Alyssa Cheadle joined the Hope faculty as an assistant professor of psychology in 2016. She teaches courses on research methods and health psychology. Her research interests focus on understanding how and why religiousness and spirituality are associated with mental and physical health, especially for pregnant and postpartum women.

Areas of Interest

Alyssa specializes in health psychology with a focus on how religious and spiritual factors influence health. Her work is interdisciplinary and draws on her training in divinity school on lived religion as well as her training in physiology and psychoneuroimmunology.

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2016
• M.A., psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, 2012
• Master of Theological Studies, Harvard Divinity School, 2010
• B.A., psychology and biology, Luther College, 2008

Honors, GRANTS and Awards

• Towsley Research Scholar Fellowship (including pre-tenure sabbatical), Hope College, 2019–2023

Selected PUBLISHED WORK

• "Let it rest: Sleep and health as positive correlates of forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness," with L. L. Toussaint, A.J. Gall, and D. R. Williams, Psychology & Health 35(3), 2020
• "Clean and Contain: Initial Development of a Measure of Infection Prevention Behaviors During the COVID-19 Pandemic," with L. L. Toussaint, J. Fox, and D. R. Williams, Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 54, 2020
• "Mastery, self-esteem, and optimism mediate the link between religiousness and spirituality and postpartum depression," with C. Dunkel Schetter, Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 41, 2018
• "Untangling the mechanisms underlying the links between religiousness, spirituality, and better health," with C. Dunkel Schetter, Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 11(2), 2017
•  "Postpartum depressive symptoms following consecutive pregnancies: Stability, change, and mechanisms," with C.D. Schetter, D.E. Saxbe and C.M. Guardino, Clinical Psychological Science, 4(5), 2016
• "Spiritual and religious resources in African American women: Protection from depressive symptoms after childbirth," with C. Dunkel Schetter, R.G. Lanzi, M.R. Vance, L.S. Sahadeo, M. Shalowitz and CCHN, Clinical Psychological Science, 3(2), 2015

View all of Dr. Cheadle’s publications.

Outside the College

When Alyssa isn't on campus, she can be found exploring West Michigan with her husband Paul Pearson (a member of Hope's math department), their kiddo, and their Australian Shepherd, Radio. She enjoys hiking, singing, and listening to NPR.