About

Lamar Graham is an Associate Professor and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Romance Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, an M.A. from American University, an M.A.Ed. from Virginia Tech, and a B.A. from Virginia Tech. His research interests include historical and comparative Romance linguistics, with a particular focus on Ibero-Romance languages. He specializes in generative syntax, especially cliticization and left-peripheral effects, as well as language change through grammaticalization. Additionally, his work explores sociolinguistic and sociopragmatic variation, emphasizing discourse marker usage as an indicator of social identity. Graham has been recognized with the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity from 2015 to 2017. He regularly teaches courses such as Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics, Advanced Spanish Phonology, History of the Spanish Language, and Spanish Pragmatics, and has proposed new courses including Spanish Dialectology and Variation.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Psychiatry
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Environmental health
• Criminology
• Psychotherapist
• Social psychology
• Medical emergency
• Geography
• Clinical psychology

Selected publications

• Measuring Adolescent Nonconsensual Sexual Experiences: A Systematic Review

  OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) · 2026-03-05

  other

  This systematic review seeks to identify items, scales, and instruments used to measure adolescent nonconsensual sexual experiences in published studies to inform the development of a new instrument.

  Publisher

• The State of Intimate Partner Violence Research in the Community College Context: a Scoping Review

  Journal of Family Violence · 2025-08-27 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Preventing Intimate Partner Murder–Suicide: A Case-Control Study of Suicidal Males in Abusive Relationships

  American Journal of Preventive Medicine · 2025-08-27 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Intimate Partner Violence Among Same-Sex Couples in College: A Propensity Score Analysis

  UNC Libraries · 2025-09-20

  articleOpen access

  Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive social issue with numerous detrimental effects on individuals, families, and society. Existing research and a social-ecological minority stress framework suggest, as compared with mixed-sex couples, those in same-sex relationships may be at heightened risk for perpetrating and experiencing IPV. Using a U.S. sample of college students ( N = 4,081), this secondary data analysis contrasted the prevalence of five forms of IPV (i.e., physical, sexual, psychological, injury, any type) between those in mixed-sex ( n = 3,960) and those in same-sex ( n = 121) intimate partnerships. Comparative analyses were supplemented with propensity score weighting to help balance members of mixed-sex and same-sex relationships across eight potentially confounding variables (e.g., biological sex, age). Prior to the application of propensity score weighting, results suggested those in same-sex relationships are significantly more likely to perpetrate and/or experience IPV resulting in physical injury. Results from post-weighting analyses retained the significance and magnitude of model estimates. Taken together, results suggest, as compared with mixed-sex couples, U.S. college students in same-sex couples have greater odds of experiencing IPV perpetration and victimization resulting in physical injury, even after accounting for the influence of several potentially confounding variables. Findings support the utility and future application of propensity score analytic techniques in this type of research as well as the importance of recognizing the unique IPV risk and service needs of people in same-sex relationships.

  PublisherDOI

• Measures for evaluating sex trafficking aftercare and support services: A systematic review and resource compilation

  UNC Libraries · 2025-07-24

  reviewOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• A Call for Sexual and Relationship Violence Bystander Intervention Approaches for Adults who Work with Youth

  Journal of Family Violence · 2025-08-05

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• National profile of Latino/Latina children reported to the child welfare system for sexual abuse

  UNC Libraries · 2025-09-18

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• “I never realized how hard recovery is.” A quasi‐experimental evaluation of a youth participatory action research project for opioid prevention

  American Journal of Community Psychology · 2025-08-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Youth participatory action research (YPAR) has been effectively used for substance use prevention. Yet, YPAR has not been evaluated for opioids, which negatively impact individuals and communities across the United States. The current study evaluated an opioid-focused YPAR project. YPAR participants (n = 28) completed a pre- and post-survey capturing psychological empowerment and opioid knowledge and behavior. A non-YPAR comparison group (n = 18) provided post-survey data. Mean comparisons were conducted to identify changes among participants and between intervention and comparison groups. YPAR participants demonstrated increased psychological empowerment and opioid knowledge and behaviors. In contrast to the comparison group, YPAR participants reported increased psychological empowerment and opioid knowledge, but not behaviors. Evaluation of this opioid-focused YPAR project indicated positive outcomes. Findings expand research on YPAR effectiveness for substance use prevention. Engaging youth is an effective approach for individual and community change and a promising strategy to address the opioid epidemic.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Disparities in potential years of life lost due to intimate partner violence: Data from 16 states for 2006–2015

  UNC Libraries · 2024-01-11

  articleOpen access

  Background Intimate partner violence can lead to deaths of one or both partners and others (i.e., corollary victims). Prior studies do not enumerate the societal cost of intimate partner violence-related fatalities, exclude corollary victims from most analyses, and do not describe groups who bear the highest societal costs from intimate partner violence. Objective We examine racial/ethnic and gender-based disparities in potential years of life lost (PYLL) among intimate partners and corollary victims of intimate partner violence-related mortality. Methods We used 16 US states’ 2006–2015 National Violent Death Reporting System data to estimate PYLL among intimate partners (n = 6,282) and corollary victims (n = 1,634) by victims’ race/ethnicity and sex. We describe fatalities by sex, race/ethnicity, age, and victim-suspect relationships and used hierarchical linear models to examine PYLL per death differences by victims’ sex and race/ethnicity. Results Nearly 290,000 years of potential life were lost by partner and corollary victims as a result of IPV in 16 states during the decade of study. Most partner victims were female (59%); most corollary victims were male (76%). Female intimate partners died 5.1 years earlier (95% CI: 4.4., 5.9) than males, and female corollary victims died 3.6 years (1.9, 5.5) earlier than males. Racial/ethnic minorities died nine or more years earlier than their White counterparts. White males had the lowest PYLL per death of all sex/race groups. Implications Intimate partner violence-related fatalities exact a high societal cost, and the burden of that cost is disproportionately high among racial/ethnic minorities. Future interventions targeting specific sex and race/ethnic groups might help reduce disparities in intimate partner violence burden.

  PublisherDOI

• Aggressive behaviors in urban African American early adolescent girls: A systematic review of the literature

  Children and Youth Services Review · 2024-01-10

  reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Rebecca J. Macy

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  17 shared

• Kathryn E. Moracco

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  12 shared

• Sandra L. Martin

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  11 shared

• April Cavaletto

  University of Maryland, Baltimore

  8 shared

• Julie M. Kafka

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  6 shared

• Cynthia Fraga Rizo

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  6 shared

• Jill T. Messing

  Arizona State University

  6 shared

• Sarah Treves-Kagan

  6 shared

Labs

• Department of Romance StudiesPI

Awards & honors

• Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity, 2015-20…