Meng Huo

Associate Professor

  • Human Development & Family Studies

Research Interests

Dr. Huo’s research focuses on how and why older adults help other people, and how these helping behaviors contribute to older adults’ resilience in the face of age-related challenges and promote healthy aging. Her work centers on three main areas: (a) empathy and couple relationships in the context of health limitations (e.g., disability, cognitive impairment), (b) volunteering, and (c) ageism and views on aging. Dr. Huo's research draws on diverse methods, including self-report data, daily and ecological momentary assessments, biomarker data, geocoded data, objective assessments of physical activity, and real-life observational data. Her studies have been published in leading journals of gerontology, such as The Gerontologist and The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.
 
Dr. Huo accepts applications from undergraduate and graduate students interested in aging and seeking research experience in her lab.

Select Publications

Huo, M., Miller, L. M. S., Kim, K., & Liu, S. (accepted). Volunteering, self-perceptions of aging, and mental health in later life. The Gerontologist.

Huo, M., Ng, Y. T.*, Birditt, K. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (accepted). Empathy and coping: Older adults’ interpersonal tensions and mood throughout the day. Gerontology.

Huo, M., Han, S. H., Kim, K., & Choi, J.* (in press). Functional limitations, volunteering and diurnal cortisol patterns in older adults. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaa104

Huo, M., Napolitano, L., Furstenberg, F. F. Jr., & Fingerman, K. L. (in press). Who initiates the help older parents give to midlife children. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz098

Fingerman, K. L., Huo, M., & Birditt, K. (in press). A decade of research on intergenerational ties: Technological, economic, political and demographic changes. Journal of Marriage and Family. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf12604

Huo, M., Fuentecilla, J. L., Birditt, K. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (in press). Does empathy have a cost?: Older adults and social partners experiencing problems. The Gerontologist. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnz065

Huo, M., Fuentecilla, J. L., Birditt, K. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (in press). Empathy and close social ties in late life. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz044

Huo, M., Fuentecilla, J. L., Birditt, K. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (2019). Older adults’ empathy and daily support exchanges. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36, 3814–3834. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0265407519837372

Fingerman, K. L., Huo, M., Charles, S. T., & Umberson, D. J. (in press). Variety is the spice of late life: Social integration and daily activity. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbz007

Huo, M., Graham, J. L., Kim, K., Birditt, K. S., & Fingerman, K. L. (2019). Aging parents’ daily support exchanges with adult children experiencing problems. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74, 449–459. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbx079

Huo, M., Graham, J. L., Kim, K., Zarit, S. H., & Fingerman, K. L. (2018). Aging parents’ disabilities and daily support exchanges with middle-aged children. The Gerontologist, 58, 872–882. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx144

Fingerman, K. L., Huo, M., Graham, J. L., Kim, K., & Birditt, K. S. (2018). A family affair: Family typologies of problems and midlife well-being. The Gerontologist, 58, 1054–1064. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnx131

Huo, M., Kim, K., Zarit, S. H., & Fingerman, K. L. (2018). Support grandparents give to their adult grandchildren. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 73, 1006–1015. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbw208

Education

Ph.D., Human Development and Family Sciences (Portfolio: Aging and Health). The University of Texas at Austin

B.S., Psychology, Beijing Normal University

Faculty CV

Tags

Adult Development and Aging