Research on how early adversity and social conditions shape bodily experience, emotion, and mental health.
Current work
Lead-author study · Preregistration in preparation
Early Life Maltreatment Recalibrates Prediction Error Towards Threat
Whitacre, K.
Does early maltreatment change how people interpret uncertain signals from their bodies? I test whether distress and confusion surrounding bodily sensations help explain later depression, anxiety, and somatic symptoms.
Motivation and approach
Early adversity may teach people that ambiguous internal sensations signal threat. The preregistered analysis tests parallel mediation models linking maltreatment to adult symptoms through interoceptive distress and confusion. Exploratory analyses examine socioeconomic context, daily bodily awareness, and momentary coupling between negative emotion words and somatic symptoms.
Ohio State · 2026–present
Respiratory Interoception Study
Development and piloting of an experimental study of how people perceive changes in breathing.
Ohio State · 2026–present
The Thriving Initiative
Building public resources that translate psychological research on connection, purpose, and well-being.
2026
Poster · Society for Affective Science
Childhood Maltreatment Predicts Perceived but Not Objective Sleep Disruption
Whitacre, K., Feldman, M., Bonar, A., Ma, R., & Lindquist, K.
Maltreatment predicted self-reported sleep disturbance but not Fitbit-measured sleep, suggesting a gap between perceived and objectively measured disruption.
Results and interpretation
The original moderation hypothesis was not supported. Maltreatment was associated with self-reported sleep disturbances (r = .42, p < .001, N = 131) but not Fitbit sleep (r = −.06, N = 97). Follow-up analyses examined the resulting subjective-objective discrepancy and whether interoceptive emotional awareness contributed to it.
The Intersection of Language and Emotion Across Early Development
Lindquist, K. A., Whitacre, K., & Shablack, H.
A review of how language and emotion develop together from infancy through adolescence. I contributed recent literature review, conceptual development, and original writing.
Applied Cognitive Psychology · In press
Shaping the Final Story for Family: Profiles of Resilience
Cogdill-Richardson, K., Whitacre, K., & Bluck, S.
Using Dignity Therapy narratives from more than 200 participants, we identified profiles defined by life stress, meaning-making, religion, and social support. I led the statistical analyses and contributed to the manuscript.
Invited talk · UF Health Palliative Care
Mechanisms of Dignity Therapy
Whitacre, K.
A CME-accredited presentation for palliative-care providers on how narrative richness, empathy, and meaning-making may contribute to the effects of Dignity Therapy.
Dignity Therapy for Older Cancer Patients: The Role of Early Life Stressors
Whitacre, K., Cogdill-Richardson, K., & Bluck, S.
Using data from more than 200 participants, we studied whether childhood stress was associated with how people constructed and interpreted their life stories near the end of life.
