Resume

• 2011

  Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

  Social Work

  University of Denver

• 2009

  MSW

  Social Work

  Leadership and Community Practice

  University of Denver

• 2002

  BS

  Psychology

  Virginia Tech

• Research Design

  University Teaching

  Social Services

  Community Outreach

  Research

  Program Evaluation

  Program Development

  Nonprofits

  Quantitative Research

  Statistics

  Higher Education

  SPSS

  Public Speaking

  Grant Writing

  Data Analysis

  Psychology

  A template analysis of intimate partner violence survivors’ experiences of animal maltreatment: Implications for safety planning and intervention.

  This study explores the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and animal cruelty in an ethnically diverse sample of 103 pet-owning IPV survivors recruited from community-based domestic violence programs. Template analysis revealed five themes: (a) Animal Maltreatment by Partner as a Tactic of Coercive Power and Control

  (b) Animal Maltreatment by Partner as Discipline or Punishment of Pet

  (c) Animal Maltreatment by Children

  (d) Emotional and Psychological Impact of Animal Maltreatment Exposure

  and (e) Pets as an Obstacle to Effective Safety Planning. Results demonstrate the potential impact of animal maltreatment exposure on women and child IPV survivors’ health and safety.

  A template analysis of intimate partner violence survivors’ experiences of animal maltreatment: Implications for safety planning and intervention.

  Cruelty toward companion animals is a well-documented

  coercive tactic used by abusive partners to intimidate and control their intimate partners. Experiences of co-occurring violence are common for children living in families with intimate partner violence (IPV) and surveys show that more than half are also exposed to abuse of their pets. Given children's relationships with their pets

  witnessing such abuse may be traumatic for them. Yet little is known about the prevalence and significance of this issue for children. The present study examines the experiences of children in families with co-occurring pet abuse and IPV. Using qualitative methods

  58 children ages 7–12 who were exposed to IPV were asked to describe their experiences of threats to and harm of their companion animals. Following the interviews

  template analysis was employed to systematically develop codes and themes. Coding reliability was assessed using Randolph's free-marginal multirater kappa (kfree = .90). Five themes emerged from the qualitative data

  the most common being children's exposure to pet abuse as a power and control tactic against their mother in the context of IPV. Other themes were animal maltreatment to discipline or punish the pet

  animal cruelty by a sibling

  children intervening to prevent pet abuse

  and children intervening to protect the pet during a violent episode. Results indicate that children's experiences of pet abuse are multifaceted

  potentially traumatic

  and may involve multiple family members with diverse motives.

  Children's experiences of companion animal maltreatment in households characterized by intimate partner violence

  The majority of analytic approaches aimed at understanding the influence of environmental context on children's socioemotional adjustment assume comparable effects of contextual risk and protective factors for all children. Using self-reported data from 289 maternal caregiver-child dyads

  we examined the degree to which there are differential effects of severity of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure

  yearly household income

  and number of children in the family on posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS) and psychopathology symptoms (i.e.

  internalizing and externalizing problems) among school-age children between the ages of 7–12 years. A regression mixture model identified three latent classes that were primarily distinguished by differential effects of IPV exposure severity on PTS and psychopathology symptoms: (1) asymptomatic with low sensitivity to environmental factors (66% of children)

  (2) maladjusted with moderate sensitivity (24%)

  and (3) highly maladjusted with high sensitivity (10%). Children with mothers who had higher levels of education were more likely to be in the maladjusted with moderate sensitivity group than the asymptomatic with low sensitivity group. Latino children were less likely to be in both maladjusted groups compared to the asymptomatic group. Overall

  the findings suggest differential effects of family environmental factors on PTS and psychopathology symptoms among children exposed to IPV. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

  Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: Identifying Differential Effects of Family Environment on Children's Trauma and Psychopathology Symptoms through Regression Mixture Models

  This study examined profiles of adjustment in an ethnically diverse sample of 291 school-age children recruited from community-based domestic violence services. Using latent profile analysis (LPA)

  six domains of adjustment were examined: social problems

  attention problems

  internalizing behavior

  externalizing behavior

  empathy

  and callous/unemotional traits. Results of the LPA provided support for three distinct profiles of socioemotional functioning among children in the sample: Resilient (66 %; n = 191)

  Struggling (28 %; n = 83)

  and Severe Maladjustment (6 %; n = 17). Variables that distinguished between the profiles included: children’s race/ethnicity

  exposure to concomitant animal cruelty

  relationship to the abusive partner

  and the duration of their maternal caregiver’s experience of IPV. Study results lend support to previous research suggesting differential patterns of socioemotional adjustment among children exposed to IPV.

  Patterns of Adjustment among Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence: A Person-Centered Approach

  Children living in households where intimate partner violence (IPV) is present are at increased risk of being exposed to concomitant maltreatment of companion animals. Recent research suggests that childhood exposure to maltreatment of companion animals is associated with compromised socioemotional well-being in childhood and adulthood. To date

  there is a dearth of qualitative research examining how children experience animal maltreatment in the context of IPV. The current qualitative study explored the following research question in an ethnically diverse sample of IPV survivors: How do maternal caregivers convey the ways in which their children experience animal maltreatment in IPV-affected households? Sixty-five women with at least one child (age 7-12 years) were recruited from domestic violence agencies and described their child(ren)’s experiences of animal maltreatment in the home. Template analysis was used to analyze interview data (KALPHA = .90). Three themes emerged related to children’s experiences of animal maltreatment: (a) direct exposure to animal maltreatment and related threats

  (b) emotional and behavioral responses to animal maltreatment exposure

  and (c) animal maltreatment as coercive control of the child. Results suggest that children’s exposure to animal maltreatment is multifaceted and may exacerbate children’s risk of negative psychosocial outcomes in the context of co-occurring IPV. Intervention programs designed to assist children exposed to IPV should consider the extent of children’s awareness of the abuse of their pets and their strong and deleterious reactions to it.

  Intimate Partner Violence Survivors’ Reports of Their Children’s Exposure to Companion Animal Maltreatment

  Latina/o college students experience cultural stressors that negatively impact their mental health

  which places them at risk for academic problems. We explored whether cultural values buffer the negative effect of cultural stressors on mental health symptoms in a sample of 198 Latina/o college students (70 % female; 43 % first generation college students). Bivariate results revealed significant positive associations between cultural stressors (i.e.

  acculturative stress

  discrimination) and mental health symptoms(i.e.

  anxiety

  depressive

  psychological stress)

  and negative associations between cultural values of familismo

  respeto

  and religiosity and mental health symptoms. Several cultural values moderated the influence of cultural stressors on mental health symptoms. The findings highlight the importance of helping Latina/o college students remain connected to their families and cultural values as a way of promoting their mental health.

  Associations between Cultural Stressors

  Cultural Values

  and Latina/o College Students’ Mental Health

  The study of human–animal interactions is limited by a paucity of empirically validated measures of humane treatment of companion animals. The current study reports findings from a psychometric analysis of the Children's treatment of animals Questionnaire (CTAQ; thompson and Gullone 2003)

  an instrument that assesses children's humane interactions with nonhuman animals. Specifically

  the current study extends what is known about the psychometric properties of the CTAQ by using traditional and item response theory analyses. The CTAQ was administered to a sample of 217 school-age children whose mothers were currently receiving residential or non-residential domestic violence services. Item-analysis

  exploratory factor analysis

  and parallel analysis were conducted to replicate previous psychometric evaluations of the CTAQ. Rasch analysis of the CTAQ was also conducted to provide a stringent test of unidimensionality and to identify potential invariance in item functioning across various demographic variables. The CTAQ showed adequate fit to the Rasch model; one modification

  removal of item 5

  was required. A Rasch principal components analysis of residuals indicated a single latent dimension among the remaining 12 items. Scale use was appropriate; Rasch-andrich thresholds increased with category values and no disordering of categories was evident. Examination of item-person maps indicated the sample was also well-targeted. Notably

  evidence of differential item function was found across Spanish and English translations. Overall

  findings indicate that the CTAQ is an appropriate unidimensional measure of children's humane treatment of animals. The measure is particularly well-suited for children ages 7 to 12 years who are at risk for exposure to and perpetration of animal cruelty. We recommend use of a 12-item version of the CTAQ to enhance the utility of the total score as a latent measure of children's humane treatment of companion animals.

  The Children's Treatment of Animals Questionnaire: A Rasch Analysis

  This study examined patterns of intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure and three domains of competence among 288 children recruited from community-based domestic violence agencies. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was performed to identify subgroups of children who differed based on levels of social

  academic

  and extracurricular competence and exposure to IPV. Five distinct latent profiles were identified: Frequent IPV Exposure-Low Activity Competence (39 % of children)

  Frequent IPV Exposure- Average Global Competence (31 % of children)

  Frequent IPV Exposure-High Global Competence (13 % of children)

  Low IPV Exposure-Compromised School Competence (11 % of children)

  and Low IPV Exposure- Compromised Global Competence (6 % of children). Covariates distinguished between the profiles (e.g.

  yearly household income

  maternal education

  number of children in the household) and the groups were characterized by statistically significant mean differences in total behavior problems. Implications for future research and community-based preventive intervention efforts are discussed.

  Children’s Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence and their Social

  School

  and Activities Competence: Latent Profiles and Correlates

  Shelby Elaine

  McDonald

  PhD

  MSW

  Virginia Tech

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  NICHD Study at GSSW

  University of Denver

  Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

  Center for Human-Animal Interaction

  SOWK 4900 Methods for Evaluating Practice/Programs (Winter 2014; Tuesdays 3-5:30pm) Description: Provides MSW students with strategies for evaluating social work practice at multiple system levels. Prerequisite: SOWK 4201 or admission to advanced standing program. \nSOWK 4901 Applied Practice Evaluation Research (Spring 2013; Tuesdays 3-5:30pm) Description: Provides MSW students with the opportunity to conduct a practice evaluation project in their field setting.

  University of Denver

  Project Coordinator/GRA

  NICHD Study at GSSW

  Research Affiliate

  Richmond

  Virginia Area

  Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

  Center for Human-Animal Interaction

  Virginia Tech Transportation Institute

  Virginia Tech

  Virginia Commonwealth University

  Tenure-Track Assistant Professor

  Richmond

  Virginia Area