Dr. Elizabeth Donovan is a psychologist who teaches courses in health, developmental, and introductory psychology.
She is interested in how biological, psychological, and social factors interact to affect health. Much of her research focuses on psychosocial interventions and how they can lead people to be both happier and healthier. This includes creating and/or evaluating interventions designed to increase mindfulness, self-compassion, and social support among people living with stress, pain, or addiction.
Education
PhD, Psychology
Courses
- PSYC 232: Health Psychology
- PSYC 235: Developmental Psychology
- PSCY 101: Introduction to Psychological Science
Research/Special Projects
Her research centers around empowering people to manage their health. She collaborates with medical schools to create and evaluate technology-based, psychosocial interventions for families living with painful chronic diseases. An example is a mobile-based intervention to increase mindfulness and social support among adolescents and young adults living with sarcoma. She also evaluates mind-body interventions designed to help college students manage stress, such as an in-person intervention designed to increase self-compassion among students. Finally, she collaborates with teams to deliver community-based interventions designed to reduce health risks, for example, by increasing the availability of naloxone to reduce opioid overdose. She enjoys working closely with students in the Health Psychology Lab on many of these projects. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Publications/Presentations
Papers
* indicates student author
Donovan, E., Feldman, G., Turner, G., and *O’Donnell, K. (2026). Under pressure: Listening to music reduces test anxiety and mitigates its effect on exam performance more than writing about worries [Manuscript submitted for publication]. Department of Psychology, Simmons University.
Martin, S.E., Donovan, E., *Curry, C., *Rice, C., Feldman, G., & Wargo Aikins, J. (2026). Pandemic parenting: Parental emotions and preschoolers—adjustment during the COVID ‐19 pandemic. Family Relations. 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.70185.
Donovan, E., Wolfson, A., Serbic, D., Fisher, e., Lunde, C. E., *Rice, C., *Trosen, O., and Sieberg, C. B. (2025). US and UK college students’ experiences of living with chronic pain: A qualitative analysis. Journal of American College Health. 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2447835
Donovan, E., Green, V., Feldman, G., Tachdjian, R., *Curry, C., *Rice, C., & Zeltzer, L. K. (2024). The acceptability of Songs of Love for youth living with chronic pain. International journal of adolescent medicine and health, 36(2), 161–168. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2023-0176
Donovan, E., *Scott, H., & *Erdem, B. (2024). Boabom: A Feasible and Acceptable Approach to Helping College Students Manage Stress. Journal of integrative and complementary medicine, 30(4), 352–359. https://doi.org/10.1089/jicm.2022.0819
Feldman, G., Martin, S., & Donovan, E. (2023). Psychological flexibility as a predictor of mental health outcomes in parents of pre-school children during the COVID-19 pandemic: A two-year longitudinal study. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science. 116 – 119. https://doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.01.002
Donovan, E., Tanson, K., Martin, S. R., Weston, G., Griffin, A., & Zeltzer, L. K. (2022). The acceptability of photovoice as a method for incorporating resilience-enhancing factors into pediatric pain research. PloS one, 17(9), e0272504. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272504
Lunde, C., Fisher, E., Donovan, E., Serbic, D., and Sieberg, C. (2022). Cutting the Cord? Parenting Emerging Adults with Chronic Pain. Paediatric and Neonatal Pain. 1–12. doi:10.1002/pne2.12072
Donovan, E., Bluth, K., *Scott, H., *Mohammed, M., & Cousineau, T. M. (2021). Feasibility and acceptability of implementing the Making Friends with Yourself intervention on a college campus. Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 71(1), 266–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1891077
Donovan, E., Martin, S. R., Seidman, L. C., Zeltzer, L. K., Cousineau, T. M., Payne, L. A., Knoll, M., Weiman, M., & Federman, N. C. (2021). The Role of Social Media in Providing Support from Friends for Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Patients and Survivors of Sarcoma: Perspectives of AYA, Parents, and Providers. Journal of adolescent and young adult oncology, 10(6), 720–725. https://doi.org/10.1089/jayao.2020.0200
*Scott, H. and Donovan, E. Student Adaptation to College Survey: The Role of Self-Compassion in College Adjustment. (2021). Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. 26(2), 101-112. https://doi.org/10.24839/2325-7342.JN26.2.101
Green, T. C., Donovan, E., Klug, B., Case, P., Baird, J., Burstein, D., Tapper, A., Walley, A. Y., & Bratberg, J. (2020). Revisiting pharmacy-based naloxone with pharmacists and naloxone consumers in 2 states: 2017 perspectives and evolving approaches. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA, 60(5), 740–749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2020.03.005
Donovan, E., Bratberg, J., Baird, J., Burstein, D., Case, P., Walley, A. Y., & Green, T. C. (2020). Pharmacy leaders' beliefs about how pharmacies can support a sustainable approach to providing naloxone to the community. Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP, 16(10), 1493–1497. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.01.006
Burstein, D., Baird, J., Bratberg, J., Donovan, E., Soipe, A., Tapper, A., Case, P., Walley, A. Y., & Green, T. C. (2020). Pharmacist attitudes toward pharmacy-based naloxone: A cross-sectional survey study. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA, 60(2), 304–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japh.2019.11.004
Rodgers, R. F., Donovan, E., Cousineau, T. M., McGowan, K., Yates, K., Cook, E., Lowy, A. S., & Franko, D. L. (2019). Ethnic and racial diversity in eating disorder prevention trials. Eating disorders, 27(2), 168–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2019.1591824
Seidman, L. C., Martin, S. R., Trant, M. W., Payne, L. A., Zeltzer, L. K., Cousineau, T. M., & Donovan, E. (2019). Feasibility and Acceptance Testing of a Mobile Application Providing Psychosocial Support for Parents of Children and Adolescents With Chronic Pain: Results of a Nonrandomized Trial. Journal of pediatric psychology, 44(6), 645–655. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpep/jsz007
Donovan, E., Case, P., Bratberg, J. P., Baird, J., Burstein, D., Walley, A. Y., & Green, T. C. (2019). Beliefs Associated with Pharmacy-Based Naloxone: a Qualitative Study of Pharmacy-Based Naloxone Purchasers and People at Risk for Opioid Overdose. Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 96(3), 367–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-019-00349-1
Donovan, E., Martin, S. R., Seidman, L. C., Zeltzer, L. K., Cousineau, T. M., Payne, L. A., Trant, M., Weiman, M., Knoll, M., & Federman, N. C. (2019). A Mobile-Based Mindfulness and Social Support Program for Adolescents and Young Adults With Sarcoma: Development and Pilot Testing. JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 7(3), e10921. https://doi.org/10.2196/10921
Donovan, E., Martin, S. R., Lung, K., Evans, S., Seidman, L. C., Cousineau, T. M., Cook, E., & Zeltzer, L. K. (2019). Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Perspectives on Pain and Adolescent Social Functioning. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 20(2), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pny056
Rodgers, R. F., Donovan, E., Cousineau, T., Yates, K., McGowan, K., Cook, E., Lowy, A. S., & Franko, D. L. (2018). BodiMojo: Efficacy of a Mobile-Based Intervention in Improving Body Image and Self-Compassion among Adolescents. Journal of youth and adolescence, 47(7), 1363–1372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0804-3
Rodgers, R. F., Franko, D. L., Donovan, E., Cousineau, T., Yates, K., McGowan, K., Cook, E., & Lowy, A. S. (2017). Body image in emerging adults: The protective role of self-compassion. Body image, 22, 148–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.07.003
Donovan, E., Ranney, M. L., Patry, E. J., McKenzie, M., Baird, J., & Green, T. C. (2017). Beliefs About a Complementary and Alternative Therapy-Based Chronic Pain Management Program for a Medicaid Population. Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.), 18(9), 1805–1816. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnx051
Donovan, E., Ranney, M. L., Reid, A. M., Baird, J., & Green, T. C. (2017). Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department. Rhode Island medical journal (2013), 100(2), 25–29. http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2017-02.asp
Donovan, E., Rodgers, R. F., Cousineau, T. M., McGowan, K. M., Luk, S., Yates, K., & Franko, D. L. (2016). Brief report: Feasibility of a mindfulness and self-compassion based mobile intervention for adolescents. Journal of adolescence, 53, 217–221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2016.09.009
Donovan, E., DasMahapatra, P., Green, T., Chiauzzi, E., McHugh, K., & Hemm, A. (2015). Efficacy of an online intervention to reduce alcohol-related risks among community college students. Addiction Research and Theory, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3109/16066359.2015.1043625
Donovan, E., Mehringer, S., & Zeltzer, L. K. (2013). A qualitative analysis of adolescent, caregiver, and clinician perceptions of the impact of migraines on adolescents' social functioning. Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses, 14(4), e135–e141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2011.09.002
Donovan, E., Mehringer, S., & Zeltzer, L. K. (2013). Assessing the feasibility of a Web-based self-management program for adolescents with migraines and their caregivers. Clinical pediatrics, 52(7), 667–670. https://doi.org/10.1177/0009922812447679
Donovan, E., Hernandez, J., Chiauzzi, E., DasMahapatra. P., Achilles, T., & Hemm, A. (2012). Results of a pilot study to investigate community college student perceptions of the value of an online health risk reduction program. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 36, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2012.690317
Donovan, E., Chiauzzi, E., Floyd, D., Bond, K., & Wood, M. (2012). The feasibility of an online health program for community college students. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 36, 637-655.https://doi.org/10.1080/15363759.2011.559886
Donovan, E., Wood, M., Frayjo, K., Black, R. A., & Surette, D. A. (2012). A randomized, controlled trial to test the efficacy of an online, parent-based intervention for reducing the risks associated with college-student alcohol use. Addictive behaviors, 37(1), 25–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2011.09.007
Chiauzzi, E., Donovan, E., Black, R., Cooney, E., Buechner, A., & Wood, M. (2011). A survey of 100 community colleges on student substance use, programming, and collaborations. Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 59(6), 563–573. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2010.534214
Donovan, E., & Kelemen, D. (2011). Just rewards: Children and adults equate accidental inequality with intentional unfairness. Journal of Cognition and Culture, 11, 137-150. (Based on dissertation). https://doi.org/10.1163/156853711X568725
Daskalopoulos, M., Mullin, A. S., Donovan, E., & Suzuki, H. (2006). English perceptions of elder abuse. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 18(2-3), 33–50. https://doi.org/10.1300/j084v18n02_03