Brent Gibson, Phd

Dr. Brent Gibson joined the Arlene R. Gordon Research Institute at Lighthouse International in 2006. He earned his Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Family Gerontology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to coming to the Lighthouse, he was an assistant professor at the University of Connecticut.

Dr. Gibson is currently serving as project director for the National Institute on Aging-funded study of driving transitions among persons 55+ with visual impairment being conducted at the Lighthouse. His other research interests include family caregiving related to dementia and/or visual impairment across diverse populations, cultural ways of understanding illness and disability, and relationship quality in the context of lifespan development family care.

A project that Dr. Gibson is in the process of developing will examine the ways in which relationship quality (both past and present) between adult children and their aging parents influences caregiving processes when the parent is dealing with dementia, vision loss, or other debilitating illnesses. For example, who provides care, what kind of care is given, and how much stress is experienced? Preliminary evidence shows that the perceived history of the relationship and current perceptions of relationship quality are related to burden, anxiety, stress appraisals, satisfaction with social activities, and perceived availability of social support.