Kaston Anderson Jr.

Associate Professor of Psychology Michigan State University

  • East Lansing MI

Dr. Anderson investigates the psychosocial determinants that influence addiction and health equity in marginalized communities.

Contact

Michigan State University

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Biography

Dr. Kaston Anderson Jr. (he/him/his) is an award-winning scholar, teacher, and community advocate. He is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University. He earned his Ph.D. in behavioral psychology specializing in community health and development from The University of Kansas; he then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA in Addiction Health Services Research. Dr. Anderson also holds a master’s degree in public health from the KU Medical Center and a second master’s degree in experimental psychology and applied behavior analysis from McNeese State University. Additionally, he is a licensed and Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral.

Dr. Anderson's research sits at the intersection of behavior analysis and public health. He focuses on addiction and social determinants of health in historically oppressed, marginalized, underserved, and disempowered communities. He has published over 35 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, abstracts, and conference proceedings. He is funded by several federal agencies and often serves as subject matter expert for numerous funding agencies. Furthermore, he serves in various editorial positions for multiple scientific journals.

Since 2010, Dr. Anderson has collaborated with community members, organizations, and policy makers at local, state, and national levels to address socially important issues. His community advocacy blends behavior-analytic principles and community-engaged action to facilitate positive community- and population-level change.

Industry Expertise

Education/Learning

Areas of Expertise

Social Determinants of Health
Addiction
Applied Behavior Analysis
Community Health
Behavioral Psychology
Experimental Psychology

Education

University of Kansas

Ph.D.

Behavioral Psychology

2014

University of Kansas School of Medicine

MPH

2012

McNeese State University

M.A.

Experimental Psychology & Applied Behavior Analysis

2010

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News

Why some people passionately hate celebrities like James Corden, Anne Hathaway

USA Today  online

2021-10-28

"A lot of the strong dislike can be traced back – at least partially – to our tendency to prefer those who share similar characteristics to us over those who are different," says Kaston Anderson-Carpenter, assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University. "Those characteristics can be external (e.g., having fame or notoriety, being wealthy) or internal (e.g., personality differences)."

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'I'm not anti-vax': Experts explain why people who haven't been inoculated against COVID-19 are clarifying their decisions

Yahoo!  online

2021-09-16

"For many people, the term 'anti-vax' has a highly negative connotation and carries substantial stigma in our society," Kaston D. Anderson-Carpenter, assistant professor of psychology at Michigan State University, tells Yahoo Life. "Some, perhaps many, individuals who refuse to receive the COVID-19 vaccine believe in the science of vaccinations. In fact, they may have received vaccines and ensured their children or loved ones received vaccines.

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How Black Lives Matter Principles Can Transform Health Psychology

Mad in America  online

2020-10-30

A new article, published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, presented a theoretical framework for community psychology and public health that integrates principles from the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The author, Kaston D. Anderson-Carpenter from Michigan State University, argues that incorporating BLM into research, interventions, and policies is necessary to reduce health disparities across the United States.

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Journal Articles

Differential Associations between Enacted and Expected Stigma with Psychological Distress, Alcohol Use, and Substance Use in Transgender and Gender Diverse People

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

2023

Background
Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people experience high rates of stigma and marginalization that are theorized to exacerbate substance use and psychological distress. However, little research has examined the role of various minority stressors in relation to substance use in TGD populations.

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Effects of psychological distress and life satisfaction on COVID-related traumatic stress: An international, cross-sectional study

Journal of Affective Disorders

2023

Background
This study examines the individual impacts of psychological distress (i.e., depression and anxiety) and life satisfaction on COVID-related traumatic stress in an international sample of heterosexual versus LGBQ+ adults.

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Understanding the longitudinal impact of school-based health centers on student attendance

Child & Youth Care Forum

2023

Background
While researchers have demonstrated the positive effects of School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) on student health outcomes, less is known about the long-term impact of SBHC use on academic outcomes, such as attendance.

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