Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research and Practice : Advances in Detection, Causal Estimation, and Intervention (Child Maltreatment Solutions Network)

This book examines the latest methodological advancements in child maltreatment research and practice. It addresses long-standing challenges when working with and serving the child maltreatment population, while offering pragmatic solutions for scientists, caseworkers, and providers. Chapters explore methodological innovations in such areas as screening and detecting child maltreatment, collecting objective data in longitudinal research, causal modeling of adverse health effects, and advancements in both preventive and clinical interventions. Key areas of coverage include methods for:

• Screening for child maltreatment at the point of contact.
• Reducing bias and promoting causal inference when examining health effects and etiological processes.
• Promoting representative samples, objective data collection, and integration of child welfare and medical records to enhance equitable access to care.
• Intervening with children and families at risk for and exposed to maltreatment.

Innovative Methods in Child Maltreatment Research and Practice is a must-have reference for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as clinicians, therapists, and other professionals in developmental, clinical child, and school psychology. Chapter 1. Prospective Versus Retrospective Measures of Child Maltreatment and Their Relationships with Health.- Chapter 2. Addressing Contamination Bias in Child Maltreatment Research: Innovative Methods for Enhancing the Accuracy of Causal Estimates.- Chapter 3. Applying Innovative Methods to Advance the Study of Youth At-risk for Internet-initiated Victimization.- Chapter 4. Understanding Variation in Health Risks across Development and Child Welfare Involvement for Youth in Foster Care.- Chapter 5. Methods for Studying Mediating Mechanisms in Developmental and Intervention Studies of Child Maltreatment.- Chapter 6. Applying the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) to the Prevention of Child Maltreatment: A Vision for Future Multicomponent Interventions.- Chapter 7. Reducing "Missed" Cases of Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma: From Index Case to Clinical Trial.- Chapter 8. Reminiscing and Emotion Training: A Relational Intervention Approach for Preschool-Aged Children with a History of Child Maltreatment and Their Mothers.- Chapter 9. Leveraging Emotion Socialization Research: Innovative Prevention and Treatment Programming for Vulnerable Families.- Chapter 10.A Trauma-Informed Approach to the Unified Protocol for Children with Exposure to Child Maltreatment.- Chapter 11. HEAL PA: The Movement to Make Pennsylvania a Trauma-Informed and Healing-Centered State.- Chapter 12. Northampton County: Pursuing Better Child Welfare Outcomes with a Decision Aid Tool to Support Caseworkers.- Chapter 13. The Child Maltreatment T32 Training Program at Penn State: Innovation for Creating the Next Generation of Scholars in Child Maltreatment Science . Chad Shenk, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Human Development & Family Studies and Pediatrics at Penn State. He is also a licensed clinical psychologist with specialty training in trauma exposure and pediatric psychology who actively sees patients exposed to child maltreatment through Penn State's Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Shenk's basic science research is centered on improving methods for causal estimation and target identification in prospective cohort studies of child trauma and adverse health across the lifespan. This work identifies biomarkers and mechanisms of various health conditions in the child trauma population using a multiple levels of analysis approach (e.g., biological, behavioral, environmental). His clinical trials and translational research therefore centers on the optimization of behavioral interventions applied following exposure to child trauma by engaging identified targets and mechanisms to treat psychiatric outcomes moreeffectively.