Dr. Theodore W. McDonald joined the faculty of Boise State University in 2001. He serves as a professor in the Department of Community and Environmental Health and as the director of the Master of Health Science Program. Dr. McDonald earned his B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from California State University in Chico, and his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research interests include mental health (broadly defined, with particular interest in assessing needs, service capacity, and service delivery to vulnerable populations such as incarcerated persons, refugees, rural residents, and senior citizens); community and neighborhood health, program evaluation (with a focus on improving organizational dynamics and performance), and quality of life issues. In addition to his research, Dr. McDonald actively works and volunteers in the Treasure Valley to improve the health of the community.
Articles
The Impact of Volunteering on Seniors’ Health and Quality of Life: An Assessment of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (with Erica L. Chown, Jordan E. Tabb, Amy K. Schaeffer, and Elsa K. M. Howard), Psychology (2013)
Past research suggests that senior citizens often face challenges related to deteriorating physical and men-...
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Issues Among Native Americans Living on a Remote Reservation: Results from a Community Survey (with Mary E. Pritchard), Journal of Rural Community Psychology (2010)
The purpose of the study was to document the perceived and actual mental health and...
The Relation Between Parental Status and Alcohol Use Patterns and Attitudes About Underage Drinking (with Mary Pritchard), Psychological Reports (2006)
In a sample of 143 adults from a population of households in Idaho, significant differences...
The Psychological Effects of Exposure to Wartime Trauma in Bosnian Residents and Refugees: Implications for Treatment and Service Provision (with Sandina Begic), International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction (2006)
It has been widely reported that exposure to war-related trauma leads to psychological distress in...
Teaching and Learning Operant Principles in Animal Shelters: Perspectives from Faculty, Students, and Shelter Staff (with Rafaelito Caso and Dee Fugit), Journal of Instructional Psychology (2005)
Many instructors have expressed a recent interest in incorporating service-learning activities into their courses. Several...
Contributions to Books
The Clump-McDonald Student Entitlement Scale (with M. A. Clump), Advances in Psychology Research (2010)
Facilitating Preventative Mental Health Interventions for College Students: Institutional and Individual Strategies (with Mary E. Pritchard and R. Eric Landrum), Stress and Mental Health of College Students (2006)
The college student experience, although often exciting, empowering, and invigorating, can also be stressful, anxiety...
Presentations
Fifth Year Evaluation of the Clinical Services Program (with Sandina Begic and Elsa Howard), Idaho Juvenile Justice Commission (2013)
The presentation documented the mental health and substance abuse problems among juveniles in Idaho’s 12...
Idaho Adult Perceptions of Underage Drinking (with Sandina Begic), Fifth Annual Northwest Alcohol Conference (2012)
This workshop focused on the results of a statewide survey of Idaho adults that was...