Victoria Hilkevitch Bedford, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita

vbedford9@gmail.com
Degree: Rutgers University, 1986
Specialization: Developmental psychology from a life span perspective

Clinical and Research Interests

Family gerontology
Sibling relationships
Social networks
Family caregiving

Courses Taught

Victoria Hilkevitch Bedford is professor emerita at the University of Indianapolis.

Professional Activities

Postdoctoral Fellowship:
• Social Gerontology, Midwest Council for Social Research in Aging (National Institute of Aging Training Grant). 1988-1990.
• Psychology of Aging Training Institute, The College of St. Scholastica, Duluth, MN. funded by the National Institute on Aging. 2002-2004.
• University of Southern California, Department of Psychology, visiting scholar, 2004-2005.
• Center on Aging and Community. University of Indianapolis, faculty. 2001-2004.
• Institute for Personality and Social Research, UC Berkeley, 1995.
• Department of Psychology, University of Stockholm, visiting scholar, 1988.
• Department of Sociology, University of Uppsala, visiting scholar, 1998.
• Department of Psychology, Adjunct assistant professor, Indiana University Bloomington, 1987-present.
• The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, Indiana University at Bloomington, 1986-1987.

Selected Publications/Presentations

Peer Reviewed Journal Articles and book chapters
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989a). A comparison of thematic apperceptions of sibling affiliation, conflict, and separation at two periods of adulthood. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 28, 53-65.
• Bedford, V. H. (1989b). Sibling ambivalence in adulthood. Journal of Family Issues, 10, 211-224.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989c). Sibling research in historical perspective: The discovery of a forgotten relationship. The American Behavioral Scientist, 33, 6-18.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989). Understanding the value of siblings in old age: A proposed model. The American Behavioral Scientist, 33, 33- 44.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Gold, D. T. (Eds.) (1989). Siblings in old age: A forgotten relationship. Special issue of The American Behavioral Scientist, 33.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1990). Predictors of variation in positive and negative affect toward adult siblings. Special Issue of Family Perspectives on Aging, 24, 245-262.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1990). Violated expectations: Collaboration among mathematicians, Creativity Research Journal, 3, 334-335.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1992). Memories of parental favoritism and the quality of parent-child ties in adulthood. Journal of Gerontology, 47, S149-S155.
• Bedford, V. H. (1995). Sibling relationships in middle adulthood and old age. In R. Blieszner & V. H. Bedford (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the family (pp. 201-222). Westport, CN: Greenwood.
•  Blieszner, R., & Bedford, V. H. (Eds.) (1995). Handbook of aging and the family. Westport, CN: Greenwood.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S. (1996). Affect and Sibling Relationships in Adulthood. In C. Malatesta-Magai and S. McFadden (Eds.), Handbook of emotion, adult development, and aging (pp. 423-539). New York: Academic Press.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1996). Sibling interdependence in adulthood and old age. In T. Brubaker (Ed.) Vision 2010: Families and Aging, vol. 3, no. 2, (pp. 18-19). MN: National Conference on Family Relations
•  Bedford, V. H. (1996). Relationships Between Adult Siblings (1996). In A. E. Auhagen & M. von Salisch, (Eds.) The diversity of human relationships (120-140). New York: Cambridge University Press.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Blieszner, R. (1996). Personal relationships in later life families. In S. Duck (Ed.), Handbook of personal relationships, 2nd Edition (pp. 523-539). New York: Wiley.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1998). Sibling relationship troubles and well-being in middle and old age. Family Relations, 47, 369-376.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Blieszner, R. (2000). Older adults and their families. In D. H. Demo, K. R. Allen, and M. A. Fine (Eds.), Handbook of family diversity (pp. 216-231). New York: Oxford University Press.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Blieszner, R. (2000). Personal relationships in later life families. In R. M. Milardo & S. Duck (Eds.), Families as personal relationships. New York: Wiley.
•  Bedford, V. H., Volling, B. L., & Avioli, P. S. (2000). Positive consequences of sibling conflict in childhood and adulthood. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 51, 53-67.o   Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S. (2001). Variations on sibling intimacy in old age. Generations, 25, 34-40.
•  Bedford, V. H. (2003). Men and Women in Old Age: Incorporating Aging into Psychology of Gender Courses. In S. K. Whitbourne, & J. C. Cavanaugh (Eds.). The aging dimension in undergraduate psychology courses: A practical guide for teaching. American Psychological Association.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Volling, B. (2004). A dynamic ecological systems perspective on emotion regulation development within the sibling relationship context. In F. Lang and K. Fingerman (Eds.), Growing together: Personal relationships across the lifespan (pp. 76-101). New York: Cambridge University Press.
•  Bedford, V. H. (2005). Theorizing about sibling relationships when parents become frail (pp. 173-174). In V. Bengtson, A. Acock, K. Allen, P. Dilworth-Anderson, and D. Klein (Eds.), Sourcebook of Family Theory and Research. Sage Press.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Turner, B. F. (Eds.). (2006). Men in Relationships: A New Look from a Life Course Perspective . New York: Springer.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S. (2006). “Shooting the bull”: Cohort comparisons of fraternal intimacy in mid-life and old age. In V. H. Bedford & B. F. Turner (Eds.), Men in Relationships: A New Look from a Life Course Perspective (pp. 81-101). New York: Springer.
•  Bedford, V. H. (2008). Sibling Relations, Adulthood. In D. Carr (ed.), Encyclopedia of the Life Course and Human Development. Framingham Hills, MI: Macmillan.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Diderich, M. (2009). Relationships between Adult Siblings. In H. Reis and S. Sprecher (eds.), Encyclopedia of Human Relationships. Newbury Park, NJ: Sage.
Symposia, Presentations, and Posters, International and National (*Student co-author)
•  Bedford, V. H. (1986, November). TAT stories about siblings at two life periods. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Chicago.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1987a, August). Pros and cons of sibling interdependency and distancing. In M. R. Noberini (Chair), The sibling as a social support resource: Pros and cons. Symposium presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1987b, August). Adult sibling relationships: Comparing thematic apperceptions with self report measures. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1987c, November). Life period differences in sources of satisfaction and conflict in adult sibling relationships. In D. T. Gold (Chair), Siblings in late life: A neglected family relationship. Symposium presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Association of America, Washington, DC.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1988, November). Parental favoritism in childhood and parentchild relationships in adulthood. Paper presented at the meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989, June). Problematic sibling relationships in late life; A longitudinal study. Paper presented at the Fourteenth International Congress on Gerontology, Acapulco, Mexico.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989, November). Early family dynamics and intergenerational solidarity in Sweden. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations, New Orleans.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989, November). Conflict in sibling relationships: Age differences in source and intensity. Paper presented at meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Minneapolis.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1990, April). Life events associated with changing affect toward sibling. Paper presented at the meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society, Chicago.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1990, July). Changing affect toward siblings and the transition to old age. The second International Conference on The Future of Adult Life, Leeuwenhorst, The Netherlands.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1990, July). A longitudinal perspective on stability and change in adults' feelings toward siblings. The Fifth International Conference on Personal Relations, Oxford, England.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1990, November). Changes in affect balance in adult sibling relationships: A longitudinal perspective. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1991, April). Early sources of value similarity between adult children and their parents. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Seattle.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1991, May 16-20). Using a Swedish data set to study personal relations. In E. Paul (Chair), Secondary Analysis of Personal Relations Data. Symposium conducted at the Third International Network Conference on Personal Relationships, Normal, Illinois.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1991, October 4-5). Separation in adulthood: The case of siblings. In T. Anderson (Chair), The Family Context of Aging. Symposium conducted at the Eighth National Forum on Research in Aging, Lincoln, NE.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1991, November). Sibling separation in adulthood: Gender differences. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1992, April). Properties of sibling attachment in adulthood. Paper presented at the meeting of The Midwest Sociological Society, Kansas City, MO.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1992, November). Siblings as attachment figures in adulthood. In M. Blieszner (Chair), The Family Context of Health Challenges in an Aging Society. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1993, March). Differential parental treatment in childhood and the quality of sibling relationships in adulthood. Paper presented at meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, New Orleans.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1993, June). Attachment style and siblings as attachment figures. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Network on Personal Relationships, Milwaukee.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1993, August). Attachment, intimacy and other relational links to well-being: Which apply to sibling relationships? In V. H. Bedford (Chair), Social Support Revisited -- Costs and Benefits of Personal Relationships. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1993, August). Advantages and disadvantages of targeting one category of network relationship. In K. Heller (Chair), Methodological Problems in Conducting Research on Support Networks. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1993, November). Differential effects of early parenting characteristics on intergenerational affection and value consensus. In D. R. Hoyt & L. Whitbeck (Chairs), Life Course Influences of Early Family Relationships. Symposium conducted at the meetings of the Gerontological Society of America, New Orleans.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1994, July). Relationships and well-being: Does category of relationship make a difference? In V. H. Bedford (Chair) Is relationship category a meaningful unit of analysis? Symposium conducted at the Seventh International Conference on Personal Relationships, Groningen, The Netherlands.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1994, November). Theoretical and methodological issues in the study of sibling attachment. In V. H. Bedford & R. Blieszner (Chairs), Family and aging: The interface between theory and methods. Symposium conducted at the meetings of the Gerontological Society of Atlanta, Georgia.
•  *Bedford, V. H., & Cooper, D. G. (1995, March). Sibling caregiving in early childhood: Cognitive and socioeconomic influences. Poster presented at the meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis.
•  *Bedford, V. H., & Agronik, G. (1995, August). Sibling differentiation in relation to agency and communion in adulthood. In V. H. Bedford & P. S. Avioli (Chairs), New perspectives on an old polarity: agency and communion. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, New York.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S. (1996, August). Positive effects of negative feelings about siblings. In D. L. Morgan. Positive and negative aspects of relationships. Symposium conducted at meeting of the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships, Banff, Canada.
•  *Bedford, V. H., & Minor, C. L. (1996, November). Similarities and differences in family types of young and very old adults. Poster session presented at the meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC.
•  Bedford, V. H., Avioli, P. S., & Volling, B. L. (1996, November). The value of sibling relationships revisited: Contributions to gerontology from child development. In K. Fingerman & V. H. Bedford (Chairs) Experience from the early years: What child developmentalists can tell gerontologists about social relationships. Symposium presented at the meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1997, August). Benefits of sibling adversity in adulthood. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Harvey, D. K., & Poulakis, M. (1997, November). Sibling relationship troubles and well-being in adulthood. In V. H. Bedford (Chair), Intragenerational relationships and well-being: friends, siblings, wives, and husbands. Symposium presented at the meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Cincinnati.
•  Volling, B., & Bedford, V. H. (1998, July). Sibling relationships in childhood and adulthood: Contributions from a life-span perspective. In V. H. Bedford & K. Fingerman (Chairs), Lessons from the later years: What child development can learn from gerontology about social relationships. Symposium presented at the meetings of The International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Berne, Switzerland.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1998, August). Sources of sibling affect change in middle and late adulthood: Life events, social support, and attachment style. In M. M. Skaff (Chair), Social relationships and caregiving. Poster session presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Avioli, P. S. Cooper, D., & Harvey, D. (November, 1998). Patterns of stability and change in women’s feelings toward sisters and men’s feelings toward brothers. In V. H. Bedford (Chair), Women and emotions: Interdisciplinary perspectives. Symposium presented at the meetings of the Gerontological Society of America, Philadelphia.
•  Bedford, V.H., (1999, January). Longitudinal patterns of change in feelings about siblings from middle to late adulthood and intervening life events. Poster session presented at the Indiana Conference on Family Relations, Muncie, Indiana.
•  *Bedford, V. H., & Cooper, D. G. (1999, April). Patterns of change in feelings about siblings from middle to late adulthood: Gender differences. Poster presented in V. H. Bedford (Chair), Contextual influences on sibling relationships across the life span, poster symposium conducted at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., & Guseilla, K. J. (1999, November), Multiple waves of projective data about adults’ sibling relationships: A qualitative analysis analyses. Paper presented in V. H. Bedford (Chair), Analyses of longitudinal qualitative data on aging, symposium conducted at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., Guseilla, K. J. (2000, February). Continuity and change in adults’ stories about sibling relationships across time: A qualitative study. Poster presented at the Indiana Council on Family Relations, Muncie, IN.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., & Guseilla, K. J. (2000, August). Midlife changes in TAT stories about siblings: A prospective study. Paper presented at the 108th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D. C.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., & Guseilla, K. J. (2000, November). Sibling ties as a source of expansive family networks in late life. Paper presented in A. Davey & K. Fingerman (Chairs), Bringing the family together: Multiple perspectives on kinship in late life. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., Porter, N. T. (2001, August). Kinship structure contributions to the formation of adaptive social networks. Paper presented at the 109th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, San Francisco.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., Ramagotsis, S., & Smith, C. (2001, November). Simultaneous trajectories of continuity and change in relationships between middle-aged brothers. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Chicago.
•  Wachs, T. D., & Bedford, V. H. (2002, March). Environmental considerations in the study of genetic influences on aging. Paper presented to National Institute of Aging Meeting on Behavior, Genetics and Aging, Bethesda.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Rains, S. E., Taylor, N., & Avioli, P. (2002, August). Midlife brothers: Longitudinal patterns. Symposium presented in V. H. Bedford (Chair), Men in relationships, at the annual meetings of the American Psychological Association, Chicago.
•  *Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S., Smith, S., Wilson, B. J., Tatlock, E. A., Frida, M. (2002, November). Brothers across midlife and old age: Cohort and developmental issues. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S. (2003, November). Contradictory paradigms in family care research: interdependent kinship network versus the principal caregiver. In V. H. Bedford (Chair), The family care networks of older adults: Beyond the principal caregiver. Symposium presented at the 56^th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, San Diego.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Avioli, P.S., & McGuire, S. E. (2004, November). Brothers and intimacy: Cohort differences and developmental change. In D. S. Carr (Chair), Divergence in the Life Course of Siblings: Implications for Sibling Relationships at Mid and Later-Life. Symposium presented at the 57^th Annual Meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC.
•  Bedford, V. H. (2005, June). Assessing family systems as the carers of a frail relative. In M. H. Huyck (Chair), Evaluating the Impact of Family Caregiver Support Programs. Symposium conducted at the meeting of the Eighteenth World Congress of Gerontology, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
•  Bedford, V. H., (2005, November). Family Systems of Elder Care in Longitudinal Perspective. Poster presented at the 58th Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Orlando, FL.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Mohrbacher, N.D., & Fuller, D. R. (2006, August). Why Use Multiple Within-family Informants in Caregiving Research? In V.H. Bedford (Chair), Contributions of multiple informants to family caregiver research. Symposium presented at the Annual Scientific Meetings of the American Psychological Association, New Orleans.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Avioli, P., & Yarnevic, J. (2006, November). Cohort influences on intimacy between heterosexual men and their brothers in late midlife. In B. F. Turner and V. H. Bedford (chairs), Masculinity scripts and talking about feelings in older men’s relationships. Symposium to be presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Dallas.
•  *Bedford, V. H., Cambridge, H., & Avioli, P. S. (November, 2007). The family caregiving situation: Whether, where and why its representation by three generations has discrepancies. In V. H. Bedford (chair), Discrepancies between family informant reports and their implications. Symposium presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco.
•  *Pisarski, N., & Bedford, V. H. (November, 2007). Support exchange between sisters: The effect of additional family members. In D.S. Carr, & S. H. Matthews (chairs), Sibling relationships in later life, symposium presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, San Francisco.
•  Bedford, V. H. (November, 2008). The fate of a “dream deferred”; When I failed to get funded by the NIA. In S. McFadden (chair), Researcher Resilience: A Continuum of Responses to Research Frustrations and Failures, symposium presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of The Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC.
•  Bedford, V. H., & Avioli, P. S. (July, 2010). Siblings in Middle and Late Adulthood: The New Hot Topic. In K. Fortuna (chair), Sibling and Twin Relationships in Early Childhood and Later Life, symposium presented at the biennial meeting of the International Association for Relationship Research, Herziliya, Israel.
Invited Presentations
•  Bedford, V. H. (1988, October). Adult Sibling Relationships: An Elusive Bond. Developmental Psychology Colloquium, Department of Psychology, Purdue University.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989). Division of Responsibility Among Sibling Caregivers of Dependent      Parents. St. Elizabeth Hospital, Lafayette, Indiana.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989, April). A Proposed Model for Understanding the Importance of Siblings in Old Age. Colloquium, Department of Child Development and Family Studies, Purdue University.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1989, June). Current Research in Aging and the Family: The Nature of Sibling Relationships in Old Age. Home and Family Conference, Purdue University.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1991, April). Improvement and Changes in Affect Intensity and in Adult Sibling Relationships: A Longitudinal Perspective. Faculty Forum, University of Indianapolis.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1994, January). The Place of Siblings in Adults' Personal Networks. Faculty Forum, University of Indianapolis.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1994, April). Predictors of Sibling Attachment. Developmental Psychology Colloquium, Purdue University.
•  Bedford, V. H. (1997, March). Effects of Sibling Relationships on Subjective Well-being in Adulthood. University of Indianapolis.
•  Bedford, V. H. (2000, December). Social Convoys Through Life’s Journey: The Case of Siblings. Colloquium, Gerontology Center, Pennsylvania State University, State College.
•  Bedford, V. H. (2003, December). Sibling relationships in adulthood and old age. Guest lecture at Purdue University. Department of Child Development and Family Studies.
•  Bedford, V. H. (March, 2005). Intimacy between brothers in three cohorts: Qualitative findings from the longitudinal study of adult sibling relationships. Invited colloquium talk presented at the Multidisciplinary Research Colloquium Series in Aging, Spring     2005, Theme: “Promoting Health in an Aging Population,” Andrus Gerontology Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
•  Bedford, V. H. (April, 2006). The Anti-achievement Bumper Sticker. Invited Address for the Psi Chi Annual Induction Ceremony.