Ann Farrell

Assistant Professor

905-688-5550 x4807
afarrell@brocku.ca

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Dr. Ann Farrell is an Assistant Professor in Child and Youth Studies at Brock University. Her research centers on a multidisciplinary understanding of bullying as a complex social problem, including the processes among individual, social, environmental, and cultural factors associated with youth bullying.

Dr. Farrell’s specific research goals include examining the: (1) role of individual factors that contribute to bullying (e.g., personality, temperament), (2) interactions among individual, social, and environmental factors that contribute to bullying, and (3) associations between bullying and other forms of mental health and violence in the long-term (e.g., indirect aggression, dating violence). Dr. Farrell applies statistical methods such as longitudinal, person-centered, and structural equation modeling approaches in her research. By understanding these mechanisms, Dr. Farrell hopes to help prevent violence and facilitate positive mental health and relationships among young people.  Previously, Dr. Farrell was a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow and a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Ottawa in Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education. She also holds a Ph.D. in Psychology (Lifespan Development) and M.A. in Child and Youth Studies from Brock University.

For information on Dr. Farrell’s research, please visit her research page.
Dr. Farrell is accepting undergraduate and graduate thesis students and is looking for volunteer research assistants. If you are interested in working with Dr. Farrell, please send her an e-mail.

Research Interests

  • Development of bullying, aggression, and violence across childhood and adolescence (perpetration and victimization)
  • Associations between bullying and mental health across development
  • Personality, social, environmental, and cultural factors that contribute to bullying and mental health
  • Role of family, peer, school, and community factors that contribute to bullying and mental health
  • Risk factors and health outcomes of bullying and mental health
  • Longitudinal methods

Publications

Below is a list of Dr. Farrell’s peer-reviewed publications. For a full list, please click on her Google Scholar page.

Peer-Reviewed Publications:
*indicates student co-author

Farrell, A.H., Szatmari, P., & Vaillancourt, T. (2024). Epidemiology of mental health challenges in children and adolescents. The Pediatric Clinics of North America, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2024.07.009

Farrell, A. H., *Eriksson, M., & Vaillancourt, T. (2024). Social comparison, hypercompetitiveness, and indirect aggression: Associations with loneliness and mental health. Aggressive Behavior, 50(5), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22171

Farrell, A. H., Brittain, H., Krygsman, A., & Vaillancourt, T. (2024). Bullying victimization and mental health before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3, https://doi.org/10.3389/frcha.2024.1411265

Patte, K. A., Gohari, M., Lucibello, K., Bélanger, R., Farrell, A. H., & Leatherdale, S. T. (2024). Bullying victimization among adolescents from before to the two school years following the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Journal of School Violence. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2024.2333504

Brazil, K., Farrell, A., H., *Boer, A., & Volk, A. A. (2024). Adolescent psychopathic traits and adverse environments: Associations with social resources. Development and Psychopathology, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579424000051

Vaillancourt, T., *Eriksson, M., Brittain, H., Krygsman, A., Farrell, A. H., Davis, A. C., Volk, A. A., & Arnocky, S. (2024). Social media friendship jealousy. Evolutionary Psychology, 22(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/14747049231225738

Krygsman, A., Farrell, A. H., Brittain, H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2023). Anxiety symptoms before and during COVID-19: A longitudinal examination of Canadian young adults. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 99, 102769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102769

Vaillancourt, T., Farrell, A. H., Brittain, H., Krygsman, A., Vitoroulis, I., & Pepler, D. (2023). Bullying before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Current Opinion in Psychology, 53, 101689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101689

Vaillancourt, T., Brittain, H., Farrell, A. H., Krygsman, A., & Vitoroulis, I. (2023). Bullying involvement and the transition to high school: A brief report. Aggressive Behavior, 49, 409-417. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.22082

Farrell, A. H., Vitoroulis, I., *Eriksson, M., & Vaillancourt, T. (2023). Loneliness and well-being in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review. Children, 10(2), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10020279

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2023). Indirect aggression, anxiety, and empathy: Disaggregating between and within person longitudinal associations during childhood and adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 35(1),228-240. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421001450

Farrell, T. S. C., & Farrell, A. H. (2023). Reflective practice in language teacher education. In Z. Tajeddin & T. S. C. Farrell (Eds.), Handbook of Language Teacher Education: Critical Review and Research Synthesis,

Farrell, A. H. & Vaillancourt, T. (2023). Aggression across the Lifespan. In Montgomery (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Childhood Studies. Oxford University Press. http://doi.org/obo/9780199791231-0275

Davis, A. C., Farrell, A. H., Brittain, H., Krygsman, A., Arnocky, S., & Vaillancourt, T. (2022). The dark triad and bullying in adolescence: A three-wave random intercept cross-lagged panel analysis. Journal of Research in Personality, 96, 104178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104178

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2022). Bullying from a psychological perspective: A Response to Magrass and Derber. In C. Donoghue (Ed.), The Sociology of Bullying: Power, Status, and Aggression Among Adolescents.297-303. New York University Press.

Vaillancourt, T., Brittain, H., Krygsman, A., Farrell, A. H., Pepler, D., Landon, S., Saint-Georges, Z., & Vitoroulis, I. (2022). In-person versus on-line learning in relation to students’ perceptions of mattering during COVID-19: A brief report. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 40(1), 159-169. https://doi.org/10.1177/07342829211053668

Krygsman, A., Farrell, A. H., Brittain, H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2022). Depression symptoms, mattering, and anti-mattering: Longitudinal associations in young adulthood. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 40(1), 77-94. http://doi.org/1177/07342829211050519

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2021). Joint trajectories of adolescent narcissism and self-esteem predict interpersonal features in young adulthood. Journal of Research in Personality, 93, 104 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104127

Vaillancourt, T., Brittain, H., Krygsman, A., Davis, A., Farrell, A. H., Desmarais, R., Hammill, C., Karasz, S., Morgan, R., Ritchie, A., & Sanderson, C. (2021). Commentary: Assessing the quality of research that examine change in children’s mental health in the context of COVID-19. University of Ottawa Journal of Medicine, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.18192/uojm.v11i1.5950

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2021). Examining the joint development of antisocial behavior and personality: Predictors and trajectories of adolescent indirect aggression and Machiavellianism. Developmental Psychology, 57(5), 805-813. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001016

Vaillancourt T., Brittan, H., Krgysman, A., Farrell, A. H., Landon, S., & Pepler, D. J. (2021). School bullying pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19: Results from a population-based randomized design. Aggressive Behavior, 47, 557-569. https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.2198

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2021). The impact of childhood bullying trajectories on young adulthood antisocial trajectories. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50, 1782-1796. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-021-01456-6

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2021). Childhood predictors of adolescent joint trajectories: A multi-informant study on bullying perpetration and hypercompetitiveness. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology. Online first: https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2021.1923019

Vaillancourt, T. & Farrell, A. H. (2021). Mean kids become mean adults: Trajectories of indirect aggression from age 11 to 22. Aggressive Behavior, 47(4), 394– http://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21950

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2020). Adolescent empathic concern and perspective taking: Heterogenous developmental trajectories and childhood social and psychological factors. Journal of Personality, 1-17. Online first: https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12607

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2020). Bullying perpetration and narcissistic personality traits across adolescence: Joint trajectories and childhood risk factors. Frontiers in Psychiatry: Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. http://doi.org/3389/fpsyt.2020.483229

Mularczyk, K. P., Farrell, A. H., Volk, A. A., & Book, A. S. (2020). The utility of broad versus specific measures of personality for assessing adolescent antisociality. North American Journal of Psychology, 22(4), 679-700.

Farrell, A. H., Volk, A. A., & Vaillancourt, T. (2020). Empathy, exploitation, and adolescent bullying perpetration: A longitudinal social-ecological investigation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 42(3), 436-449. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09767-6

Farrell, A. H., & Dane, A. V. (2020). Bullying, victimization, and prosocial resource control strategies: Differential relations with dominance and alliance formation. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 14(3). 270-283. https://doi.org/10.1037/ebs0000178

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2019). Developmental pathways of perfectionism: Associations with bullying perpetration, peer victimization, and narcissism. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2019.101065

Farrell, A. H., & Vaillancourt, T. (2019). Temperament, bullying, and dating aggression: Longitudinal associations for adolescents in a romantic relationship. Evolutionary Psychology, 17(2). http://doi.org/10.1177/1474704919847450

Volk, A. A., Provenzano, D. A., Farrell, A. H., Dane, A. V., Shulman, E. P. (2019). Personality and bullying: Pathways to adolescent social dominance. Current Psychology. 1-12. http://doi.org/1007/s12144-019-00182-4

Provenzano, D. A., Dane, A. V., Farrell, A. H., Marini, Z. A., & Volk, A. A. (2018). Do bullies have more sex? The role of personality. Evolutionary Psychological Science, 4, 221-232. http://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-017-0126-4

Spadafora, N., Farrell, A. H., Provenzano, D. A., Marini, Z. A., & Volk, A. A. (2018). Temperamental differences and classroom incivility: Exploring the role of individual differences. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 33, 44-62. http://doi.org/10.1177/0829573516648946

Farrell, A. H., & Volk, A. A. (2017). Social ecology and adolescent bullying: Filtering risky environments through antisocial personality. Children and Youth Services Review, 83, 85-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.10.033

Farrell, A. H., Provenzano, D. A., Dane, A. V., Marini, Z. A., & Volk, A. A. (2017). Maternal knowledge, adolescent personality, and bullying. Personality and Individual Differences, 104, 413-416. http://doi.org/1016/j.paid.2016.09.001

Farrell, A. H., Schiralli, K., & Volk, A. A. (2017). Factors that influence bullying. In T. K. Shackelford, & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. New York: Springer.

Farrell, A. H., Semplonius, T., Shapira, M., Zhou, X., Laurence, S., Willoughby, T., Mahy, C. E.V., Mondloch, C. J., & Evans, A. D. (2016). Research activity in Canadian developmental psychology programs. Canadian Psychology/ Psychologie Canadienne, 57, 76-82. http://doi.org/10.1037/cap0000040 *order of authorship was alphabetical for the two first authors

Farrell, A. H., Provenzano, D. A., Spadafora, N., Marini, Z., A. & Volk, A. A. (2016). Measuring adolescent attitudes toward classroom incivility: Exploring differences between intentional and unintentional incivility. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 34, 577-588. http://doi.org/10.1177/0734282915623446

Farrell, A. H., & Volk, A. A. (2016). Same-sex school bullying. In T. K. Shackelford, & V. A. Weekes-Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer.

Volk, A. A., Farrell, A. H., Franklin, P., Mularczyk, K. P., & Provenzano, D. A. (2016) Adolescent bullying in schools: An evolutionary perspective. In D.C. Geary & D. Berch (Eds.), Evolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education. (pp. 167-191). Springer. http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29986-6_7

Farrell, A. H., Brook, C., Dane, A. V., Marini, Z., & Volk, A. A. (2015). Associations between adolescent ratings of Rothbart’s temperament model and the HEXACO personality model. Journal of Personality Assessment, 97, 163-171. http://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2014.940961

Volk, A. A., Della Cioppa, V., Earle, M., & Farrell, A. H. (2015). Social competition and bullying: An adaptive socio-ecological perspective. In V. Zeigler-Hill, L. Welling, & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Evolutionary Perspectives on Social Psychology. (pp. 387-399). http://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12697-5_30

Farrell, A. H., Della Cioppa, V., Volk, A. A., & Book, A. S. (2014). Predicting bullying heterogeneity with the HEXACO model of personality. International Journal of Advances in Psychology, 3, 30-39. http://doi.org/0.14355/ijap.2014.0302.02