China Billotte Verhoff, Ph.D.
Specialization: Interpersonal Communication; Self-disclosure; Social Support; Quantitative Methods
China C. Billotte Verhoff is an Assistant Professor of Interpersonal Communication in the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. Dr. Billotte Verhoff’s research agenda explores self-disclosure and social support processes in the intersections of work, family, and career. Her current research centers on the development and assessment of a pregnancy disclosure model (PDM) that examines expecting mothers’ pregnancy disclosures to their workplace supervisors. Employing a two-wave longitudinal study design, this project quantitatively assesses the factors that influence women’s disclosure decision making and unpacks how the disclosure interaction can impact women’s professional, psychological, and relational wellbeing. In addition to this project, her research also qualitatively explores women’s accounts of pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and maternity leave experiences. This body of work re-conceptualizes self-disclosure as an organizing process to explore (a) how expecting mothers’ discursive interactions draw upon, engage, and navigate dilemmas associated with gendered macro-discourses and (b) the tensions that women experience and navigate during the disclosure process surrounding these experiences. Dr. Billotte Verhoff’s work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Language and Social Psychology and Health Communication.
When not working, Dr. Billotte Verhoff enjoys film photography, spending time with loved ones, and hiking.