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) , 1-33More 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 PolicyMore 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) , 190-220More 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. ContraceptionMore 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 StudiesMore 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) , 7–26More 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, 616–631More 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) , 443–461More 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