Survivor-led, sex-positive research on sexuality, sexual violence, and intersectionality in minoritized communities.Â
Clinical Psychology PhD student, Alcohol & Interpersonal Violence Lab @GSU · T32 Predoctoral Fellow, A-PREVENT Training Program @National Center for Sexual Violence Prevention
I do...
Racialized Sexual Violence
A lot of sexual violence research uses a race-neutral framework, which doesn't capture the experiences of people of color. My work focuses on how racism, sexism, and other systems of power intersect to shape the occurrences and aftermath of racialized sexual violence among communities of color. Topics I study include: racial objectification, racial fetishization, gendered racial stereotypes, sexual racism, etc.
Mixed Methods
I love matching the research method to the question. I come from a stats-heavy background and enjoy working with advanced quantitative approaches (Bayesian modeling, network analysis, SEM, mixture models) and EMA/ambulatory designs that capture experiences as they unfold. I'm equally drawn to qualitative methods that can capture the nuance of lived experiences and participatory approaches that integrate community insights at every step of the research process.
Sexual Pleasure & Liberation
I'm passionate about promoting sexual functioning beyond just the absence of risk or harm, particularly among sexual violence survivors of color whose sexualities have often been studied under a lens of deficit. My research seeks to understand what positive sexual health looks like for survivors and how to support them in getting there. I believe that to reclaim sexual pleasure is to reclaim the power that survivors are often deprived of.
Publications
Sex motives and sex-related drinking motives in women with and without sexual victimization history: A latent profile approach.
Zong, Z. Y., Wang, S. S., Patton, E. E., Peddle, A. K., George, W. H., Davis, K. C., & Stappenbeck, C. A.
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, In press
Behaviors and Norms Regarding Sexual Violence and Alcohol Use: How Do Service Members and College Students Compare.
Walter, K. H., Crocker, L. D., Ray, T. N., Mullican, N. K., Leone, R. M., Prince, J. R., Miggantz, E. L., Zong, Z. Y., Mayer, E. D., Sharma, A., Kaysen, D. L., Davis, K. C., Orchowski, L. M., & Gilmore, A. K.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 2026
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Development of a mandarin version of the five dimensional altered states of consciousness (5D-ASC) rating scale.
Aday, J. S., Zong, Z., Song, J., O’Donovan, A., & Woolley, J. D.
Drug Science, Policy and Law, 2026
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Pilot randomized controlled trial of a tailored personalized normative feedback intervention for college student alcohol use.
Gilmore, A. K., Leone, R. M., Reuben, K., Garner, J. B., Flowers, N., Chipman, T., Patton, E. E., Capobianco, J., Zong, Z. Y., Stappenbeck, C. A., Ellis, J. R., Fortson, K., Mullican, K. N., & Larimer, M.
Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2025
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Modifiable Risk and Protective Factors of Sexual Aggression among U.S. Navy Service Members.
Ray, T. N., Miggantz, E. L., Crocker, L. D., Walter, K. H., Prince, J. R., Zong, Z. Y., Mayer, E. D., Sharma, A., Gilmore, A. K., Davis, K. C., & Orchowski, L. M.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2025
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Sexual assault research in the military: Is oversampling necessary for representativeness?
Miggantz, E. L., Prince, J. R., Walter, K. H., Jackson, E., Ray, T. N., Hollingsworth, J. C., Zong, Z. Y., Meza-Lopez, R., Gilmore, A. K., Orchowski, L. M., & Davis, K. C.
Military Medicine, 2024
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Alcohol-involved sexual assault in the US military: a scoping review.
Miggantz, E. L., Orchowski, L. M., Beltran, J. L., Walter, K. H., Hollingsworth, J. C., Cue Davis, K., Zong, Z. Y., Meza-Lopez, R., Hutchins, A., & Gilmore, A. K.
European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 2023
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Implementing school-wide sexual assault prevention in middle schools: a qualitative analysis of school stakeholder perspectives.
Orchowski, L. M., Oesterle, D. W., Zong, Z. Y., Bogen, K. W., Elwy, A. R., Berkowitz, A. D., & Pearlman, D. N.
Journal of Community Psychology, 2022
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Unsupervised clustering of autonomic temporal networks in clinically distressed and psychologically healthy individuals.
Fisher, A. J., Howe, E., & Zong, Z. Y.
Behavior Research and Therapy, 2022
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Oral Presentations
Is Sexual Violence Race-neutral? A Narrative Review of Racialized Sexual Harassment and Fetishization. (2025)
Zong, Z. Y., Salamanca, N. K., Packard, G., Metzger, I. W., & Stappenbeck, C. A.
Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Annual Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
The Impact of Regulatory Abilities on Posttraumatic Stress and Alcohol Use Outcomes Following a Web Based Alcohol Intervention. (2025)
Stappenbeck, C. A., Hammett, J. F., Patton, E. E., Zong, Z. Y., Jaffe, A. E., & Kaysen, D. L.
48th Annual Research Society on Alcohol Scientific Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Within- and Between-person Relationships between Negative Social Reactions to Disclosures of Sexual Assault and Negative Alterations in Cognitions and Mood Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms. (2022)
Zong, Z. Y., Howe, E., & Fisher, A. J.
Association for Psychological Science (APS) 2022 Annual Convention, Chicago, IL.
Poster Presentations
Daily Dynamics of Alcohol Use and Shame among Women who Experienced Sexual Assault. (2026)
Zong, Z. Y., Patton, E. E., Ross, B. V., Kaysen, D. L., & Stappenbeck, C. A.
49th Annual Research Society on Alcohol (RSA) Scientific Meeting, San Antonio, TX.
RSA Student Merit Award!
The Moderating Role of Constructive Communication in the Relationship Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Relationship Satisfaction. (2026)
Popescu, I.†, Johnson, R.†, Zong, Z. Y., & Stappenbeck, C. A.
20th annual Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference (GSURC), Atlanta, GA.
Is Sexual Violence Race-neutral? A Narrative Review of Racialized Sexual Harassment and Fetishization. (2026)
Zong, Z. Y., Salamanca, N. K., Packard, G., Metzger, I. W., & Stappenbeck, C. A.
Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) 23rd International Summit, Honolulu, HI.
 Sex motives and sex-related drinking motives in women with and without sexual victimization history: A latent profile approach. (2025)
Zong, Z. Y., Wang, S. S., Patton, E. E., Peddle, A. K., George, W. H., Davis, K. C., & Stappenbeck, C. A.
Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma (IVAT) 22nd International Summit, Honolulu, HI.
IVAT Research Poster Award!
Exploring the Temporal Dynamics of PTSD Symptoms and Social Reactions after Sexual Assault: An Idiographic Network Analysis. (2022)
Zong, Z. Y., Howe, E., & Fisher, A. J.
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) 38th Annual Convention, Atlanta, GA.