My research is organized around two interconnected themes. The primary thread examines the relationship between social ties and geographic mobility across the life course. This work spans the full life course—from young adulthood through later life—and challenges the dominant economic framework in migration research by demonstrating that social ties are central to mobility decisions, not incidental to them.A secondary line of research examines interpersonal relationships, including close friendship and satisfaction with intimate relationships in adulthood—work that provides the conceptual foundation for my current project on the social costs of migration.My current research develops the concept of social severance costs: the non-monetary cost of severing embedded non-kin ties—a cost that can both deter migration and shape social consequences for those who do move. This work addresses a significant gap in migration theory by isolating the liability side of local social ties: not what they provide, but what their loss costs.
Books
MonographGillespie, Brian Joseph. 2017. Household Mobility in America: Patterns, Processes, and Outcomes. New York: Palgrave.
Methods TextbooksGillespie, Brian Joseph and Kathleen Hibbert. In Press (2026). Lab Manual for Social Science Statistics with R. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Kathleen Hibbert, and William E. Wagner, III. 2020. A Guide to R for Social and Behavioral Science Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Wagner, William E., III and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2018. Using and Interpreting Statistics in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Ruel, Erin, William E. Wagner III, and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2016. The Practice of Survey Research: Theory and Applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Edited VolumeGillespie, Brian Joseph and Clara H. Mulder. 2024. Moving & Staying in the Context of the Family. Population, Space and Place 30(3).
Articles
Social and Family Demography
Mulder, Clara H., Brian Joseph Gillespie, Tialda Haartsen, Ewoud T. Jansma, Kilian J. Steigner, and Jonne A. K. Thomassen. 2026. "Self-Reported Motives for Immobility or Constraints to Moving: A Review and Assessment of Ten Survey Measures." Population, Space and Place 32(2). doi: 10.1002/psp.70240
Mulder, Clara H. and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2024. "Moving and Staying in the Context of the Family: A Review and Introduction to the Special Issue." Population, Space and Place 30(3). doi: 10.1002/psp.2712
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Tineke Fokkema. 2024. "Life Events, Social Conditions, and Residential Mobility among Older Adults." Population, Space and Place 30(3). doi: 10.1002/psp.2706
Spring, Amy, Brian Joseph Gillespie, and Clara H. Mulder. 2024. "Internal Migration Following Adverse Life Events: Assessing the Likelihood of Return Migration and Migration towards Family." Population, Space and Place 30(3). doi: 10.1002/psp.2711
Artamonova, Alyona and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2023. "Geographic Proximity between Siblings in Older Adulthood." Demographic Research 49(7): 143-156. doi: 10.4054/demres.2023.49.7
van der Wiel, Roselinde, Brian Joseph Gillespie, and Lene Tølbøll. 2023. "Migration for Coresidence among Long-Distance Couples: The Role of Gender and Local Ties to Family." Population, Space and Place 29(2).
doi: 10.1002/psp.2631
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2022. "Family and Friends Living Nearby, Neighborhood Satisfaction, and Residential Mobility." City & Community 21(2): 140-155. doi: 10.1177/15356841211060838
Artamonova, Alyona and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2022. "Older Adults' Internal Migration Toward Faraway Siblings." The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 77(7): 1336-1349. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac011
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Clara H. Mulder, and Christiane von Reichert. 2022. "The Role of Family and Friends in Return Migration and Its Labor Market Outcomes." Population Research and Policy Review 41(1): 115-138.
doi: 10.1007/s11113-021-09650-x
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Clara H. Mulder, and Casey M. Eggleston. 2021. "Measuring Migration Motives with Open-Ended Survey Data: Conceptual and Methodological Issues." Population, Space and Place 27(6).
doi: 10.1002/psp.2448
Artamonova, Alyona, Maria Brandén, Brian Joseph Gillespie, and Clara H. Mulder. 2021. "Adult Children's Gender, Number, & Proximity and Older Parents' Moves to Institutions." Ageing & Society 43(2): 342-372.
doi: 10.1017/S0144686X21000556
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Lei Lei. 2021. "Intergenerational Solidarity, Proximity to Parents When Moving to Independence, and Returns to the Parental Home." Population, Space and Place 27(2). doi: 10.1002/psp.2395
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Clara H. Mulder. 2020. "Nonresident Family as a Motive for Migration." Demographic Research 42(13): 399-410. doi: 10.4054/DemRes.2020.42.13
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2020. "Adolescent Intergenerational Relationship Dynamics and Leaving & Returning to the Parental Home." Journal of Marriage and Family 82(3): 997-1014. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12630
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Clara H. Mulder, and Michael Thomas. 2020. "Migration for Family and Labour Market Outcomes in Sweden." Population Studies 75(2): 209-219. doi: 10.1080/00324728.2020.1800068
Artamonova, Alyona, Brian Joseph Gillespie, and Maria Brandén. 2020. "Geographic Mobility among Older People and Their Adult Children: The Role of Parents' Health Issues and Family Ties." Population, Space and Place 26(8). doi: 10.1002/psp.2371
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Georgiana Bostean, and Stefan Malizia. 2020. "Timing of Departure from the Parental Home: Differences by Immigrant Generation and Parents' Region of Origin." Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences 42(2): 165-190. doi: 10.1177/0739986320916424
Thomas, Michael, Brian Joseph Gillespie, and Nik Lomax. 2019. "Variations in Migration Motives over Distance." Demographic Research 40(38): 1097-1110. doi: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.38
Bostean, Georgiana and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2018. "Acculturation, Acculturative Stressors, and Family Relationships among Latino Immigrants." Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology 24(1): 126-138.
doi: 10.1037/cdp0000169
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Judith Treas. 2017. "Adolescent Intergenerational Cohesiveness and Young Adult Proximity to Mothers." Journal of Family Issues 38(6): 798-819. doi: 10.1177/0192513X15598548
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Tanja van der Lippe. 2015. "Early Intergenerational Cohesiveness and Later Geographic Distance to Parents in the Netherlands." Advances in Life Course Research 23(1): 56-66.
doi: 10.1016/j.alcr.2014.07.001
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2015. "Residential Mobility and Change and Continuity in Parenting Processes." Journal of Research on Adolescence 25(2): 279-294. doi: 10.1111/jora.12114
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2013. "Adolescent Behavior and Achievement, Social Capital, and the Timing of Geographic Mobility." Advances in Life Course Research 18(3): 223-233. doi: 10.1016/j.alcr.2013.07.001
Social & Sexual Relationships Over the Life Course
Frederick, David A., Brian Joseph Gillespie, Janet Lever, Vincent Berardi, and Justin Garcia. 2021. "Debunking Lesbian Bed Death: Using Coarsened Exact Matching to Compare Sexual Practices and Satisfaction of Lesbian and Heterosexual Women." Archives of Sexual Behavior 50(8): 3601-3619. doi: 10.1007/s10508-021-02096-4
Frederick, David A., Brian Joseph Gillespie, Janet Lever, Vincent Berardi, and Justin Garcia. 2021. "Sexual Practices and Satisfaction among Gay and Heterosexual Men in Romantic Relationships: A Comparison Using Coarsened Exact Matching in a U.S. National Sample." The Journal of Sex Research 58(5): 545-559.
doi: 10.1080/00224499.2020.1861424
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Judith Treas. 2019. "Perceived Reliability of Assistance among American Older Adults: A Study of Kin and Nonkin Help." International Journal of Care and Caring 3(2): 183-202.
doi: 10.1332/239788219x15473079319273
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Gretchen Peterson, and Janet Lever. 2019. "Gendered Perceptions of Fairness in Housework and Shared Expenses: Implications for Relationship Satisfaction and Sex Frequency." PLoS ONE 14(3): e0214204. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0214204
Thiele, Megan and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2017. "Social Stratification at the Top Rung: Classed Reports of Students' Social Experiences on a Selective University Campus." Sociological Perspectives 60(1): 113-131.
doi: 10.1177/0731121415611683
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2017. "Correlates of Sex Frequency and Sexual Satisfaction among Partnered Older Adults." Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 43(5): 403-423. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2016.1176608
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2017. "Sexual Synchronicity and Communication among Partnered Older Adults." Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy 43(5): 441-455. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2016.1182826
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Kathleen Hibbert, and Angela Sanguinetti. 2017. "A Review of Psychosocial and Interpersonal Factors Impacting Sexual Expression in Late-Midlife & Older Adulthood." Current Sexual Health Reports 9(3): 150-154. doi: 10.1007/s11930-017-0117-2
Frederick, David, Janet Lever, Brian Joseph Gillespie, and Justin Garcia. 2017. "What Keeps Passion Alive? Sexual Satisfaction is Associated with Sexual Communication, Mood Setting, Sexual Variety, Oral Sex, Orgasm, and Sex Frequency in a National U.S. Study." The Journal of Sex Research 54(2): 186-201.
doi: 10.1080/00224499.2015.1137854
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, David A. Frederick, Lexi Harari, and Christian Grov. 2015. "Homophily, Close Friendship, and Life Satisfaction among Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men and Women." PLoS ONE 10(6): e0128900. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128900
Gillespie, Brian Joseph, Janet Lever, David A. Frederick, and Tracy Royce. 2014. "Close Adult Friendships, Gender, and the Life Cycle." Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 32(6): 709-736.
doi: 10.1177/0265407514546977
Grov, Christian, Brian Joseph Gillespie, Tracy Royce, and Janet Lever. 2011. "Perceived Consequences of Casual Online Sexual Activities on Heterosexual Relationships." Archives of Sexual Behavior 40(2): 429-439.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-010-9598-z
Lever, Janet, Christian Grov, Tracy Royce, and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2008. "Searching for Love in All the 'Write' Places: Evaluating Internet Personals Use by Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Age." The International Journal of Sexual Health 20(4): 233-246. doi: 10.1080/19317610802411532
Other Publications
Mulder, Clara H. and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2021. "De Magneetwerking van Familie in Verhuizingen over Lange Afstand." Demos: Bulletin on Population & Society 37(3): 8.
Thiele, Megan and Brian Joseph Gillespie. 2018. "Using Quantitative Insights to Supplement Qualitative Research on the Foundational and Debated Concept of Social Class." SAGE Research Methods Cases.
doi: 10.4135/9781526432728
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2016. "Residential Mobility and Families" in Constance Sheehan (Ed.) The Encyclopedia of Family Studies. Boston: Wiley-Blackwell.
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2015. "Intersectional Perspectives on Aging" (Peer-Reviewed Teaching Activity). TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington, DC: American Sociological Association.
Gillespie, Brian Joseph. 2014. "Does Intergenerational Solidarity Buffer the Negative Effects of Residential Mobility? Evidence for U.S. Children." Field Actions Science Reports, Special Issue 10: 1-9.
Gillespie, Brian Joseph and Georgiana Bostean. 2013. "Socioeconomic Status, Residential Mobility, and Health." Chapter 2 (pp. 33-57) in Kevin Fitzpatrick (Ed.) Poverty and Health: A Crisis among America's Most Vulnerable, Volume II. Santa Barbara: Praeger.