Aidan D. Kraus
Doctoral Student
Aidan D. Kraus is a doctoral student at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development studying counseling psychology with a specialization in sport & performance psychology. Aidan is particularly interested in how the mental health of student-athletes influences and is influenced by collegiate athletics, which stems from their research on athlete mental health and diversity and inclusion. As a former collegiate student-athlete and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, they strive to create more welcoming and affirming spaces for high school and collegiate student-athletes, especially those who identify as transgender and/or gender-nonconforming. They plan to dedicate their career and research to advocating for more inclusive practices and policies for those often underrepresented within sport and athletic competition. Aidan is interested in working with athletes at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels.
As a doctoral student, Aidan works as a research assistant under advisors Melissa Holt and John McCarthy, teaches graduate levels courses, and works as a mental performance consultant for Boston University Department of Athletics and College of Fine Arts. They also engage in clinical psychology training at a local university in the Boston area.
In addition to their work at BU Wheelock, Aidan is involved in numerous professional organizations. They are a student representative and co-chair of the Pride (LGBTQ+) Special Interest Group of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and was previously a student delegate for three years through the association. Aidan also serves the American Psychological Association (APA) as a student representative of the Division 17 Section for Advocacy of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (SASOGD) and are an elected member of the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students’ (APAGS) Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity (CSOGD). Additionally, they are a member of the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee through BU Wheelock.
Advisors: Melissa Holt and John McCarthy
Pronouns: they/them
Recent News
Education
EdM, Counseling, Specialization: Sport & Performance Psychology, Boston University
BA, American Studies, Focus: Psychology of Sport, Smith College
Selected Publications
Kraus, A. D., Tibbitts, E. (in press). Depression, anxiety, and help-seeking among division III athletes at a historically women’s college. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology.
Fisher, L., Compton, B. & Kraus, A. D. (in press). Playing the field: Experiences with sexual orientation and gender in sport and physical activity. In Razon, R. & Sachs, M. (Eds.), Applied Exercise Psychology: The Challenging Journey from Motivation to Adherence. New York, NY: Rutledge.
Taylor, E., Shigeno, T., Kraus, A. D. (2022). Impacts of division III female student-athletes’ experiences on pursuing a career in sport. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics.
Shah, T. N., Parodi, K. B., Holt, M. K., Green, J. G., Katz-Wise, S. L., Kraus, A. D., Kim, G. S., & Ji, Yujie. (2022). Transgender and non-binary adolescents: A qualitative exploration of how they define and identify supports. Journal of Adolescent Research.
Scheadler, T. R., Compton, B., Kraus, A. D. (2022). Cisheterosexism and sexual misconduct in sport. In Prewitt-White, T., Fisher, L. A. (Eds.), Examining and Mitigating Sexual Misconduct in Sport. New York, NY: Rutledge.
Parodi, K. B., Holt, M., Green, J. G., Katz-Wise, S. L., Shah, T. N., Kraus, A. D., Xuan, Z. (2022). Associations between school-related factors and mental health among transgender and gender diverse youth. Journal of School Psychology, 90, 135-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2021.11.004
Kraus, A. D. (2022). Recovery as sport: A comprehensive psychological rehabilitation process for injured athletes [Review of the book Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, by Cheadle, C. J. & Kuzma, C.]. Journal of Sport Psychology in Action. https://doi.org/10.1080/21520704.2022.2035472
Park Myong, P., Kraus, A. D., Dai, Y., Fantry, C., Block, T., Kelder, B., Howard, K. A. S., Solberg, V. S. H. (2021). Empowering women in finance through developing girls’ financial literacy skills in the United States. Behavioral Sciences, 11(12), 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11120176
Selected Presentations
Holt, M., Ranker, L., Kraus, A. D., Xuan, Z., Greif Green, J., & Katz-Wise, S. (September 19th, 2022). Wellbeing Among a National Sample of Transgender Youth: Associations with Gender Affirming Care and Social Transitioning [Live Lecture]. 27th World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Symposium, Montreal, Canada.
Wyatt, O. (Chair), Enriquez, D., Kraus, A., Esquivel, L., & Piasecki, P. (August 4th, 2022). Integrating Cultural Humility into Sport Psychology Training Programs [Live Workshop]. Division 47: Society for Sport, Exercise, & Performance Psychology, American Psychological Association Convention. Minneapolis, MN.
Altieri Jr., V., Kraus, A. D., McCarthy, J. & Walsh, D. (July 13th, 2022). Exploring TPSR members’ sense of self-efficacy in working with and for LGBTQIA+ youth [Live Virtual Workshop]. Teaching Personal and Social Responsibility (TPSR) Alliance Virtual Conference. Northern Illinois University.
Kraus, A. (June 4th, 2022). Advocating for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion within Sport & Performance
Psychology [Live Virtual Lecture]. Los Angeles County Psychological Association Sport Performance Psychology, Special Interest Group.
Compton, B., Kraus, A. & Scheadler, T. (June 6th, 2022). The Power of Storytelling: Building
Increased Visibility and Support for LGBTQIA+ People in Sport [Live Virtual Workshop]. LGBTQ Research Symposium. School of Social Welfare, The University of Kansas.
Enriquez, D. (Moderator), Compton, B., Kraus, A., Walker, D. & Washington, C. (Panelists). (May 26th, 2022). AASP Community Care Space: Advocating with and for Students [Live Virtual Panel]. Association for Applied Sport Psychology.
Compton, B., Bennett, H. & Kraus, A. (April 30th, 2022). Reimagining Social Justice in Sport: A Workshop on Healing and Self-Care Through Community [Virtual Live Workshop]. Association for Applied Sport Psychology, Diversity in Sport Regional Conference. Texas A&M University at Kingsville.
Parodi, K. B., Holt, M. K., Green, J. G., Katz-Wise, S. L., Xuan, Z., Shah, T., Kraus, A. D. & Morales, K. (April 24th, 2022). Recruitment and Retention of Transgender and Non-Binary Adolescents: A Pilot Longitudinal Study. In M. Holt (Chair), Critical Contexts for Adolescents: Exploring Contextual Influences on Sexting Behaviors and on the Experiences of Gender Expansive Adolescents [Live Symposium]. American Educational Research Association. San Diego, CA.
Collins-Joseph, K., Woo Kee, E., Lee, E., Taketa, M. (Moderators), Buzuvis, E., Kraus, A., Freeman, K. (Panelists). (April 20th, 2022). Legislating Bodies Panel [Live Panel]. Sports Committee of Inclusion and Diversity, Smith College, MA.
Davids, C. (Moderator), Deal, B., Bergland, E., Kraus, A., Weinstein, E., Wong, E. G. (Panelists). (April 6th, 2022). Westminster College Graduate Student Panel [Live Virtual Panel]. Westminster College, Department of Psychology. Salt Lake City, Utah.
Tibbetts, E., Kraus, A. & Parks Smith, K. (March 31st, 2022). But What Can We Do: A Collaborative Learning Approach to Addressing Questions of Gender, Intersectionality, and Early Specialization in Sport [Live Virtual Workshop]. Social Justice in Sport & Exercise Psychology Symposium. University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Tibbetts, E., Lawrence, C., Marwell, E., Ledwin, D., Parks Smith, K., Kraus, A. & Myran, C. (March 30th, 2022). Trans Inclusion Panel: A “Level” Playing Field: A conversation about the inherent oppression within the new (and former) NCAA trans guidelines & what to do about it [Live Virtual Workshop]. Social Justice in Sport & Exercise Psychology Symposium. University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Holt, M. K., Shah, T. N., Kraus, A. D., Parodi, K., Green, J. G., Katz-Wise, S. & Xuan, Z.
(2021, November 1st). Bias-based bullying among transgender and non-binary adolescents: Associations with psychological & educational functioning [On-Demand Virtual Lecture]. World Anti-Bullying Forum. Stockholm, Sweden.
Bennett, H., Owens, R., Kraus, A., Compton, B., Rundle, B., Bluher, A., Socolow, R., Bachmeier, E. & Halbrook, M. (2021, October 6th). Advocating for Trans Inclusion in Sport: The Role of Sport Psychology Professionals/Practitioners [Live Virtual Workshop]. Association for Applied Sport Psychology Annual Conference.