SelectedWorks - Jessica Wells

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Selected Works of Jessica Wells

Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice

Dr. Jessica Wells joined Boise State University in 2017 and is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Criminal Justice. She earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Criminal Justice and Criminology both from Sam Houston State University, and B.A. in Criminology & Criminal Justice and English from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Her primary research interest lies in biosocial criminology with specific interests in molecular genetics and gender. Dr. Wells is actively involved in a collaborative behavior genetics project, developing skills to genotype DNA samples for behavior genetics use. She is a reviewer for the Journal of Qualitative Criminology, the Journal of School Violence, and Criminal Justice and Behavior, and is currently a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society of Criminology, and the Biosocial Criminology Association.

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About Jessica Wells

Dr. Jessica Wells joined Boise State University in 2017 and is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Criminal Justice. She earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Criminal Justice and Criminology both from Sam Houston State University, and B.A. in Criminology & Criminal Justice and English from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Her primary research interest lies in biosocial criminology with specific interests in molecular genetics and gender. Dr. Wells is actively involved in a collaborative behavior genetics project, developing skills to genotype DNA samples for behavior genetics use. She is a reviewer for the Journal of Qualitative Criminology, the Journal of School Violence, and Criminal Justice and Behavior, and is currently a member of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the American Society of Criminology, and the Biosocial Criminology Association.

Articles (15)

Testosterone, Cortisol, and Criminal Behavior in Men and Women (Todd A. Armstrong, Danielle L. Boisvert, Jessica Wells, et al.) Hormones and Behavior (2022)

Only two studies to date have considered the joint effects of testosterone and cortisol on direct measures of criminal behavior. The current study extends this earlier work by incorporating the direct and interactive effects of ...

Inflammatory and Environmental Contributions to Social Information Processing (Amanda Venta, Jeremy Bechelli, Johanna Bick, et al.) Attachment & Human Development (2022)

It appears that social information processing is negatively affected by inflammation, but extant research is primarily experimental and comes from laboratory-based manipulations of inflammatory states. We aimed to examine interactions between inflammation, stressful life events, ...

Examining the Relationship Between Victimization, Psychopathy, and the Acceptance of Rape Myths (Eric M. Cooke, Richard H. Lewis, Brittany E. Hayes, et al.) Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2022)

Rape myths are attitudes that implicitly and explicitly blame victims for their own sexual victimization. Greater adherence to rape myths is linked to several negative outcomes, including the neutralization of gender-based violence and the perpetration ...

Further Evaluation of the Associations Between Psychopathic Traits and Symptoms of PTSD and Depression in a Nonclinical Sample (Nicholas Kavish, Danielle Boisvert, Eric M. Cooke, et al.) Journal of Personality Disorders (2021)

Examining psychopathic traits at the factor or facet level has revealed that various aspects of psychopathy may be differentially related, even in opposing directions, to important outcomes (e.g., intelligence, emotion regulation). Empirical work on relations ...

An Exploratory Analysis of Testosterone, Cortisol, and Aggressive Behavior Type in Men and Women (Todd Armstrong, Jessica Wells, Danielle L. Boisvert, et al.) Biological Psychology (2021)

Increasing evidence indicates that the interaction between testosterone and cortisol is associated with variation in aggressive behavior. However, results are mixed. The current study further explored the association between testosterone, cortisol, and both reactive and ...

Assessing Potential Overlap Between Self-Control and Psychopathy: A Consideration of the Grasmick Self-Control Scale and the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (Todd A. Armstrong, Danielle Boisvert, Jessica Wells, et al.) Journal of Criminal Justice (2020)

The current work assesses overlap between self-control and psychopathy with a focus on the Grasmick et al. (1993) self-control scale (gscs) and the levenson et al. (1995) self-report psychopathy scale (lsrps). using a sample of ...

Examining How Testosterone and Cortisol Influence the Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, and Antisocial Behavior: A Gendered Analysis (Eric M. Cooke, Eric J. Connolly, Danielle L. Boisvert, et al.) Crime & Delinquency (2020)

This study provides a test of General Strain Theory by examining the relations between strain, negative emotions, and biological hormones in the prediction of antisocial behavior across gender. Findings from a diverse sample of 512 ...

On the Associations Between Indicators of Resting Arousal Levels, Physiological Reactivity, Sensation Seeking, and Psychopathic Traits (Nicholas Kavish, Danielle Boisvert, Jessica Wells, et al.) Personality and Individual Differences (2019)

Despite consistent findings associating autonomic activity, such as resting heart rate, with antisocial behavior, the research connecting autonomic variables to related phenotypes, such as psychopathy and sensation seeking, has been mixed. The existing research in ...

Skin Conductance, Heart Rate and Aggressive Behavior Type (Todd Armstrong, Jessica Wells, Danielle L. Boisvert, et al.) Biological Psychology (2019)

The current study tested the association between physiology and aggressive behavior type in a large sample of University students (N = 509). Measures of aggression were gathered with the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire. Analyses ...

The Relationship Between the MAOA-uVNTR Polymorphism, Delinquent Peer Affiliation, and Antisocial Behavior with a Consideration of Sex Differences (Eric M. Cooke, Todd Armstrong, Danielle Boisvert, et al.) Psychiatric Quarterly (2018)

With the advent of new and more readily usable gene sequencing techniques, researchers have been able to examine the interactions between genes and the environment (G X E) within a multitude of scientific perspectives. One ...

Serotonin and Self-control: A Genetically Moderated Stress Sensitization Effect (Danielle Boisvert, Jessica Wells, Todd A. Armstrong, et al.) Journal of Criminal Justice (2018)

Purpose: The current study seeks to examine how two widely studied serotonergic polymorphisms, MAOA-uVNTR and 5-HTTLPR, interact with early and later life stressors to explain between-individual variation in low self-control in a genetically moderated stress ...

Parental Rejection and Antisocial Behavior: The Moderating Role of Testosterone (Jessica Wells) Journal of Criminal Psychology (2018)

Purpose Research reports a positive relationship between parental rejection and antisocial behavior in adolescents and young adults. Studies also report a positive association between testosterone and antisocial behavior. The purpose of this paper is to ...

Stress, Genes, and Generalizability Across Gender: Effects of MAOA and Stress Sensitivity on Crime and Delinquency (Jessica Wells, Todd Armstrong, Danielle Boisvert, et al.) Criminology (2017)

In the current study, we extend the gene-by-environment interaction (cGxE) literature by examining how a widely studied polymorphism, the MAOA upstream variable number tandem repeat (MAOA-uVNTR) interacts with distal and proximal stressors to explain variation ...

The Relationship Between Work–Family Conflict, Correctional Officer Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction (Gaylene S. Armstrong, Cassandra A. Atkin-Plunk and Jessica Wells) Criminal Justice and Behavior (2015)

Balancing demands between work and family domains can strain even the most resourceful employee. When the tipping point of conflict between the two is reached, a negative impact on employee well-being can result. Within correctional ...

Molecular Genetic Underpinnings of Self-Control: 5-HTTLPR and Self-Control in a Sample of Inmates (Jessica Wells, Todd Armstrong, Brian Boutwell, et al.) Journal of Criminal Justice (2015)

Purpose: Several studies now show that self-control, as proposed by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), is at least moderately heritable. Studies of molecular genetic variation related to serotonergic function suggest that the heritability of self-control may ...

The Victimization of Persons with Disabilities: Prevalence of People with Disabilities in Idaho (Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, Laura L. King, Lane Kirkland Gillespie, et al.) (2023)

Much of what we know about crime and victimization tells us that the risk of victimization is not the same for everyone. Characteristics of victims (e.g., age, sex, disability status) and their environment (e.g., poverty, ...

Victims with Disabilities: Idaho Service Provider Survey (Laura L. King, Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, Lane K. Gillespie, et al.) (2023)

It is estimated that up to 27% of adults in the U.S. are living with one or more disabilities. In Idaho, the estimate is slightly higher at 29%, with cognitive and mobility disabilities being the ...

Victimization Among Persons with Disabilities: Professional Stakeholder Perspectives in Idaho (Lane Kirkland Gillespie, Jessica Wells, Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, et al.) (2022)

Approximately 60 million adults (26%) in the U.S. live with a disability, and in Idaho, 27% of adults (more than 369,000) are living with a disability. There are many types of disability a person may ...

Idaho Crime Victim Service Provider Survey Results (Laura L. King, Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, Lane K. Gillespie, et al.) (2020)

As a part of the Biennial Report on Victimization & Victim Services, a series of reports produced by Boise State University researchers and funded by the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance (ICDVVA), ...

Idaho Crime Victim Survey (Laura L. King, Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, Lane K. Gillespie, et al.) (2020)

As a part of the Biennial Report on Victimization & Victim Services, a series of reports produced by Boise State University researchers and funded by the Idaho Council on Domestic Violence and Victim Assistance (ICDVVA), ...

Idaho’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: The Effect of HB528 on Sexual Assault Clearance Rates (Lisa M. Growette Bostaph, Rachel Jeffries, Laura L. King, et al.) (2020)

In 2019, an estimated 212,230 people 12 years of age or older experienced more than 450,000 acts of sexual violence1 in the U.S. (Morgan & Truman, 2020). The Centers for Disease Control (2010- 2012) estimated ...

The “Silent Killer” of Correctional Officers: Examining Job Stress Among TDCJ Correctional Officers (G. S. Armstrong, Jessica Wells and C. A. Atkin-Plunk) (2013)

IPV and Depression: A Stress Sensitization Approach (Jessica Wells) 55th Annual Meeting of the American Criminal Justice Sciences (2018)

The stress sensitization hypothesis holds that the severity of the effects of later life stress is greater for those individuals exposed to above average levels of environmental stress early in life. This effect may be ...

Stress Sensitization and Biological Stress Responsivity: A Developmental Approach to the Impact of Stress Across Gender (Jessica Wells, Danielle Boisvert, Richard Lewis, et al.) American Society of Criminology 73rd Annual Meeting (2017)

The stress sensitization model proposes that distal and proximal environmental stressors interact to explain psychological and behavioral phenotypes. As suggested by this framework, the impact of proximal stressors, such as recent life stress, are more ...

Stress, Genes, and Generalizability Across Gender: Direct and Interactive Effects of Candidate Genes and Life Stress on Antisocial Behavior (Jessica Wells, Todd Armstrong, D. Boisvert, et al.) 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology (2016)