William Axinn

Faculty by courtesy

William Axinn

Professor of Sociology and Professor of Public Policy (by courtesy)

William Axinn is a research professor at the Institute for Social Research, professor in the Department of Sociology, a faculty affiliate at the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies, and a professor of public policy. He is a sociologist and…

State & Hill

Faculty news, fall 2024

Dec 17, 2024

William G. Axinn is the interim director of the Ford School’s International Policy Center. He recently published “Early-life risk factors for depression among young adults in the United States general population: Attributable risks and gender...

Top row (from left to right): Sarah Cohodes, Yusuf Neggers, Morela Hernandez, Paula Lantz. Bottom row (from left to right): Katherine Michelmore, Yousif Hassan, Barry Rabe, Kevin Stange.

State & Hill

Faculty Findings, fall 2024

Dec 17, 2024

Mental health and marriage timing Decades of research document powerful associations between parents’ characteristics and children’s marital behaviors. “Parental mental health strongly shapes or disrupts family life and long-term opportunities for...

Panoramic view of Pokhara, with Mt Fishtail / Machapuchare (Himalayan range)

News

Axinn and Lantz to lead Ford School’s International Policy Center

Jul 11, 2024

William Axinn will serve as interim director of the Ford School’s International Policy Center (IPC) beginning on August 1, 2024. Paula Lantz will serve as interim associate director of IPC and focus on overseeing and leading a review of the Ford...

Publication

New study ties exposure to armed conflict violence in childhood with subsequent alcohol use disorder

Sep 27, 2023

Exposure to nearby violence has been shown to increase the onset of alcohol use disorders (AUD), especially in young people. In new research, William Axinn, Ford School professor and research professor at the Survey Research Center and Population...

Publication

Study: Young women report higher rates of forced sexual intercourse during pandemic

Aug 24, 2023

The rate of forced intercourse in early adulthood rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a potential increase in unintended pregnancies and many other sexual, reproductive and mental health problems, according to a University of Michigan...

Publication

Axinn publishes article investigating ties between trauma, social support, and mental health in Nepal

Oct 10, 2022

Can social infrastructure help reduce the burden of depression, especially in high-risk settings? A recent study by researchers from the University of Michigan and partners in Nepal, Mexico, and Boston says yes. Center for Global Health Equity...

Photo of a large open field with a person and farm animals, and with houses and buildings in the background

Publication

Axinn and colleagues examine COVID-19 behaviors in Nepal

Jan 5, 2022

Examining the worries and behaviors of families in Nepal, Ford School courtesy professor William Axinn and colleagues from the Institute of Social Research and its Program in Society, Population, and Environment were able to tap in to an ongoing...

Axinn: "Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students and same-aged peers"

Feb 5, 2018

William Axinn is a contributing author on "Suicidal thoughts and behaviors among college students and same-aged peers: Results from the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys," published by Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric...

Axinn: The association between college experience and the odds of forced intercourse

Feb 5, 2018

William Axinn served as lead author on "General population estimates of the association between college experience and the odds of forced intercourse," published by Social Science Research in October 2017.AbstractSexual assault on college campuses...

Axinn's "Natural resource collection & desired family size" tests enviro-population theories

Feb 5, 2018

"Natural resource collection and desired family size: A longitudinal test of environment-population theories," by Sarah Brauner-Otto and William Axinn, was published in the June 2017 issue of Population and Environment.AbstractTheories relating the...

Axinn’s research on sexual assault finds greater risk for women with little or no college

Nov 28, 2017

William Axinn’s recent study on sexual assault rates, "General population estimates of the association between college experience and the odds of forced intercourse," finds that while forced intercourse is a pervasive problem on college campuses,...

Axinn researches “Mental disorders among college students” for Population Studies Center

Jan 16, 2017

William Axinn co-authored a study, "Mental disorders among college students in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys," published in Psychological Medicine on August 3, 2016. Abstract: Although mental disorders are...

Axinn examines ethnic differences in psychiatric disorders of South Asian populations

Jan 16, 2017

An article co-authored by Armani Hawes, William Axinn, and Dirgha Ghimire, "Ethnicity and Psychiatric Disorders," was published in the Annals of Psychiatry and Mental Health on June 16, 2016. Abstract: Psychiatric disorders are one of the...

Axinn studies how level of “husband-wife emotional bond” influences use of contraception

Jan 16, 2017

An article by William Axinn, Dirgha Ghimire, and Smily Smith-Greenaway, "Emotional Variation and Fertility Behavior," is forthcoming in Demography. Abstract: Emotional influences on fertility behaviors are an understudied topic that may offer...

Axinn study seeks to develop "culturally appropriate" and "clinically validated" questionnaire

Jan 16, 2017

William Axinn, Dirgha Ghimire, Heather Gatney, and Stephanie Chardoul are co-authors of a forthcoming article, "Preparing a Culturally Appropriate Translation of a Survey Questionnaire," for SAGE Research Methods Case Health. Abstract: In 1996...

Catch up on faculty news with the Ford School's fall 2015 roundup

Dec 4, 2015

This spring, Robert Axelrod was one of ten distinguished honorary degree recipients at Harvard’s 364th commencement ceremony. The Carnegie Corporation of New York has awarded John Ciorciari its prestigious Andrew Carnegie Fellowship to examine...

Welcome to the new academic year

Aug 31, 2015

Dear members of the Ford School community,As the streets of Ann Arbor start to fill with students, as the marching band takes the field down the hill, and as we open our doors for Welcome Week, I write with my warmest greetings to new and returning...

Welcome, and welcome back, to the Ford School image

News

Introducing Bill Axinn, joining our faculty with a courtesy appointment

Aug 11, 2015

The Ford School is delighted to announce that a number of faculty members will join our community this fall. To introduce them to the Ford School community, we’re running weekly Q&As throughout the summer that touch on their policy and personal...

News

The Ford School faculty is growing

Jul 23, 2015

We’re delighted to announce significant growth in our faculty for the coming year, including six additions to our governing faculty. Paula Lantz, a social epidemiologist, is currently professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy at...

Parental Mental Disorders and Children’s Sex and Contraception

Mar 12, 2025, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT

This webinar links the new Chitwan Valley Family Study-Young Adult Study (CVFS-YAS) continuous measures of sex and contraceptive use to the prior measures of parental mental health.

Ukrainian Children's Health and Wellbeing during War: Research to Guide Policy

Nov 11, 2024, 11:30 am-12:45 pm EST

Weill Hall 1210

During this seminar session, students will learn about recent research examining the health impacts of war on Ukraine’s children.

3 headshots, from left to right: William Axinn, Tetiana Skrypchenko, Stephanie Chardoul

The CVFS Young Adult Study: Methods and Findings from a 30 Month, Frequent Interview, Study of Private Topics

Oct 16, 2024, 2:00-3:00 pm EDT

This webinar uses the new CVFS young adult study (YAS) to document the benefits of a mixed mode design for longitudinal studies.

Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Health Policy Fund, Policy Talks @ the Ford School

Sexual Assault on U-M Campus: Challenges, Policy, & Prevention

Feb 16, 2017, 4:00-5:30 pm EST

Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium

This event is made possible in part through the generous support of the Gilbert S. Omenn and Martha A. Darling Health Policy Fund

Sexual Assault on U-M Campus: Challenges, Policy, & Prevention panel

Feb 16, 2017 1:15:07

William Axinn, Pamela Heatlie, Holly Rider-Milkovich, & Emma Zorfass provide a 360 view of the issue of sexual assault & misconduct on college campuses, and how research, awareness, community action & policy intersect a public health i