People
Learn more about us!
Laura E. Miller-Graff, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Peace Studies and the Director of the BRAVE Research Lab. She graduated from the Clinical Science Program at the University of Michigan, where she researched the effects of exposure to intimate partner violence on the development of young children. She has worked as a researcher and clinician in community settings with children and families who have a history of exposure to violence and trauma. Current research interests include developmental trajectories of post-traumatic stress symptoms in early childhood, the multiplicative effects of violence exposure across domains, resilient processes in those with a history of violence exposure, and the adaptation of evidence-based trauma treatments in low-resource settings.
Recent Publications:
-
deSilva, A. D., Gao, M., Barni, D., Donato, S., Miller-Graff, L.E., & Cummings, E.M. (2021) Interparental conflict on Italian adolescent adjustment: The role of insecurity within the family. Journal of Family Studies, 42(3), 671-692. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X20927749
-
Ellis, K. & Miller-Graff, L.E. (2021). Lessons learned in adapting an online intervention for posttraumatic stress. Transcultural Psychiatry, 58(1), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363461520970748
-
Miller-Graff, L.E., Howell, K.H., *Grein, K. & **Keough, K. (2021). Women’s cigarette and marijuana use in pregnancy: Identifying the role of past versus recent violence exposure. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(7-8), NP3982-NP3998. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518779068
-
Guzmán, D., Miller-Graff, L.E., Scheid, C.R. (2020) Typologies of childhood exposure to violence and association with caregiver trauma in Peru. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 0886260520917. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520917514
-
Hare, T. Miller-Graff, L.E., & Guzmán, J.C. (2020). Evaluating social protective factors for violence involvement in Honduras. Development in Practice, 30(1), 80-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2019.1659230
-
Hasselle, A.J., Howell, K.H., Bottomley, J., Sheddan, H.C., Capers, J.M., & Miller-Graff, L.E. (2020). Barriers to service engagement among women experiencing intimate partner violence proximal to pregnancy. Psychology of Violence, 10(3). 290. https://doi.org/10.1080/09614524.2019.1659230
-
Miller-Graff, L. E. & *Scheid, C.R. (2020). Breastfeeding continuation at 6 weeks postpartum remediates the negative effects of prenatal intimate partner violence on infant temperament. Development & Psychopathology. 32(2), 503. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419000245
-
Miller-Graff, L.E., *Scheid, C.R., Guzmán, D.B., & *Grein, K. (2020). Caregiver and family factors promoting child resilience in at-risk families living in Lima, Peru. Child Abuse & Neglect, 108, 104639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104639
-
Scheid, C.R., Miller-Graff, L.E. & Guzmán, D. B. (2020) Parenting practices and intergenerational cycles of victimization in Peru. Development & Psychopathology, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579420000425
-
Schaefer, L., Howell, K.H., Napier, T.R, Sheddan, H.C., Shoemaker, H.L., & Miller-Graff, L.E. (2019). The road to resilience: Strength and coping among pregnant women exposed to intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519850538
-
Howell, K.H., Miller-Graff, L.E., Schaefer, L. & *Scrafford. K. (2017). Relational resilience as a potential mediator of the relationship between adverse childhood experience and prenatal depression. Journal of Health Psychology, 25(4):545-557. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105317723450
Jessica Carney is a third year graduate student in the BRAVE Lab. Jess is interested in the effects of violence against women and children and interventions to mitigate the developmental impact of exposure to trauma and adversity early in life. She is also interested in cross-cultural adaptations of interventions for individuals exposed to trauma and violence.
Recent publications:
-
Berke, D. S., Carney, J. R., & Lebowitz, L. (2021). The role of anger in traumatic harm and recovery for sexual violence survivors. Journal of Trauma and Dissociation. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2021.1934937
-
Howell, K. H., Miller-Graff, L. E., Gilliam, H. C., & Carney, J. R. (2021). Factors related to parenting confidence among pregnant women experiencing intimate partner violence. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. 13(3), 385–393. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0000985
-
Berke, D. S., Carney, J. R., Rusowicz-Orazem, L., Kline, N. K., Grunthal, B., Yarvis, J. S., Peterson, A. L., Young-McCaughn, S., Foa, E. B., Resick, P. A., & Litz, B. T. for the STRONG STAR Consortium. (2021). Parameters of aggressive behavior in a treatment seeking sample of military personnel: A secondary analysis of three randomized controlled trials of evidence-based PTSD treatments. Behavior Therapy, 52(1), 136-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2020.03.007
-
Yeterian, J., Berke, D. S., Carney, J. R., McIntyre-Smith, A., St. Cyr, K., King, L., Kline, N., Phelps, A., Litz, B. T., & Members of the Moral Injury Outcomes Project Consortium. (2019). Development of a moral injury outcomes scale: Rationale, study design, and preliminary findings. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 32(3), 363-372. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22380
Catherine Maloney is a second year student in the joint program in Psychology and Peace studies. Her research interests broadly focus on the development and implementation of mental health interventions for marginalized youth in cross-cultural settings. More specifically, she is interested in the influence of violence exposure on early childhood development. She hopes that by further understanding pathways of risk and resilience, she may support a strong start for young children while promoting peace in family and community contexts.
Recent publications:
-
Maloney, C.A., Abel, W.D., McLeod, H.J. (2019). Jamaican adolescents’ receptiveness to digital mental health services: A cross-sectional survey from rural and urban communities. Internet Interventions, 21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.invent.2020.100325
Janie Park is a first-year graduate student in the BRAVE Lab. She is interested in examining the impact of adversity, particularly intimate partner violence, on mothers and children. She is particularly interested in understanding the intergenerational pathways to maladaptive outcomes and identifying the risk and protective factors that may promote vulnerability or resilience. Overall, she hopes to contribute to the creation and implementation of effective, culturally-sensitive interventions to promote healthy, resilient, and adaptive development of children in at-risk populations.
Maria (Cat) Gargano is a first-year graduate student in the BRAVE Lab. Her research focuses on migration, interpersonal violence (including IPV & GBV), and mental health. Her experiences in several transit countries have made her particularly interested in developing interventions that are trauma-informed, culturally meaningful, and feasible to apply in displacement and other low-resource contexts. At Notre Dame, she hopes to gain the tools needed not only to address the mental health symptoms that can arise from conflict and displacement but also to understand and challenge the larger systems that maintain these harmful conditions. Cat Gargano is a first year student in Peace Studies and Clinical Psychology. She received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Laurea Magistrale in Protection of Human Rights and International Cooperation from Università di Bologna in Italy. Most recently, she has worked with the Psychosocial Innovation Network, a Serbian NGO, to found the Consortium on Refugees' and Migrants' Mental Health (CoReMH).
Becki Fulmer, M.A. is the Project Coordinator for the NIH Grant Funded Pregnant Moms' Empowerment Program (PMEP). She is based out of The William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families and has been a part of the BRAVE Lab for 8 years. Her past experience includes working with children and families in post-conflict areas of Northern Ireland, Lebanon, and Serbia. Becki also worked for many years as a Licensed Counselor, specifically with children, adolescents, and their families.