My research investigates family- and community-level risk and protective factors for youth adjustment among families affected by major stressors. My work currently centers on the impact of parental stress (including trauma, HIV, substance use, racism, & financial strain) on children’s well-being and parent-child relationships. I am interested in parents’ role in promoting child and adolescent health and preventing the intergenerational transmission of risk. The goal of my research is to reduce health inequities by using knowledge about risk and protective factors to guide the development of family-based, trauma-informed prevention and intervention efforts.
I am affiliated with the University of South Carolina Research Center for Child Well-Being, which is a multidisciplinary center focused on integrated prevention of (a) social, emotional, and behavioral problems and (b) unhealthy lifestyle behaviors in children aged 2-10. As a faculty member within this center, much of my ongoing and upcoming research is grounded in prevention science, multidisciplinary collaborations, and family-based child health promotion in school aged children.
Themes of my research program include:
Parenting, family processes, and community context in families affected by unique stressors
Intersection of trauma, HIV, and substance use, and the intergenerational transmission of risk
Parent-based child & adolescent health promotion and prevention of social-emotional and physical health difficulties
The application of advanced quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods
A commitment to cultural humility, diversity, and equity
