Nancy Karlin

• Ph.D. Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO
• M.A. Fort Hays State University | Hays, KS
• B.A. Evangel University | Springfield, MO

• Professor, School of Psychological Sciences, UNC (2005 – Present)
• Tenured Professor, Department of Psychology, UNC (1998 – Present)
  • Doctoral Research Status (1994 – Present)
  • Teacher Education Faculty (1998 – 2018)

Other Experience

• Co-Program Manager, Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (2024-2025)
• Convention Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Psychological Association (2008-2024)

Dr. Nancy Karlin’s research focuses on the care of the chronically ill and the experiences of aging adults. For more than thirty years, she has conducted research devoted to understanding familial caregiving for Alzheimer’s disease patients and professional caregiving of aging populations. One significant program of her research explores how Hispanic families care for older relatives with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), with particular emphasis on unmet needs, disparities in service use, acculturation, and the role of spirituality throughout the caregiving process.

Dr. Karlin’s interests also include the psychosocial factors and resilience of aging adults affected by natural disasters. She has collected data from survivors of the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake in Italy, Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., and earthquakes in Peru, examining rhetorical resilience and community recovery.

Since 2011, Dr. Karlin has collaborated with Dr. Joyce Weil to develop a cross-national framework on perceptions of aging, gathering data from elders in Italy, the United States, Thailand, Botswana, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Tunisia, and China. This international work supports UNC’s vision for cross-cultural engagement and diversified learning.

Additionally, Dr. Karlin has conducted rural research focused on older adults in eastern Colorado and western Nebraska, culminating in the development of the Older Adult Service Usage Assessment (OASUA) and several related publications.

• Weil, J., & Karlin, N. J. (2025). Reevaluating Home and Community-Based Services using a stakeholder survey. Activities, Adaptation, and Aging. https://doi.org/10.1080/01924788.2025.2488155. Impact Factor 2.5, CiteScore 9.5.
• Karlin, N. J. (2024). Divergent Aging Experiences Reported by Rural and Frontier Older Adults Aging in Place. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 36(2), 262-281. Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/08959420.2023.2197562.  online first 2023 Impact Factor 7.084.
• Karlin, N. J., & Weil, J. (2024). Need and potential use of telemedicine in two rural areas. Activities, Adaptation, and Aging. 48(1), 102-114. doi:10.1080/01924788.2022.2160689  Impact Factor 1.0 H-Index of 22. Online first 12/2022
• Karlin, N. J. (2023). Current and future service use, satisfaction, and potential need for services as defined by rural and frontier older adults. Journal of Aging and Environment, 38(4), 324-346. https://doi:10.1080/26892618.2023.2219662.  Impact factor 1.57
• Kitchin, J. L.,* & Karlin, N. J. (2023). The social ecology of academic achievement: Modeling sources of protection. European Journal of Psychology of Education. doi:10.1007/s10212-023-00702-8 Impact factor 3.82
• Weil, J., & Karlin, N. J. (2023). Improving cost assessment of Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for underrepresented groups of older adults in light of COVID-19-related policy changes.  Journal of American Medical Directors Association, 24(9), P1263-1265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2023.07.017. Impact factor of 7.802.
• Ben Salem, M.,* & Karlin, N. J. (2023). Dispositional mindfulness and positive mindset in emerging adult college students: The mediating role of decentering. Psychological Reports.126(2), 601-619.  online first in 2021 https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211061705  Impact Factor 2.3
• Weil, J., Karlin, N. J., & Monroe, K.* (2022). Developing a conceptual model with policy implications to better support healthcare providers working with older adults during a pandemic: An interpretive descriptive qualitative study. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42(5), 832-841. doi: 10.1177/07334648221143603 Impact Factor 2.956
• Karlin, N. J., Weil, J., & Monroe, K.* (2022). Experiences of Service Providers Working with Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Loss and Trauma: International Perspectives on Stress & Coping, 27, 495-515. doi: 10.1080/15325024.2021.2009267  Impact Factor 4.7, 5-year Impact Factor 3.3, CiteScore of 6.9.  Went from a manuscript under review to a manuscript in the publication queue in less than 90 minutes from submission because of the “Importance of the work”.
• Kitchin, J. L.,* & Karlin, N. J. (2022). Awareness and stigma of autism spectrum disorders in undergraduate students. Psychological Reports, 125(4), 2069-2087. Online first in 2021 https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211014144  Impact Factor 2.053

2025 Recipient of the M. Lucille Harrison Award at UNC