We study children who have been exposed to various types of adverse childhood events. This includes single incident potentially traumatic events, such as disasters and climate emergencies, as well as chronic and interpersonal traumas or stressors, such abuse, neglect, racial trauma, and violence exposure.
Specific lines of research include 1) identifying risk and protective factors following exposure to trauma or adversity with a particular focus on the role of the timing of both adverse and relationally positive experiences, 2) identifying helpful ways for caregivers to talk to children about traumas, and 3) evaluating the effectiveness of available trauma treatments for diverse populations in community-based settings, and which factors promote therapeutic success.
Within these lines of research we work from multiple frameworks, including developmental, clinical child, family systems, strengths-based, and anti-racist. We also use multiple methods - observational, survey, parent-child interaction tasks, psychological assessment, & clinical interviews.
Our ultimate goal is to understand which interventions work for whom, under which circumstances, and to help promote the use of these interventions in community-based mental health treatment settings. We particularly focus on ways to improve relational health for families with young children.
lab PANDA is directed by Erin P. Hambrick, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Counseling and in the School of Education, Social Work, and Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
