Jonix Owino, Ph.D.
Office Location
Dr. Owino joined the Psychology Department at Sacred Heart university in the fall of 2021. Her research is dedicated to exploring the concept of "Aging Out of Place" among older refugee immigrants in the United States. Dr. Owino enjoys working with students both in classroom settings and on research projects. She adopts a teaching pedagogy that is grounded in service learning. Through active learning strategies, Dr. Owino aims to enhance her students' abilities to critically analyze theoretical claims and arguments, as well as determine applicability of scientific research in informing decisions and practice in real-world issues.
Degrees & Certifications
- PhD, North Dakota State University
- MS, North Dakota State University
- BA, Catholic University of Eastern Africa
Teaching Responsibilities
- Adult Development
- Research Design and Analysis 1
- Child Development
- Social Psychology
Research Interests & Grants
Through the concept of Aging Out of Place (i.e., the physical and emotional experience of growing older in a foreign /unfamiliar environment), Dr. Owino explores refugees’ well-being by examining successful aging experiences and perceptions as well as determinants of quality of life for the refugees. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics of aging refugees (i.e. gender, length of stay in the US, level of education, marital status, employment status) and their well-being. Her research also aims to determine the extent to which quality of life is influenced by indicators of life satisfaction, social integration, and trauma. Dr. Owino's premise for studying older refugee immigrants stems from the understanding that whereas all immigrants may be faced with challenges such as acculturative stress and other migration challenges (e.g., language barriers, social isolation, employment difficulties) that may influence their well-being during transition and adapting to a novel society, the experiences of refugee immigrants may substantially differ from immigrants who have not participated in forced
international migration. This is because the emotional and psychological distress experienced by refugees who are compelled to leave their home countries can compromise their ability to adapt to new countries thereby impacting their well-being.
Dr. Owino encourages students who are interested in working on her research projects to email her.
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