Calendar of Events
Psychology

Cat Munroe

Assistant Professor of Psychology

The primary goal of my research is to contribute to the scientific understanding of interpersonal victimization and its sequelae, with a focus on the impact of trauma, trauma recovery, and substance use disparities among sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. An overarching theme of my research is the exploration of traumatic experiences that are underrepresented in the extant literature and excluded from socially constructed narratives of victimization, as these may be subject to stigmas that complicate the process of recovery. More specifically, this includes victimizations experienced by SGM individuals and individuals who were sexually victimized by women. Related, my work focuses on alcohol-related health disparities faced by SGM individuals.

More About Me

My lab uses multiple methodologies, including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, to understand the interrelatedness of interpersonal trauma and alcohol use, with a focus on trauma and alcohol disparities among those who identify as sexual and/or gender minority.

Representative Courses

PSY 2320: Behavioral Statistics

PSY 2870: Psychopathology

PSY 3730: Counseling & Psychotherapy

Publications

Selected Publications:

    1. Drabble, L. A., Munroe, C., Surace, A., Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., & Martinez, P. (2026). Identifying dominant factors that impact hazardous alcohol use among sexual and gender minority groups. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 23, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2026.100708
    2. Drabble, L. A., Munroe, C., Cerezo, A., Martinez, P., Matthews, A. K., & Hughes, T. L. (2026). Differences in hazardous drinking and drinking to cope by sexual identity among women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of LGBTQ+ Mental Health, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2025.2600025
    3. Martinez, P., Greenfield, T., K., Li, L., Ye, Y., Patterson, D., Munroe, C., Surace, A., Trangenstein, P. J., & Kerr, W. C. (2026). Effects of COVID-19 economic impacts on alcohol use disorder symptoms are mediated by maximum alcohol intake: Data from the National Alcohol Survey’s COVID Cohort. Alcohol, Clinical and Experimental Research, 50(1), e70215. https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.70215
    4. Munroe, C., Subbaraman, M., Mahoney, E. Mericle, A. A., Zemore, S. E., & Polcin, D. (2026). Giving and receiving help in sober living houses: A qualitative analysis of resident views and experiences. Journal of Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 44(1), 67-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347324.2025.2569878
    5. Munroe, C., Surace, A., & Martinez, P. (2025). “My health is more important to me than drinking”: A qualitative analysis of alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(2), 224-238. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22020224
    6. Wootton, A. R., Drabble, L. A., Sterzing, P. R., Bochicchio, L. A., Munroe, C., Riggle, E. D. B., Turner Kerrison, E. M., & Hughes, T. L. (2025). Social support and mutual aid during a pandemic: Experiences of African American, Latina, and White sexual minority women. Sexual and Gender Diversity in Social Services 37(4), 838-859. https://doi.org/10.1080/29933021.2025.2526026
    7. Surace, A., Munroe, C., & Martinez, P. (2025). “My drinking was way worse during the pandemic”: A qualitative analysis of contextual and individual factors impacting alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic. PLOSOne, 20(4), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0319977
    8. Drabble, L. A., Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., Li, L., Munroe, C., Mericle, A. A., Trocki, K. F., & Hughes, T. L. (2022). Comparing substance use outcomes by sexual identity among women: Differences using propensity score methods. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 238, e109567-e109567. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109567
    9. Fields, L., Young, D., Patel, A. R., Munroe, C., Shumway, M., Bell, S., & Richer, L. (2022). Drug-facilitated sexual assault, impaired trauma memory, and implications for mental health treatment. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 13(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2022.2057165
    10. Munroe, C. & Shumway, M. (2022). Female-perpetrated sexual violence: A survey of survivors of female-perpetrated childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(9-10). NP6655-NP6675. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520967137

Presentations / Conferences

Selected Presentations:

  1. Munroe, C., Li, L., Patterson, D., Kerr, W. C., & Karriker-Jaffe, K. J. (2026, June). Alcohol’s harms to others: Differential effects by sex, relational proximity, and location of harm. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, San Antonio, Texas.
  2. Greenfield, T. K., Karriker-Jaffe, K. A., Li, L., Zhu, Y., Munroe, C., Patterson, D., & Kerr, W. C. (2026, June). Workdays lost due to own and to others’ alcohol and/or drug use among those working full or part time: New results from the 2023-24 ADHTO survey. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, San Antonio, Texas.
  3. Drabble, L. A., Li, L., Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., Munroe, C., Surace, A., Gilbert, P. A., & Martinez, P. (2026, June). Identifying factors impacting alcohol and other drug use among transgender and nonbinary individuals: Findings from a national study in the United States. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society, Kuanas, Lithuania.
  4. Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., Zhu, Y., Patterson, D., Munroe, C., Greenfield, T., Li, L., Rodriguez Borja, I., Ukaegbu, P., Kerr, W. C. (2025, June). Harms from others’ alcohol use: New prevalence estimates from the 2023-2024 US alcohol and drug harms to others survey (ADHTOS). Poster presented at the annual society of the Research Society on Alcohol, New Orleans, Louisiana.
  5. Drabble, L. A., Munroe, C., Surace, A., Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., & Martinez, P. (2025, June). Identifying dominant factors that impact alcohol and drug use among sexual and gender minority groups: New data from the United States. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society, Glasgow, Scotland.
  6. Karriker-Jaffe, K. J., Li, L., Zhu, Y., Patterson, D., Greenfield, T. K., Munroe, C., Rodriguez Borja, I., Ukaegbu, P., & Kerr, W. C. (2025, June). Quantifying harms from others’ alcohol use: Factor analysis and prevalence estimates from the 2023-24 US Alcohol and Drug Harms to Others Survey (ADHTOS). Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Kettil Bruun Society, Glasgow, Scotland.
  7. Munroe, C., Rosen, E., Karriker-Jaffe, K., Patterson, D., Rodriguez-Borja, I., Martinez, C., Greenfield, T., & Kerr, W. (2024, June). Changing prevalences of sexual and physical violence victimization between 2019 and 2021: Differences by past victimization experiences, race and ethnicity. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Research Society on Alcohol, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
  8. Munroe, C., Tam, C. C., Gee, J., Li, L., Patterson, D., Pettus, C., & Mulia, N. (2024, June). Intimate partner violence victimization in emerging adulthood: Associations with frequent cannabis use in emerging & early adulthood. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, Montreal, Canada.
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