, August 10 – 13, 2006.
  • Frederick O. Lorenz, Jan Melby, Xia Xu and Rand D. Conger. 2005. “Reconciling differences between observational and questionnaire reports of behavior: A MTMM approach.” Paper co-presented August 11 at the Rural Sociological Society meetings in Tampa Bay, FL, August 8 – 12.
  • Xia Xu, Frederick O. Lorenz, and K. A. S. Wickrama. 2004. “Husband and wife differences in response to stressful life events. A paper presented August 15 at the Rural Sociological Society meetings in Sacramento, CA, August 11 – 16.
  • Frederick O. Lorenz, J. N. Melby and R. D. Conger. 2003. “The effects of context on the correspondence between questionnaire and observational data in family studies.” Paper presented August 6 at the Joint Statistical Meetings in San Francisco, August 3 – 7.