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Sae Hwang Han

  • Assistant Professor
  • Human Development & Family Sciences
  • Human Ecology
Profile image of Sae Hwang Han
saehwang.han@utexas.edu

Biography

Starting in 2019, Han has served on the faculty in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at UT Austin in addition to serving as a faculty research associate for the Population Research Center, also at UT Austin.

Research

The overarching objective of Han's research is to contribute to the scientific literature on social relationships and health in middle and later adulthood. Han's current research interests center around examining health consequences of social and productive engagement in middle and later adulthood, with a particular focus on examining how various forms of helping behaviors (e.g., formal volunteering, informal helping, or caregiving) influence behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms underlying health. Another stream of his research focuses on examining dyadic processes underlying coupled individuals’ health behaviors and health outcomes in mid- and late-life, demonstrating how individuals draw from one’s own and partners’ social relationships for the betterment of their health. Han’s research employs longitudinal data from national surveys, such as the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS).

Research Areas

  • Human Development
  • Relationships, Families and Youth

Fields of Interest

  • Adult Development
  • Aging
  • Biobehavioral Processes and Health
  • Interpersonal Relationships

Centers and Institutes

  • Population Research Center
  • Center on Aging and Population Sciences

Education

  • Ph.D., M.S., University of Massachusetts Boston
  • M.A., Yonsei University, Republic of Korea
  • B.S., Yonsei University, Republic of Korea

Publications

  • Han, S. H. (2023). Revisiting the stress process in family caregiving: Does the act of providing care really lead to worse mental health outcomes? Advances in Life Course Research, 58, 100579. [Link]

    Han, S. H., Shih, Y., Burr, J. A., & Peng, C. (2023). Age and cohort trends in formal volunteering and informal helping in later life: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. Demography, 60, 99-122. [Link]

    Han, S. H., Kim, K., & Burr, J. A. (2021). Take a sad song and make it better: Spousal activity limitations, caregiving, and depressive symptoms among couples. Social Science & Medicine. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114081

    Han, S. H. (2021). Health consequences of retirement due to non-health reasons and poor health. Social Science & Medicine, 273, 113767. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113767

    Han, S. H., Kim, K., & Burr, J. A. (2021). Activity limitations and depressive symptoms among older couples: The role of spousal care. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76, 360-369. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbz161

    Han, S. H., Roberts, J. S., Mutchler, J. E, Burr, J. A. (2020). Volunteering, polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease, and cognitive functioning among older adults. Social Science & Medicine, 253, 112970. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.112970

    Han, S. H., Kim, K., & Burr, J. A. (2020). Stress-buffering effects of volunteering on daily well-being: Evidence from the National Study of Daily Experiences. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 75, 1731-1740. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbz052

    Han, S. H., Wu, B., & Burr, J. A. (2020). Edentulism, dental care service use, and trajectories of cognitive functioning among older adults. Journal of Aging and Health, 32, 744-752. doi: 10.1177/0898264319851654

    Han, S. H., Kim, K., & Burr, J. A. (2019). Social support and preventive healthcare behaviors among couples in later life. The Gerontologist, 59, 1162-1170. doi:10.1093/geront/gny144

    Han, S. H., Kim, K., & Burr, J. A. (2019). Friendship and depression among couples in later life: The moderating effects of marital quality. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 74, 222-231. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbx046

    Han S. H., Kim, K., & Burr, J. A. (2018). Stress-buffering effects of volunteering on salivary cortisol: Results from a daily diary study. Social Science and Medicine, 201, 120-126. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.02.011

    Han, S. H., Tavares, J. L., Evans, M., Saczynski, J., & Burr, J. A. (2017). Social activities, incident cardiovascular disease, and mortality: Health behaviors mediation. Journal of Aging and Health, 29, 268-288. doi:10.1177/0898264316635565