Lucrecia Mena-Meléndez

Ph.D.: University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California, 2021 (Sociology, Specialization in Social Demography and International Migration)

M.A.: University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California, 2016 (Sociology)

M.A.: Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva, Switzerland, 2014 (Development Studies)

2023 -2025 Assistant Research Scientist, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana

Investigators:Bueno, X., Mena-Meléndez, L., Jozkowski, K. N. (Consultant), Crawford, B. L. (Consultant) 2023 -2026 Society of Family Planning Supporting Access and Experience of Self-Managed Abortion post-Dobbs among Latinx Migrant Populations in the US Role:(Co-PI) $49,906 Active Type:Grant

Investigators:Mena-Meléndez, L. 2023 -2026 Society of Family Planning Changemaker in Family Planning: Career Development to Promote Reproductive Justice among Latinx Populations Post-Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Role:PI $57,248 Active Type:Grant

Investigators:Mena-Meléndez, L. 2024 -2024 Indiana University Delving Further into Public Health: Mentorship, Collaboration, and Exchange Role:PI 150 hours of student effort for a summer research internship Completed Type:Grant

Peer Reviewed Publications

Mena-Meléndez, L., Bueno, X., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Jozkowski, K. N. Did the Dobbs v. Jackson Decision Influence People’s Attitudes Toward Abortion Legality Across Abortion Circumstances and Weeks’ Gestation? .Sexuality Research and Social Policy, ,

Hawbaker, A., Turner, R. C., Mena-Meléndez, L., Jozkowski, K. N., Crawford, B. L., Lo, W (2025. ) A Multi-Method Analysis of the “for any reason” Abortion Attitude Item in the General Social Survey.International Journal of Public Opinion Research, , 37 (3 ) , More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L. (2025. ) Ethnoracial and Rural-Urban Differences in Female Sterilization in Latin America.Frontiers in Global Women’s Health - Contraception and Family Planning, , 6 (1582729 ) , More Information

Bueno, X., Mena-Meléndez, L., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Lo, W., Jozkowski, K. N. (2025. ) Assessing the Impact of the Dobbs v. Jackson Decision on Abortion Attitudes by Abortion Identity Labels: A Mixed-Methods Longitudinal Study.Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters, , 33 (1 ) ,1-33 More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L., Bueno, X., Cary, K. M., Asamoah, N. A., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Jozkowski, K. N. (2025. ) English- and Spanish-speaking U.S. Adults’ Perceptions of the Most Common Reasons for Abortion: A Study of Open-Ended Data Before and After Dobbs v. Jackson.BMC Reproductive Health, , 22 (130 ) , More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L., Jozkowski, K. N., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Lo, W. (2025. ) Examining Public Opinion on Endorsed Punishments for Illegal Abortion by Abortion Legality and Abortion-Restrictive States before Dobbs v. Jackson.Criminology & Public Policy, , More Information

Bueno, X., Mena-Meléndez, L., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Lo, W., Jozkowski, K. N. (2025. ) Mixed Methods Approach to Translation Challenges in Multi-Language Research: Assessing How Spanish-Speaking Adults in the US Interpret the Terms Pro-Vida (Pro-Life) and Pro-Elección (Pro-Choice).International Journal of Public Opinion Research, , 37 (1 ) , More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L., Bueno, X., Lo, W., Buyuker, B. E., Crawford, B. L., Turner, R. C., Jozkowski, K. N. (2025. ) Exploring the Association Between Measures of Cross-Culturalism and Abortion Attitudes Amongst Latinxs in the U.S. .Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, , 47 (2 ) ,190-220 More Information

Mosley, E. A., Mena-Meléndez, L., Gould, H., Hasselbacher, L., Madera, M., Moseson, H. Seymour, J. W. (2025. ) Navigating “Regulatory Fog”: Challenges to Rigorous Abortion Research after the Dobbs v. Jackson Decision.Contraception, , More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L., Crawford, B. L., Valdez, D., LaRoche, K. J., Turner, R. C., Jozkowski, K. N. (2024. ) Is News Consumption Related to Abortion Attitudes? An Exploratory Study with a Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults.Frontiers in Communication—Health Communication, , 9 (1422318 ) , More Information

Ruiz, Y., Mena-Meléndez, L., Starkey, Z. P., Taylor, Z. E. (2024. ) Examining Mastery Orientation Among Youth in Latino/a Migrant Farmworker Families.Journal of Child and Family Studies, , More Information

Valdez, D., Mena-Meléndez, L., Crawford, B. L., Jozkowski, K. N. (2024. ) Abortion Reddit Forums Yield Diverse Dialogues Pertaining to Medical Information-Seeking and Personal Worldviews: A Data Mining and Natural Language Processing Study of the r/abortion and r/abortiondebate Subreddits.Journal of Medical Internet Research, , 26 (e47408 ) , More Information

Crawford, B. L., Jozkowski, K. N., Mena-Meléndez, L., Turner, R. C., Lo, W. (2024. ) Examining the Relationship Between Perceptions of Pregnancy and Fetal Development Timing and Support for Abortion Bans.Journal of Women, Politics & Policy , , 45 (1 ) ,7–26 More Information

Valdez, D., Mena-Meléndez, L., Crawford, B. L., Arvind, A., Jozkowski, K. N. (2023. ) Online Social Media Reactions to the Overturn of Roe v. Wade: Public Health Implications and Policy Insights.Sexuality Research and Social Policy, , 21 ,616–631 More Information

Jozkowski, K. N., Mena-Meléndez, L., Crawford, B. L. Turner, R. C. (2023. ) Abortion Stigma: Attitudes Toward Abortion Responsibility, Illegal Abortion, and Perceived Punishments of “Illegal Abortion.” .Psychology of Women Quarterly, , 47 (4 ) ,443–461 More Information

Crawford, B. L., Jozkowski, K. N., Mena-Meléndez, L., Turner, R. C. (2023. ) An Exploratory Examination of Attitudes Toward Illegal Abortion in the U.S. through Endorsement of Various Punishments.Contraception, , 121 (109952 ) , More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L. (2022. ) Rural-Urban Differences in Unintended Pregnancies, Contraceptive Nonuse, and Terminated Pregnancies in Latin America and the Caribbean.Women’s Reproductive Health, , 9 (2 ) , More Information

Mena-Meléndez, L. (2020. ) Ethnoracial Child Health Inequalities in Latin America: Multilevel Evidence from Bolivia, Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru.SSM - Population Health, , 12 (100673 ) , More Information

Other Publications

Mena-Meléndez, L. and Jozkowski, K. N. (2025. ) Americans Oppose Criminalizing Abortion. Too Many Policymakers Aren’t Listening .Ms. Magazine,

Americans Oppose Criminalizing Abortion. Too Many Policymakers Aren’t Listening

2025 -2025 Next Generation Award Society of Family Planning Status:Recipient Level:National Type:Recognition

2021-2022 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Purdue University, , Lafayette, Indiana

2022-2023 Postdoctoral Fellow, Indiana University, , Bloomington, Indiana

2016-2020 Certificate of Training in Demography and Population Studies, California Center for Population Research, University of California, Los Angeles, , Los Angeles, California

Academic - 231 Albert Sabin Way
Cincinnati  Ohio, 45267
Phone: 513-558-5886
menamela@ucmail.uc.edu