Dr. Breault has a B.A. from Reed College, a M.A. from the University of Washington, and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, some would say the leading department of sociology in the world. He graduated first with a perfect gpa and was the department's nominee for the prestigious Harper Fellowship. At the time Dr. Breault was viewed as one of only a few students in the modern period (1980s) to get a paper published in the American Journal of Sociology. Since Chicago, Dr. Breault has had a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford and has taught at University of Cincinnati, Washington University, Austin Peay State University and has been at MTSU since 1999. Dr. Breault is a tenured full professor and has been Director of Graduate Studies at MTSU, and the Chair of the Sociology Program at Austin Peay State Univ.

Professor Breault has dozens of publications and has published in all the major journals in sociology, American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces. Some other journals include: Journal of Quantitative Criminology, British Journal of Sociology, Journal of Marriage and the Family, International Journal of Men's Health, Sociological Quarterly, Social Science Quarterly, Contemporary Sociology, Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, Archives of Suicide Research, Social Science Research, Sociological Spectrum, and International Journal of Women's Health, International Journal of General Medicine, Military Medicine, Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation. His major interest is in social epidemiology and explores the social forces related to morbidity and mortality. He is internationally known for research on homicide, suicide, religious participation in the U.S., social control theory, and Emile Durkheim, the founder of scientific sociology.

Dr. Breault has been noted in various publications including Wikipedia (as of 2019 one of few faculty members at MTSU to have such a page), Who's Who in America, he has hundreds of citations in the periodical literature (more than 1,400 as of 9/21) and books, and dozens of media appearances, including televisions, newspapers and radio. Dr. Breault may have more "quality" citations, citations based on papers published in leading journals, than any other faculty member at MTSU. Dr. Breault has also published 25 papers (51%) with current and former students. He has served as President of the Mid-South Sociological Association (MSSA), is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Sociological Spectrum, and serves as the Archivist of the MSSA. Breault does consulting work and his avocations include competitive chess and birding and he has a top six ranking in the American Birding Association. Dr. Breault is married to a retired attorney and has a daughter who recently received her doctorate. He tries to keep out of trouble.

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Publications with selected annotation (=*):

*49. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 2021. "Disability Status, Unemployment, and Alcohol-Related Liver Disease (ALD) Mortality: A Large Sample Individual Level Longitudinal Study," Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation, 12: 81-88.

Gender, minority status, marital statuses other than marriage, and socioeconomic variables have been found to be important in the alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) mortality literature. Unemployment and other employment factors have been less studied. In this large sample longitudinal study with expanded employment status factors, the unemployed (those looking for work), the disability (unable to work), and those not looking for work (notably, the retired), were all strongly related to ALD mortality compared to the employed. Of the three unemployment factors studied, the disabled had the highest risk for ALD mortality. Consistent with the prior literature, males, minorities, the divorced/separated, and the widowed also had high risk. Single/never married was negatively related to ALD mortality.

*48. Breault, K.D. with U. Orak, A. Kayaalp & M. Walker. 2021. "Resilience and Depression in Military Service: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)," Military Medicine, 2021;, usab364, https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab364.

Previous research had suggested military service involved stressors that may be related to depression. In this large sample individual level longtiudinal study, involving multigrowth modeling, the authors show that those in the military had the same level of depression as civilians. Given the difficult situations military members experience, these results may indicate military service is strongly related to resilience from depression.

*47. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa and D. Ezzat. 2021. "Diabetes Mellitus and Marital Status: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study on the Effect of Marital Dissolution and the Death of a Spouse," International Journal of General Medicine, 14:1881-1888.

Because previous researchers thought diabetes was underreported as a cause of death, Breault's group analyzed diabetes deaths that were less complicated by atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease in a sample of 1.4 million people. Divorced/separated men had high risk for diabetes mortality presumably because without a spouse they tended to overeat leading to obsesity and related morbidity. While most women do quite well in widowed status because they have increased social integration with other seniors especially women, this was not the case with regard to diabetes. the social integration that prevents many widowed women from other forms of morbidity and mortality, also seems to contribute to high risk for diabetes mortality because overeating in women is associated with increased social integration.

*46. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 2021. "European Demographic Risks, Immigration, Aging, and Social Recession," in Richard Verdugo (ed.), The Demographic Crisis in Europe, Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

In this chapter of Richard Verdugo's book, the authors discuss the various risks that may attend the current demographic crisis in Europe.

*45. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa & D. Ezzat. 2020. "Marital Status, Sex, and Suicide: New Longitudinal Findings and Durkheim's Marital Status Propositions," Sociological Spectrum, 2020, 2: 81-98.

In this paper focused on Durkheim's theory, Breault's research group showed that in the most recent individual level longitudinal data, the divorced and separated were more than 88% more likely to suicide than the married. In the discussion section it was noted that Durkheim's marital status propositions are less important to his theory than the amount of social integration, attachments, interactions and social control, much of which can be found at the social psychological level despite Durkheim's own sociological imperialism.

*44. Breault, K.D. with M. Matre. 2020. "A History of the Mid-South Sociological Association," Sociological Spectrum, 2020, 5: 329-361.

This is the first comprehensive history of the Mid-South Socioloogical Association.

*43. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa and D. Ezzat. 2019. "New Findings on Gender: The Effects of Employment Status on Suicide," International Journal of Women's Health, 11, 569-575.

In this study Breault's research group showed that in a large sample longitudinal study, that despite previous findings and gender assumptions unemployed women in the U.S. have higher deaths from suicide than unemployed men. This is the first time that women have been seen as having higher suicide risks compared to men on any variable previously studied. Discussion focused on explanation for gender disparities in unemployment including gender discrimination and harassment.

*42. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 2009. "Motor Vehicle Deaths among Men: Marital Status, Gender and Social Integration," International Journal of Men's Health, 8, 2, 129-142.

This research study on motor vehicle mortality investigated a sample of 450,483 men and women. Divorced and separated persons were 62% more likely to die in a motor vehicle accident, and men were 2.6 times more likely to die compared to women.

41. Breault, K.D. with L. Hampton and D. Brown. 2009. "Replicating Suicide in America:Durkheim's 1897 Theory," in G. Carter (ed.), Empirical Approaches to Sociology, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

*40. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa and J. McElvain. 2008. "Immigration and Suicide: The Role of Marital Status, Duration of Residence, and Social Integration,"; Archives of Suicide Research, 12, 1, 82-92.

This study look at at the relationship between immigration and suicide and included a matched case-control design. Immmigrant divorced persons were more than 2 times more likely to suicide than the native divorced. Single immigrants were similarly 2.6 times more likely to commit suicide. Shorter duration of residence was also associated with higher suicide risk.

39. Breault, K.D. with L. Farney and R. Aday. 2006. "Age Preference and 'How Old is Too Old' for Selected Service Providers and Young, Middle-aged and Older Adults," Journal of Educational Gerontology.

*38. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 2005. "Race, Ethnicity and the Risk of Homicide Victimization in the United States: Results from the NHIS-MCD," Journal of Ethnicity in Criminal Justice, 3, 21-46.

This research linked individual level data from the National Health Interview Surveys and the Multiple Causes of Death Use Files in a study of homicide victimization. White versus minority homicide victimization was attenuated but not explained by SES and other variables. The authors argue, "...the experience and perception of racism and the frustration, anger and resentment that result produces an ideological climate that sustains high levels of violence among minority members beyond what concentration of disadvantage variables predict."

37. Breault, K.D. with C. Trail. 2005. "Teen Pregnancy, Substance Abuse, and Violent Criminality," in C.L. Frisby & Reynolds, C. (eds.), Comprehensive Handbook of Multicultural School Psychology, New York: Wiley.

36. Breault, K.D. with D. Brown. 2003. "Suicide in America: Durkheim's Enduring Ecological Correlation," in Carter, G. (ed.), Empirical Approaches to Sociology, Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

35. Breault, K.D. with T. Terrell. 2001. Book review of American Catholics: Gender Generation, and Commitment by William V. Dantonio, James D. Davidson, Dean Hoge & Katherine Meyer (eds.), AltaMira Press, Adelphi.edu/ci/REVIEWS.

34. Breault, K.D. 2001. "Durkheim's Theory of Suicide," in Faupel, C. (ed.), Self-Destructive Behavior and Disvalued Identity, Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior, (Bryant, C.D. ed.), Vol. 4, London: Taylor & Francis.

33. Breault, K.D. with L. Thuman. 2001. "Femicide," in Luckenbill, D. and Peck, D. I. (eds.), Crime and Juvenile Delinquency, Vol 2, Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior (Bryant, C.D., ed.), London: Taylor & Francis.

32. Breault, K.D. with K. Smith. 2001. "Minorities and Crime," in Luckenbill, D. and Peck, D.I. (eds) Drime and Juvenile Delinquency , Vol. 2, Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior (Bryant, C.D., ed), London: Taylor & Francis.

31. Breault, K.D. with K. Smith. 2001. "The Temporal Nature of Crime," in Luckenbill, D. and Peck, D.I. (eds.), Crime and Juvenile Delinquency, Vol. 2, Encyclopedia of Criminology and Deviant Behavior (Bryant, C.D., ed.), London: Taylor & Francis.

30. Breault, K.D. with A. Pennington. 2000. Book review of Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations, by Helen R. Ebaugh & Janet Saltzman (eds), AltaMira Press, Adelphi.edu/ci/REVIEWS.

*29. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 2000. "Social Integration and Marital Status: A Multivariate Individual-Level Study of 30,157 Suicides," in W.S.F. Pickering & G. Walford (eds), Durkheim's Suicide: A Century of Research and Debate, London, Routledge.

In a study of all 30,157 suicides in the year 1992, Durkheim's marital status propositions were tested. While social integration in the form of the divorced was related to suicide as Durkheim suggested, his specific marital status propositions were generally less successful. As noted in #45 (above), what is important is not Durkheim's own propositions but the quantity of social integration and control.

28. Breault, K.D. 1999. Book Review of "This Rash Act": Suicide Across the Life Cycle in the Victorian City, by Victor Bailey, Stanford University Press, American Journal of Sociology, 105,1, 243-44.

27. Breault, K.D. 1999. With Wings to Fly, Bloomington, IN: 1st Books (young adult book).

*26. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposawa. 1998. "Temporal Factors and Homicide in the United States," Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 13, 5, 590-604.

In this large sample research on temporal factors in homicide victimization involving more than 25,000 cases, results showed that Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and with some exceptions warmer months were significant for homicide mortality.

25. Breault, K.D. 1998. "Suicide in America: A Test of Durkheim's Theory of Religious and Family Integration, 1933-1980," in G. Carter (ed.), Empirical Approaches to Sociology, New York: Allyn & Bacon.

24. Breault, K.D. with K. Rudder. 1998. Dickson, Humphreys & Montgomery County: A Comparative Educational Needs Assessment, Dickson: G.H. Weems Educational Fund.

*23. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 1996. "The Effects of Marital Status on Adult Female Homicides in the United States," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 13, 217-230.

This study of all 4,812 female homicide victims in 1992 indicated that divorced women were more than 55% more likely to be a victim of homicide than those who were not married. Single women were similar to married women in homicide risk, and widowed women were less likely to die from homicide. That single women were not more likely to die from homicide than the married may suggest that married women have increased risk of homicide from their spouses. Similarly, widowed women were less likely to die from homicide because they did not have husbands.

22. Breault, K.D. with J. McClusky and P. Stoddard. 1996. Fair Housing Impediment Study for Clarksville/Montgomery County, Tennessee, Clarksville: Austin Peay State University.

21. Breault, K.D. with J. McClusky and P. Stoddard. 1995. "Assessing the Human Service Needs of Montgomery County: A Comparative Statistical Portrait," Clarksville: Community Outreach Partnership Center of Austin Peay State University.

*20. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa and G. Singh. 1995. "White Male Suicide in the United States: A Multivariate Individual Level Analysis," Social Forces, 74, 1, 315-325.

Most studies of suicide in sociology had used ecological cross-sectional analyses. These can be problematical for a variety of reasons. This study was an individual level study with a sample of more than 200,000. Divorced and separated white men and those who were isolated had high risks of suicide mortality. (Cited 106 times as of 9/1/2021).

*19. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa and B. Harrison. 1995. "Reassessing the Structural Covariates of Violent and Property Crime: A County Level Study," British Journal of Sociology, 46, 79-105.

Previous work on crime involved small samples of highly aggregated urban environments, such as cities, SMSA, etc. This study used the entire sample of 3,000+ U.S. counties. Support was found for economic deprivation and social integration. (Cited 221 times as of 9/1/2021).

*18. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa and G. Singh. 1994. "The Effects of Marital Status and Social Isolation on Adult Male Homicides in the United States: Evidence from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study," Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 10, 3, 277-289.

In this study of male homicide involving 200,000 individuals, marital statuses other than the married were between 1.6 and 1.9 times more likely to die from homicide.

*17. Breault, K.D. 1994. "Was Durkheim Right?: A Critical Survey of the Empirical Literature on Le Suicide," in David Lester (ed.), Emile Durkheim, Le Suicide: One Hundred Years Later, Philadelphia: The Charles Press.

This study was a literature review of the empirical research on Durkheim's theory of suicide. While evidence is supportive of the theory, methodological problems in the literature suggests that contrary to Durkheim's insistence on group level analysis, a full understanding of his theory will only come with individual level research that controls for psychological and biological covariates.

16. Breault, K.D. 1994. Book Review of Religion and Suicide in the African-American Community, by Kevin E. Early, Greenwood Press, Contemporary Sociology, 23, 421-22

*15. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 1993. "Reassessing the Structural Covariates of U.S. Homicide Rates: A County Level Study," Sociological Focus, 26, 27-46.

Previous ecological work on homicide was based on small samples of states and highly urbanized units of analysis, such as cities and SMSAs. This work covered homicide over the largest set of ecological units, U.S. counties, N = 3,000+. "Results demonstrate a strong minority effect on homicide independent of factors such as economic deprivation and family disruption. African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans share in being targets of prejudice and discrimination in the U.S. Increased levels of homicide may well be a consequience."  

*14. Breault, K.D. 1989. "New Evidence on Religious Pluralism, Urbanism and Religious Participation," American Sociological Review, 54, 1048-53.

This paper provided the first evidence that religious diversity is not positively related to church membership, contrary to rational choice theory. In most contexts, greater religious diversity or pluralism is related to less overall religiosity or church membership, and this is strongly the case in the U.S. However, as Breault has indicated elsewhere (see *13 among others), there may not be any causal relationship between the two variables. In the U.S., the location of religious groups is largely related to historical patterns having to do with the settlement of the groups--any relationship between the diversity and religiosity variables appear to be an artifact of this history. (Cited 187 times since 9/1/2021.)

13. Breault, K.D. 1989. "A Reexamination of the Relationship Between Religious Diversity and Religious Adherence," American Sociological Review, 54, 1056-59.

12. Breault, K.D. 1988. "Beyond the Quick and Dirty: Problems Associated with Analyses Based on Small Samples of Large Ecological Aggregates," American Journal of Sociology, 93, 1479-86.

11. Breault, K.D. 1988. Book Review of Anomie: History and Meanings, by Mark Orru, Princeton University Press, Contemporary Sociology, 17, 716-17.

10. Breault, K.D. 1988. Book Review of Suicide as a Learned Behavior, by David Lester, Charles C. Thomas Press, Contemporary Sociology, 17, 366.

*9. Breault, K.D. with A. Kposowa. 1987. "Explaining Divorce in the United States: A Study of 3,111 Counties, 1980," Journal of Marriage and the Family, 49, 549-58.

This is perhaps the largest ecological cross-sectional work on divorce in the literature, with findings that urbanity and social integration measures were highly related to divorce. (Cited 105 times as of 9/1/2021).

8. Breault, K.D. 1986. Four Hundred Years of Social Thought: Selected Publications, A Compilation of Significant Social Science Publications, 1516-1930, Cincinnati: University of Cincinnati Monograph.

*7. Breault, K.D. 1986. "Suicide in America: A Test of Durkheim's Theory of Religious and Family Integration, 1933-1980," American Journal of Sociology, 92, 3, 628-56.

This was one of the earliest studies of Durkheim's theory of social integration using modern methodological techniques, with findings that quite strongly supported the theory. Like #4 below, this paper is another demonstration that Durkheim's theory could be usefully subject to empirical tests. Of course, as can be seen even here many other tests of the theory have been made. (Cited 302 times since 9/1/2021).

*6. Breault, K.D. 1983. "Psychophysical Measurement and the Validity of the Modern Economic Approach: A Presentation of Methods and Preliminary Experiments," Social Science Research, 12, 187-203.

This paper is Breault's M.A. thesis under the supervision of H.M. Blalock at Univ. of Washington, Seattle. Psychophysical techniques developed in the discipline of psychology way be helpful in testing the stardard economic model of human behavior. These techniques can be extended to areas beyond the utility function of money (see *3 below).

5. Breault, K.D. with K. Barkley. 1983. "Durkheim Scholarship and Suicideology: Different Approaches to the History of Social Thought and Different Interpretations of Suicide," Sociological Quarterly, 24, 629-36.

*4. Breault, K.D. with K. Barkley. 1982. "A Comparative Analysis of Durkheim's Theory of Egoistic Suicide," Sociological Quarterly, 23, 321-31.

This early study of Durkheim's theory suggested empirical tests of the theory were possible despite the general understanding in the literature to the contrary. (Cited 87 times as of 9/1/2021).

*3. Breault, K.D. 1981. "The Modern Psychophysical Measurement of Marginal Utility: A Return to Introspective Cardinality?" Social Science Quarterly, 62, 672-85.

This paper was taken from a chapter of Breault's B.A. thesis at Reed College under the supervision of Carl Stevens, an economist, and William Wiest, a psychologist. It introduces the idea that psychophysical measurement techniques allow for the direct empirical observation of marginal utility, or generally psychological satisfaction, and shows that mariginal utility is a power function of money with an exponent of approximately .43, indicating decreasing marginal utility.  

2. Breault, K.D. with R. Farrar. 1972. "Mixed Upland Forest and Edge," Breeding Bird Census, American Birds, 26, 6, 957.

*1. Breault, K.D. with R. Farrar. 1972. "Rural Stream Border," Breeding Bird Census, American Birds, 26, 6, 1000-1001.

Breault did this and the above paper (#2) with a biology teacher, Richard Farrar, at his secondary school in Vermont, Woodstock Country School, South Woodstock, VT. Among other things it helped to develop his interest in birding, especially North American birding in which he currently (9/21) ranks 6th in the world.

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Theses:

3. "Suicide in America: A Test of Durkheim's Theory of Religious and Family Integration" University of Chicago Ph.D. Thesis, 1986, committee: Terry N. Clark, Gary Becker, Gerald Suttles (published, American Journal of Sociology, 1986).

2. "Psychophysical Measurement and the Social Sciences: The Marginal Utility of Money and Commitment," University of Washington M.A. Thesis, 1982, H.M. Blalock advisor (published, Social Science Research, 1983.

1. "A Theory of the Value of Behavior and Suggestions Toward a Unified Theory of Value," Reed College B.A Thesis, 1978, Carl Stevens and William M. Wiest advisors (published, Social Science Quarterly, 1981).

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Selected Awards:

--Best Paper award, 2020

--Wikipedia entry, 2019

--Presidential Service Award, 2017

--Middle Tennessee State University Sabbatical Grant, 2009

--G.H. Weems Education Foundation Grant, 1997

--University of Chicago, Ogburn-Stouffer Fellow, 1987-88

--Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences Fellowship, 1987

--University of Chicago Harper Fellowship Nominee, 1985

--Josephine de Karman Fellowship, University of Chicago, 1984-85

--Research Fellow, Center for Social Organization Studies, University of Chicago, 1983-85.

--Graduate Fellowships, University of Chicago, 1983-85

--Teaching Assistantships, University of Washington, 1980-82

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Dr. Breault has 49 publications in the general areas of medical-social epidemiology, crime, religion, and quantitative methodology on such topics as depression and military service, diabetes, suicide, history of the Mid-South Sociological Association, motor vehicle deaths, Emile Durkheim, immigration, gerontology, homicide victimization and violent crime, drug use, teen pregnancy, the temporal nature of crime, social isolation, property crime, religious diversity in America, divorce, psychophysical measurement, and the measurement of marginal utility.

A major theme of Breault's work can be characterized as helping to establish the legitimacy of empirical research on Durkheim's theory of suicide, rigorously testing the theory, and moving the research literature in sociology beyond the study of small samples of highly aggregated ecological units of analysis to individual level longitudinal study, now commonly thought of as social epidemiology. His most recent research has been in the area of social epidemiology in which he has published on alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), depression in the military, diabetes, suicide, and the demographic crisis in Europe (see Publications below). Another theme of Breault's work has been to rigorously test minority status, including gender, with regard to medical disorders and social disorganization.

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