Children's Well-Being Laboratory

In establishing the Children’s Well-Being Laboratory (CWBL), the overarching goal has been to promote child and youth well-being, broadly defined as positive mental health as well as strong peer and family relationships. Given the pivotal role that families play in the lives of children and youth, CWBL research focuses particular attention on:

adverse experiences within the family that can compromise well-being, namely family violence and child maltreatment
development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions that promote child and youth well-being, in particular for maltreatment-exposed young people who are involved in the child welfare system

To understand and change the negative impact that maltreatment and family violence can have on children and youth, the CWBL’s research activities are diverse in nature, spanning different populations, age groups, sampling strategies, and research designs.

Altogether, the aim of CWBL’s research activities is to inform the practice sector about evidence-based ways of effectively addressing the mental health needs of young people affected by child maltreatment – needs which, if left unaddressed, would likely result in negative impacts across a host of other domains of functioning (e.g., education, relationships) on both a short- and longer-term basis.

To achieve CWBL’s goal of practice-changing research that improves the mental well-being and healthy development of children and youth, a network of collaborations has been established that spans various practice sectors, most notably child welfare, education, and community-based centres that offer parenting services.

Research Interests

My research passion lies in promoting the mental health of children and youth who have experienced child maltreatment and family violence. I have devoted my years at the University of Ottawa to building a strong research program that is recognized by funding agencies as contributing to knowledge advancement, that provides enriching graduate and undergraduate research opportunities, and that ultimately makes a difference in the lives of children, youth, and families. My research has been funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. I have presented my research work in peer-reviewed journals of high quality and at a number of national and international conferences.

Since 2007, I have also been a member of the Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory on the Rights of the Child (IRLRC). The IRLRC (www.droitcivil.uottawa.ca) is linked to the Faculty of Law (Civil section) and to the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) at the University of Ottawa. The primary objective of the IRLRC is to encourage inter-disciplinary training and research in the area of children’s rights in order to contribute to the safe and healthy development of children at a national and international level. As part of this initiative, an interdisciplinary graduate course on the rights of children is offered on a regular basis through the Faculty of Law @LRIDEuOttawa

Teaching Responsibilities

Since the start of my academic career at the University of Ottawa in 2004, I have been actively involved in both undergraduate and graduate teaching. I have taught the undergraduate course Psychological Disorders in Children and Adolescents (PSY 4105) as well as the clinical psychology graduate courses Psychological Effects and Treatment of Trauma (PSY 7109), Psychological Intervention and Consultation (PSY5207 – module on cognitive-behavioural interventions with children, adolescents, and families), and Psychodiagnostic Assessment of Adults and Children (PSY 5202 - modules on clinical interviewing, test construction/standardized instruments, and behavioural assessment).

Clinical Work

I am a registered clinical psychologist with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. I provide clinical supervision at the Centre for Psychological Services and Research (CPSR), a training centre at the University of Ottawa for students completing their doctoral degree in clinical psychology. I also have a small private practice and provide psychological services primarily to children, youth, and families. My clinical work is in the area of childhood maltreatment, anxiety and mood, behavioural difficulties, and parenting challenges.

Research Supervision

I supervise graduate students who are completing their doctoral degree in either clinical or experimental psychology. I also supervise undergraduate students who are completing their Honour’s degree. There are opportunities for undergraduate students to volunteer in laboratory activities related to my research program.

Professional Activities

I have served on various School of Psychology committees, including the Clinical Training Committee, Clinical Program Committee, Undergraduate Program Committee, Graduate Program Committee, Internship Selection Committee, Hiring Committee, and Teaching Personnel Committee. I have also served as a member on the Faculty of Social Sciences Research Ethics Board committee, Faculty Research Committee, and Faculty Teaching Personnel Committee. Since July 2020, I have been serving as the co-Director of the Clinical Psychology Program.

I regularly review manuscripts that are being considered for publication in peer-reviewed journals. I have also served as a reviewer for graduate scholarship, post-doctoral fellowship, and grant applications submitted to provincial and federal funding agencies.

I belong to various professional associations, including the Canadian Psychological Association, International Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress, and American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.

Awards

I have been very fortunate to have my research recognized through various University of Ottawa awards. In 2016, I received the Faculty of Social Sciences Excellence in Research Award. In 2019, I received the University of Ottawa Excellence in Research Award (Humanities stream). My research is carried out with outstanding students (graduate, undergraduate), volunteers, and colleagues so I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to them for their work and commitment to projects that advance children’s well-being.

Contact Information

School of Psychology
University of Ottawa
136 Jean-Jacques Lussier, Room 4023
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5

Tel.: 613.562.5800 ext. 4403
eromano@uOttawa.ca
@DrElisaRomano
@CWBL_uOttawa

Post-Doctoral Fellow

Gallitto, Elena

ioaphy

2021 – Ongoing

Elena Gallitto is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Ottawa. Broadly, she is interested in understanding the processes by which parenting styles may influence children’s development. Specifically, she explores the factors associated with parents (e.g., attitudes, attributions, and self-efficacy) and children (e.g., temperament, emotion regulation) that contribute to children’s psychological well-being. She is involved in the design and evaluations of interventions designed to improve developmental outcomes for at-risk children. Among other things, she is involved in the project Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting described in the Activities section for this lab.

Recent conference presentations:

Broussard, C., Gallitto, E., & Romano, E. (2021). Examiner les résultats relatifs au parentage et les facteurs prédicteurs issus du programme Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP). Poster accepted at the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Convention 2021, Virtual.
Gallitto, E., & Romano, E. (2019, September). An outcome evaluation of the SafeCare® program for child neglect in Ontario (Canada). Paper presented at the 24^th International Summit on Violence, Abuse & Trauma, La Jolla, California.
Stenason, L., Gallitto, E. & Romano, E. (2017, June). Maltreatment characteristics associated with parental withdrawal from a child neglect intervention. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Convention 2017, Toronto (ON).
Romano E., Gallitto, E. (2016, December 14^th). What have providers and parents told us about working with the SafeCare® program for child neglect?. OACAS Webinar Series. Ottawa, Ontario.
Romano, Gallitto, & Czechowski, ISTSS 2016
Romano, Gallitto, Weegar, Lyons, & Shanley, ISPCAN International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect 2016
Lyons, Weegar, Gallitto, Romano, & The MAP Research Team ISTSS 2014

Graduate Students

Stenason, Lauren

2016 – Ongoing

Lauren Stenason is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her research explores the involvement of resource parents (e.g., foster, kinship, adoptive caregivers) in the child welfare system. Generally, her research interests include child maltreatment, child welfare, and trauma-informed parenting. Her dissertation aims to deliver a trauma-informed parenting curriculum to resource parents with the hopes of promoting placement stability, youth wellbeing, and resource parent satisfaction and retention. Lauren dissertation also utilizes Ontario Looking After Children (OnLAC) data to gain a better understanding of resource parent demographics, youth characteristics, and parenting concerns, and predictors of placement disruption.

Lauren's research is supported by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship.

Publications:

Stenason, L., & Romano, E. (2022). Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Parenting Program for Resource Parents. Environmental Research and Mental Health, 19 (24).
Stenason, L., & Romano, E. (2022). Number of Placement Changes Among Young People in Care: Youth and Caregiver Associations. Child and Youth Services Review, 144.
Romano, E., & Stenason, L. (2022). Increasing Resource Parents’ Access to Training and Data: An Overview of Two Child Welfare Initiatives. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 9(1).
Stenason, L., Romano, E., Cheung, C. (2021). Using Research within Child Welfare: Reactions to a Training Initiative. Journal for Evidence-Based Social Work.
Romano, E., Stenason, L., Weegar, K., Cheung, C. (2020). Improving Child Welfare’s Use of Data for Service Planning: Practitioner Perspectives on a Training Curriculum. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104783
Stenason, L., Moorman, J., & Romano, E. (2020). The Experiences of Parents and Facilitators in a Positive Parenting Program. The Qualitative Report, 25(1), 1-13. Retrieved from: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/ vol25/iss1/1
Weegar, K., Moorman, J., Stenason, L., Romano, E. (2018). Perspectives on the Implementation of an Evidenced-Based Neglect Program within Child Welfare. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.08.035

Conference proceedings:

Zak, S., Stenason, L., Romano, E. (2021). Trauma-Informed Parenting in Child Welfare: Resource Parent Perspectives on a Training Program. Poster to be presented at the Canadian Psychological Association, June.
Stenason, L., Romano E. (2021). Increasing Resource Parents’ Accessibility to Effective Training and Data: Two Child Welfare Practice Initiatives. Symposium to be presented at the Child and Youth Trauma Symposium, May.
Stenason, L., Romano, E. (2020) Implementing and Evaluating a Resource Parent Training Program to Improve Trauma-Informed Care Within Child Welfare. Poster presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, November.
Stenason, L., (2020). Placement disruption in Ontario child welfare: The role of youth- and caregiver-level predictors. Oral presentation accepted for presentation at the International Foster Care Organization Conference, Montreal, Quebec, June. (conference cancelled)
Stenason, L., Romano, E. (2020) Implementing and Evaluating a Resource Parent Training Program to Improve Trauma-Informed Care Within Child Welfare. Poster to be presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, November.
Stenason, L., Weegar, K., Cheung, C., Romano, E. (2019) Improving Child Welfare’s Use of Research: Practitioner Perspectives on the Impact of a Training Curriculum. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association, Halifax, Ontario, June.
Romano, E., Cheung, C., Weegar, K., Stenason, L. (2019) Improving Child Welfare’s Use of Education Data and Research to Inform Service Planning for Youth. Symposium presented at the Canadian Psychological Association, Halifax, Ontario, June.
Stenason, L., Moorman, J., Romano, E., (2018). Positive discipline in everyday parenting: what parents and facilitators tell us about their experience. Oral presentation at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Washington, United States, November.
Stenason, L., Gallitto, E., Romano, E. (2017). Maltreatment Characteristics Associated with Parental Withdrawal from a Child Neglect Intervention. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association, Toronto, Ontario, June

Newton, Carl

Carl Newton is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Generally, his research interests are intimate partner violence, child maltreatment, and attitude modification. His dissertation research plans to explore the unique challenges faced by victims of intimate partner violence in the child welfare system. Utilizing this information, he aims to develop an intimate partner violence focused training for child welfare workers.

Zak, Sarah

2019- Ongoing

Sarah is a doctoral student in Experimental Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Generally, her research interests include child welfare, child maltreatment with a focus on neglect, trauma-informed program evaluation and child rights. Her dissertation aims to evaluate the usage of a child neglect-focused parenting program in child welfare agencies across Ontario. More specifically, she is interested in how neglect presents within these agencies (e.g., reporting, investigations, interventions) and then she aims to evaluate how an evidence-based program which focuses on neglect (SafeCare) functions to address these issues within families. She works on her research in collaboration with the CIHR-funded SafeCare project within the lab and McMaster University.

Sarah is actively involved with the SafeCare research project and AFCCA (aggression towards families/caregivers in childhood and adolescence) research project.

Twitter: @SarahZak5

PUBLICATIONS

Zak, S., Gallitto, E., & Romano, E. (2022). The Predictive Role of Internal/External Factors on Covid-19 Related Stressors Among Resource Parents. Developmental Child Welfare. DOI: 10.1177/25161032221100232
Romano, E., Weeger, K., Gallitto, E., Zak, S., & Saini, M. (2019). Meta-Analysis on Interventions for Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse.
Saini, M., Romano, E., Weegar, K., Zak, S., & Gallitto, E. (2018). Treating Children Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence within the Context of Child Custody Disputes. In Greenberg, L., Fidler, B., & Saini, M (Eds), Evidence-Informed Interventions for Court-Involved Families: Promoting Healthy Coping and Development. New York, NY, Oxford University Press.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

Zak, S. & E. Romano. (Upcoming: 2023, May). Addressing the Needs of Families Experiencing Child Neglect Using the SafeCare Program. Symposium to be presented at Child & Youth Trauma Annual Symposium in Montreal.
Zak, S., Gallitto, E., & Romano, E. (2022, June). Examining How Resource Parent Internal and External Protective Factors Predict Covid-19 Related Perceived Stressors. Poster session presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Conference in Calgary.
Zak, S., Lalonde, S., & Romano, E. (2022, June). The Circumstances and Parenting Behaviours of Caregivers Completing SafeCare®. In E. Romano (Chairs), The SafeCare® Program for Child Neglect: What is it? symposium/panel. [Symposium] Canadian Psychological Association Conference, Calgary AB.
Cererini, A., Zak, S., & Romano, E. (2022, June). How Resource Parental Reactions to Negative Child Emotions Predict Child Outcomes. Poster session presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Conference in Calgary.
Zak, S., Romano, E., Gonzalez, A, (2022, March). An evaluation of the neglect-focused parenting program SafeCare® in child welfare and community agencies in Ontario. In E. Romano (Chairs), Trauma-Informed Initiatives and Outcomes for Children, Youth, and Caregivers Across Diverse Settings symposium/panel. [Symposium] presented virtually by E. Romano on my behalf at The International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Conference in Québec City.
Zak, S.,Stenason, L., Romano, E. (2021, June). Trauma-Informed Parenting in Child Welfare: Resource Parent Perspectives on a Training Program. Poster presented at the virtual Canadian Psychological Association.
Zak, S. (2017, June) At-Risk Youth Boxing Program; developmental affects. Poster session presented at the Canadian Psychological Association Conference in Toronto.
Zak, S. (2016, May). At-Risk Youth Boxing Program; developmental affects. Poster session presented at the Honours Thesis Conference at the University of Ottawa.

Lalande, Stéphanie

2021- Current

Stéphanie Lalande is a doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Ottawa. Stéphanie completed a master’s degree in Counselling and Spirituality from Saint-Paul University in 2019. Her past professional work experiences involve offering mental health services as a registered psychotherapist (inactive) and working as a child protection worker in a child welfare agency. Her research interests developed from her work experiences and include child abuse and neglect, mental health at work, and clinical supervision. Currently, Stéphanie is helping in two different study projects within the lab. The first one explores the efficacy of a neglect-focused parenting program called SafeCare. The second one explores the usage of a clinical tool designed for child protection workers who work with children and youth in child welfare. Both projects aim to offer better services for both families and workers in child welfare.

Stéphanie received the SSHRC-Masters scholarship during Master's.

Publications:

Bilodeau, C., Lalande, S., Kyle, A. (2021). The Role of Personality in Early Alliance Formation in the Context of Clinical Supervision of Psychotherapists in Training. Journal of Educational Supervision, 4(3), 47-65. DOI: https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/jes/

Glouchkow, Amanda

2021 – Ongoing

Amanda Glouchkow is in the Master of Arts in Counselling program. She is interested in trauma-informed training programs. Amanda is researching teachers’ decision-making related to child maltreatment. She is focused on developing a standardized tool for measuring which factors have the most impact on accuracy in teacher detection and reporting. The work is intended to inform child maltreatment intervention training programs to ensure more children experiencing maltreatment receive early intervention.

Publications

Glouchkow, A., Weegar, K. & Romano, E. Teachers’ Responses to Child Maltreatment. Journ Child Adol Trauma (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-022-00473-2

Conference Proceedings

Glouchkow, A., Jester, E., & Sonnenberg, K. (2022, June 23–25). Changes in socio-demographic predictors of parental cognitions following the PDEP program [Conference session]. Canadian Psychological Association Conference, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Presented on behalf of Cenerini, A., Zak, S., Romano., (2022, June 23-25). Parental reactions and family stress impacts on young people in out-of-home care during Covid-19 [Poster presentation]. Canadian Psychological Association Conference, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Glouchkow, A., Green, S., Leite, T., Santor, D. (2021, June). A Critical Review of Social Emotional Learning Measures. Poster presentation presented at the virtual Canadian Psychological Association.
Green, S., Glouchkow, A. (2021, May). Rapid assessment and impact of academic presenteeism on academic performance in college students. Poster presentation presented at the virtual Interdisciplinary Conference in Psychology.
Glouchkow, A., Romano, E., Weegar, E. (2020, July). Understanding Teachers’ Responses to Child Maltreatment Vignettes. Poster presentation presented at the virtual Canadian Psychological Association.

Niyonkuru, Ghislaine

2022 - Ongoing

Ghislaine Niyonkuru is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her research interests focus on factors surrounding children's psychological well-being, specifically parenting, and how these themes are enacted in Black populations. Ultimately, she aims to raise awareness within the mental health system to be more culturally sensitive. This includes equipping the child welfare system and the school system with ways to better serve Black communities. Currently, Ghislaine is involved in the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) project.

Publications:

Ziani, M., Khoury, E., Boisvert-Viens, J., Niyonkuru, G., Bentayeb, N., & Goyette, M. (2022). Telehealth for Social Interventions With Adolescents and Young Adults: Diverse Perspectives. Australian Social Work, 1-13.
Méthot, F., Niyonkuru, G., Ziani, M. et Goyette, M. (2021). Les effets de la COVID-19 sur la santé et le bien-être de jeunes âgé-e-s entre 14 et 25 ans dans la région métropolitaine de Montréal. Montréal : Chaire-réseau de recherche sur la jeunesse du Québec. http://chairejeunesse.ca/node/1471.

Research Assistants

Tierney, Crystal

Crystal Tierney is a Registered Psychotherapist and a research assistant within the lab. Her research interests include the creative utilization of translational and interdisciplinary research to mitigate the harm caused by childhood adversity, abuse, & neglect. Currently, in the lab, she is involved in the PDEP project (Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting).

Weisemberg, Nicole

Nicole Weisemberg is a recent graduate from the B.A in Psychology at the University of Ottawa and is now a research assistant within the lab. Generally, her research interests include child maltreatment, trauma, neglect, and the developmental course of different psychopathologies. Within the lab, Nicole actively works on the SafeCare project which aims to evaluate the efficacy of a child-neglect focused program in child welfare agencies across Ontario.

Zhao, Melody

Melody (Danyang Zhao) is an undergraduate student in specialization in psychology in arts and minor in sociology at the University of Ottawa. And her graduate intention is clinical psychology. Her research orientation is the treatment of mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder, in particular with mental disorders in which the symptoms strike at a young age. She aims to find the factors of intervening childhood and adolescent trauma to treat and make their conditions better. She starts to write some articles reviewing previous research. At present, she is involved in the PDEP project (Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting) and Safecare research project as a research assistant in the lab, which projects focuses on the psychological well-being between parents and children.

Publication: Zhao, D. (2022). The Theory and Efficacy of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in Bipolar Disorder. Proceedings of the 2022 6th International Seminar on Education, Management and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-31-2_437

Honours and UROP students

We currently do not have any students completing their honours thesis.

Former Graduate Students

Babchishin, Lyzon

2008 – 2014

An integrative examination of the risk factors of childhood victimization

Lyzon Babchishin completed the combined Masters/PhD program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her research explored the psychosocial determinants of child development. Specifically, Lyzon’s research interests related to multiple victimization (i.e., exposure to more than one type of victimization within a specific time period). Her dissertation investigated the prevalence and co-occurence among victimizations as well as ecological risk models of multiple victimization.

Bell, Tessa

2009 – 2014

Risk and resilience among maltreated children in out-of-home care

Tessa Bell completed the combined MA/PhD program in Experimental Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her doctoral dissertation investigated the prevalence and predictors of behavioural resilience among school-age children living in out-of-home care within the province of Ontario (Canada). Factors from various levels of the ecological model were investigated as potential contributors to child resilience. Finally, she also conducted semi-structured interviews with child welfare workers to gain their perceptions on resilience and its associated factors among children living in out-of-home care.

Czincz, Jennifer

2005 – 2011

Examining how the mental health needs of children who have experienced maltreatment are identified and addressed in Ontario

Jennifer Czincz completed the combined Masters/PhD program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her doctoral dissertation examined the availability and quality of mental health services in Ontario for youth who have experienced sexual abuse. The initial component of her thesis was a census of all Ontario Children’s Aid Societies, which identified that the majority of referrals for mental health service for this population are made to community-based psychologists. The second component of her dissertation involved an on-line study of all registered psychologists in Ontario in order to identify the proportion and distribution of psychologists who work with youth who have experienced sexual abuse and to identify the type of treatments being provided to this population (as well as variables that predict the type of treatment being used).

Fréchette, Sabrina

2008 – 2016

Prevalence and developmental outcomes of corporal punishment within a Canadian context

Sabrina Fréchette completed the combined Masters/PhD program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her dissertation explored the disciplinary strategies used by Canadian parents, in particular the use of physical punishment. Specifically, she examined the prevalence of physical punishment and the behavioural and emotional consequences in children and adolescents.

Recent conference presentations:

Lyons, Jennifer

2011 – 2018

Male survivors of childhood sexual abuse: Profiles of abuse experiences and links with psychosocial outcomes

Jennifer Lyons completed the combined Masters/PhD program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her dissertation explored the relationship between characteristics of male childhood sexual abuse and psychological functioning in adulthood (e.g., trauma symptoms, depression, anxiety, substance use).

Recent conference presentations:

Moorman, Jessie

2014 – 2020

Jessie Moorman is a doctoral student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Generally, her interests are childhood maltreatment, trauma and memory and related outcomes of childhood sexual abuse among males. Her dissertation research aims to examine memory and affective functioning in males with histories of childhood sexual abuse who also have current trauma symptoms. This project will provide information on the ways in which trauma symptoms and sexual abuse during childhood are associated with memory and affect. Jessie expects this research to help clarify the ways in which brain functioning might differ in males with abuse histories who may or may not have post-traumatic stress disorder. Her research is supported by a Doctoral Scholarship from the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship Program (SSHRC).

Recent conference presentations:

Bonneville, V., Moorman, J., Romano, E., & Flynn, R. (2017, July). Childhood sexual abuse in adolescent males within child welfare: Prevalence and links with various domains of functioning. Poster presented at the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Convention 2017, Toronto (ON).

Weegar, Kelly

2013 – 2019

Thesis: Developing and Evaluating a Child Maltreatment Training Program for Elementary School Teachers

Kelly Weegar completed the combined M.A./Ph.D. program in Clinical Psychology at the University of Ottawa. Her dissertation focused on the development of a new maltreatment training program for teachers as a way to bring awareness to the training needs of Canadian-based teachers regarding child maltreatment, as well as explore the feasibility of developing, implementing, and evaluating child maltreatment teacher training.

Recent conference presentations:

Former Honours Thesis Students

2021-2022

Dynahlee Chan

Examine the Predictors of Change in Children Behavior within the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting Program (PDEP)

Carol Manseau

Understanding How Men with Childhood Sexual Abuse Histories Create Narratives About Their Experiences

Abby Cenerini

Parental Reactions and Family Stress Impacts on Young People in Out-of-home Care During Covid-19

2020-2021

Valérie Lacroix

Psychological Functioning Among Men who Have Experienced Childhood Sexual Abuse

Cathy Broussard

What Mediates the Changes in Parenting Behaviours for Parents who Complete the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting Program?

2019– 2020

Amanda Glouchkow
Understanding Teachers’ Responses to Child Maltreatment Vignettes

Stéphanie Quinn
What Are Parents’ Experiences With the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) Program?

Jordan Snow
Male Childhood Sexual Abuse and Emotion Regulation Strategies

2018– 2019

None

2017 – 2018

Kelly Firth
Change of caregivers’ mental health outcomes following participation in the SafeCare® program

Émilie Frenette
Child behavioural outcomes following caregivers’ participation in the SafeCare® program

2016 – 2017

Véronique Bonneville
Childhood sexual abuse in adolescent males within child welfare: Prevalence and links with other maltreatment types and various domains of functioning

Ifanuela Soivilus
Understanding the perspectives of service managers in the implementation of a child neglect program in their child welfare agency

Gabrielle Veilleux
Understanding knowledge and attitudes toward children's rights and attitudes towards spanking

2015 – 2016

Stephanie Batten
Examining the youth outcome questionnaire

Karina Czechowski
How do home visitor assessments of parents' progress through a child neglect program map onto their self-reported gains

Madeline Ressel
An examination of sexual abuse characteristics and psychological functioning in a sample of young males

2014 – 2015

Mawdah Albatnuni
Examining treatment progress and correlates among youth and families seeking psychological services

Camille Guérin-Marion
The influence of child corporal punishment on school readiness

Elizabeth St. John
The mediating effects of self-compassion on the trauma symptoms of male survivors of childhood sexual abuse

2013 – 2014

Szewei Wong
Psychosocial impacts of childhood polyvictimization

2011 – 2012

Michael Zoratti
Understanding the link between child corporal punishment and child physical abuse

Kayla Mayer
What influences mothers` child care choices?

2010 – 2011

Megan Lummiss
Trends in school readiness: An examination of correlates

Rick Norian
Factors that impact change in opinions towards corporal punishment

Kelly Weegar
The influence of early child care on later behavioural outcomes using a Canadian nation wide study

2009 – 2010

Mélanie Guibord
Risk and protective factors for depression and substance use in an adolescent child welfare sample

Ioanna-Ianthi Kokozaki
Expanding our understanding of the relationship between maternal mental health and child behavioural outcomes

Craig Moore
Prevalence and risk of multiple victimization among young adults

Meghan Alexander
Outcomes of multiple victimization in a nation-wide sample of adolescents

2008 – 2009

Tessa Bell
Risk factors of multiple victimization in a national sample of adolescents

2007 – 2008

Amanda Barnes
Exploring the contexts surrounding maternal mental health and its impact on early childhood outcomes

Melissa Bourdages
Tracking attrition and its correlates in the Ottawa Study of Child Outcomes

2005 – 2006

Stacey Thornhill
Trends and predictors of childhood methylphenidate use

Stephanie Germain
Childhood behaviour problems as predictors of adolescent psychiatric disorders

2004 – 2005

Jennifer MacInnis
Development and prediction of early childhood hyperactivity

Simon Young
Developmental pathways and risk factors of early childhood inattention

Evaluation of the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting (PDEP) program (SSHRC) - Ongoing

This is a collaboration with various Ontario- and Alberta-based child and family community centres to train staff in the PDEP program and then evaluate outcomes by way of randomized controlled methodology. We have trained about 20 PDEP facilitators and are working with approximately 8 agencies.
PDEP was created by Dr. Joan Durrant at the University of Manitoba with the explicit aim of preventing violence against children in their homes and helping parents adopt a more positive disciplinary approach. PDEP is currently being delivered in 30 countries.
So far, we have three years of data collection. Data consist of parent self-report measures at pre- and post-PDEP and at 1- and 3-month follow-ups. We are also gathering informing about parenting behaviours through videotaped observations and through parents’ responses to challenging parenting scenarios. Finally, we are interviewing parents about their experiences in the program. Dr. Elena Gallitto is the project coordinator. Graduate student Amanda Glouchkow is actively involved in the project.
This project fits within Dr. Romano’s overall framework of practice-changing research in that the PDEP program represents a universal primary prevention strategy aimed at reducing violence within the family. It is also currently aligned with federal initiatives to address the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action (a primary one being the elimination of child physical punishment) and with federal responsibilities to uphold tenets of the UN Convention on the Rights of Child (which has been ratified by Canada and which calls for the elimination of all forms of violence against children).

The SafeCare® Program for Child Neglect: Examining Differential Outcomes and Change Mechanisms (CIHR) - Ongoing

Child neglect is a serious form of maltreatment because of its heightened risk of occurrence during the first five years of life (which are critical for later development) and its short- and long-term impact across multiple domains of functioning. In Ontario, child neglect is the second most common form of substantiated maltreatment among investigated child welfare cases.
In a previous CIHR project, we implemented an evidence-based child neglect program (SafeCare®) across 6 Ontario child welfare agencies. We collected information from multiple stakeholders to assess program feasibility, satisfaction, and sustainability, and we collected preliminary data on outcomes. The project’s focus on implementation and preliminary outcomes did not provide for a rigorous evaluation of differential outcomes, change mechanisms, and child maltreatment reduction.
This project focuses on the following: 1) What are the trajectories of change for child (e.g., socio-emotional functioning) and caregiver (e.g., abuse potential) outcomes following SafeCare, and what predicts these trajectories? 2) What is the role of improved caregiver emotion regulation, decreased parenting stress, and improved caregiver executive functioning on child and caregiver outcomes following SafeCare? and 3) Do caregivers who complete SafeCare have decreased child welfare contact (i.e., lower recidivism)?
We are collaborating on this project with several child welfare and community-based agencies in Ontario and Manitoba. We will soon add an Australian agency as a partner. Training has been provided to about 20 individuals to be SafeCare providers, and data collection is underway to address our research questions. We are using a multi-method approach that includes parental self-reports, hair and saliva samples, videotaped observations, and cognitive testing. We are gathering this information prior to the start of SafeCare and at various points following its completion (post as well as 6- and 12-months post-SafeCare).
This project involves a multi-disciplinary team with a co-principal investigator (Dr. Andrea Gonzalez at McMaster University), co-investigators, collaborators, and students. Rougui Bah is the project coordinator. Graduate students Sarah Zak and Stéphanie Lalande are actively involved in the project

Increasing our understanding of males with childhood sexual abuse histories (CIHR) - Completed

Given the high prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among males and the relative lack of empirical attention to this population, Dr. Romano seized the opportunity to serve as a co-investigator on a CIHR team grant headed by Dr. Christine Wekerle from McMaster University on youth sexual victimization.
Dr. Romano’s portion of this team grant involves the completion of several projects, along with her colleague (Dr. Andra Smith at University of Ottawa) and graduate students. These included developing latent profiles for adult men with histories of childhood sexual abuse, understanding the link between sexual abuse in men and various mental health outcomes, understanding psychological and adaptive functioning between men with and without histories of childhood sexual abuse, and examining the brain functioning (memory, emotion processing) of adult men with sexual abuse histories. As graduate students Jennifer Lyons and Jessie Moorman were actively involved in this project.

Intervention and implementation outcomes of the SafeCare® program for child neglect (CIHR) - Completed

This is a collaboration with 6 Ontario child welfare agencies that trained 28 child welfare practitioners in the implementation of the SafeCare programme. The project evaluated the program’s implementation and outcomes.
Practitioners successfully implemented the in-home program (SafeCare) with 84 families. The project collected data across multiple informants (families, practitioners, agency service managers) and by way of various methods (self-report, interview) in order to evaluate the implementation of the SafeCare program as well as its preliminary outcomes within a Canadian context.

Improving Ontario child welfare's use of research to inform service planning/delivery (SSHRC) - Completed

This is a pilot project in collaboration with 3 Ontario child welfare agencies to provide training to various stakeholders around the integration of data into service planning and delivery.
In 2006, the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth made it mandatory for all child welfare agencies to use the Assessment and Action Record (AAR) on a yearly basis to track youth development over time and help establish plans of care. However, there remain challenges in applying AAR data to practice.
Through a SSHRC partnership development grant as co-principal investigator (along with Dr. Connie Cheung), we developed, delivered, and evaluated training curricula focused on the applied use of AAR data to child welfare stakeholders, namely senior management, supervisors, practitioners, and foster caregivers.

Conclusion

Altogether, these various research projects are addressing a number of important gaps that currently exist in the area of child maltreatment, be it at the level of:

raising awareness about the unique needs of under-studied populations (males who have experienced childhood sexual abuse);
providing evidence-based interventions to under-serviced populations (children who have experienced neglect); or
training important stakeholders on how to address the needs of maltreated children (through improved trauma-sensitive interventions and the use of relevant research findings) or promote children’s healthy development (parents learning about positive disciplinary strategies that do not involve the use of physical punishment).

Not only are the various projects making significant contributions to advancing understanding and to changing clinical practice but they are also being conducted in close collaboration with a number of community-based partners as well as well-respected research scholars. These partnerships are critical to project success and speak directly to the applied relevance of the research in these various sectors (child welfare, early years centres).

In carrying out the research activities of the lab, we are fortunate to have a number of academic collaborations with other researchers in the School of Psychology and in other University of Ottawa departments and faculties. We also have collaborations with researchers at University of Toronto, University of Manitoba, McMaster University, Georgia State University, and Southern Methodist University. In addition, we have established collaborations with community-based agencies, including Ontario child welfare agencies and Ontario child and family centres.

Book Chapters

Gervais, C., Johnston, M. S., Dastouri, S., McGowran, L., & Romano, E. (2020). Beyond judgment: How parents and professionals negotiate in/exclusion and [in]security among youth who sexually offend. In C. Côté-Lussier, D. Moffette, & J. Piché (Eds.), Contemporary Criminological Issues: Beyond Insecurity and Exclusion (pp. 119-144). Ottawa, ON: University of Ottawa Press.

Saini, M. A., Romano, E., Weegar, K., Zak, S., & Gallitto E. (2019). Treating children exposed to intimate partner violence within the context of child custody disputes. In L. R. Greenberg, B. J. Fidler & M. A. Saini (Eds.), Evidence-Informed Interventions for Court-Involved Families (pp. 303-324). New York: Oxford University Press.

Romano, E., & De Luca, R. V. (2014). Men sexually abused as children. In L. Grossman & S. Walfish (Eds.), Translating Psychological Research into Practice. United States: Springer

Refereed Journal Articles

Stenason, L., & Romano, E. (2022). Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Parenting Program for Resource Parents. Environmental Research and Mental Health, 19 (24).

Stenason, L., & Romano, E. (2022). Number of Placement Changes Among Young People in Care: Youth and Caregiver Associations. Child and Youth Services Review, 144.

Romano, E., & Stenason, L. (2022). Increasing resource parents’ access to training and data: An overview of two child welfare initiatives. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 9, 1-15.

Zak, S., Gallitto, E., & Romano, E. (2022). The protective role of internal/external factors on Covid-19 related stressors among resource parents. Developmental Child Welfare, Epub, 1-15.

Chiasson, C., Moorman, J., Romano, E., & Smith, A. (2022). Traumatic autobiographical memories:Preliminary fMRI findings among men with histories of childhood sexual abuse. American Journal of Men’s Health, Epub, 1-12.

Chiasson, C., Moorman, J., Romano, E., Vezarov, M., Cameron, A, & Smith, A. (2021). The influence of emotion on working memory: Exploratory fMRI findings among men with histories of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 122, Epub 1-12.

Snow, J., Moorman, J., & Romano, E. (2021). Emotion regulation and mental health among men with childhood sexual abuse histories. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, Open Access, 1-19.

Black, K. R., Collin-Vezina, D., Brend, D., & Romano, E. (2021). Trauma-informed attitudes in residential treatment settings: Staff, child, and youth factors predicting adoption, maintenance, and change over time. Child Abuse & Neglect, Epub, 1-13.

Stenason, L., Romano, E., & Cheung, C. (2021). Using research within child welfare: Reactions to a training initiative. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 18, 214-234.

Gallitto, E. Romano, E., & Whitaker, D. (2021). Investigating the impact of the SafeCare program on parenting behaviours in child welfare-involved families. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal.

Gallitto, E. Veilleux, G., & Romano, E. (2021). How do knowledge and attitudes about children’s rights influence spanking attitudes? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36, 1-18.

Stenason, L., Romano, E., & Cheung, C. (2020). Using Research within Child Welfare: Reactions to a Training Initiative. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 1-21.

Romano, E., Stenason, L., Weegar, K., & Cheung, C. (2020). Improving child welfare’s use of data for service planning: Practitioner perspectives on a training curriculum.Children and Youth Services Review, 110.

Stenason, L., Moorman, J., & Romano, E. (2020). The experiences of parents and facilitators in a positive parenting program.Qualitative Report,25, 1-13.

Romano, E., Gallitto, E., Firth, K., & Whitaker, D. (2020). Does the SafeCare parenting program impact caregiver mental health?, Journal of Child and Family Studies, 29, 2653-2665.

Rogers-Brown, J. S., Self-Brown, S., Romano, E., Weeks, E., Thompson, W. W., & Whitaker, D. J. (2020). Behavior change across implementations of the SafeCare model in real world settings, Children and Youth Services Review.

Romano, E., Weegar, K., Gallitto, E., Zak, S., & Saini, M. (2019). Meta-analysis on interventions for children exposed to intimate partner violence. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1-11.

Romano, E., Moorman, J., Bonneville, V., Newton, C., & Flynn, R. (2019). Adolescent males in out-of-home care: Past adversity and current functioning. Developmental Child Welfare, 1, 199-216.

Gallitto, E. Veilleux, G., & Romano, E. (2019). How do knowledge and attitudes about children’s rights influence spanking attitudes? Journal of Interpersonal Violence. Published online on June 10, 2019

Gervais, C., & Romano, E. (2019). Parental perspectives on the emotional, relational and logistical impacts on siblings of youth who sexually offend Children & Society, 33, 524-539.

Weegar, K. & Romano, E. (2019). Child maltreatment knowledge and responses among teachers: A training needs assessment. School Mental Health. Published online on March 19, 2019.

Lyons, J., & Romano, E. (2019). Childhood sexual abuse profiles and psychological functioning in adult males. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. Published online on January 24, 2019.

Lyons, J., & Romano, E. (2019). Childhood sexual abuse profiles and and psychological functioning in adult males. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse.

Romano, E., Moorman, J., Ressel, M., & Lyons, J. (2019). Men with childhood sexual abuse histories: Disclosure experiences and links with mental health. Child Abuse & Neglect, 89, 212-224.

Romano, E., & Gervais, C. (2018). ‘He wasn’t falling apart … We were falling apart’ Understanding the mental health impacts on parents of youth who sexually offend. Journal of Family Violence, 33, 491-505.

Romano, E., Weegar, K., Babchishin, L., & Saini, M. (2018). Cross-informant agreement on mental health outcomes for children with maltreatment histories: A systematic review. Psychology of Violence, 8, 19-30.

Weegar, K., Guerin-Marion, C., Frechette, S., Romano, E. (2018). Child physical punishment, parenting, and school readiness. Infant and Child Development, 27, e2050.

Ressel, M., Lyons, J., Romano, E. (2018). Abuse characteristics, multiple victimization experiences and resilience of young males with histories of childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse Review, 27, 239-253.

Gervais, C., & Romano, E. (2018). Safeguarding child rights and enhancing caregiver responsibilities among Canadian parents of youth who sexually offend. Child Abuse & Neglect, 76, 502-514.

Weegar, K., Moorman, J., Stenason, L., & Romano, E. (2018). Perspectives on the implementation of an evidence-based neglect program within child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 474-483.

Gallitto, E., Romano, E., & Drolet, M. (2017). Caregivers' perspectives on the SafeCare programme: Implementing an evidence-based intervention for child neglect. Child & Family Social Work, 1-9.

Frechette, S., & Romano, E. (2017). How do parents label their physical disciplinary practices? A focus on the definition of corporal punishment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 71, 92-103.

Bell, T., & Romano, E. (2017). Permanency and safety among children in foster family and kinship care: A scoping review. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 18, 268-286.

Afifi, T. O., & Romano, E. (2017). Ending the spanking debate. Child Abuse & Neglect, 71, 3-4.

Gallitto, E., Lyons, J., Weegar, K., & Romano, E. (2017). Trauma-symptom profiles of adolescents in child welfare. Child Abuse & Neglect, 68, 25-35.

Romano, E., Weegar, K., Babchishin, L., & Saini, M. (2016). Cross-informant agreement on mental health outcomes in children in maltreatment histories: A systemic review. Psychology of Violence.

Romano, E.,Babchishin, L., & Wong, S. (2016). Victimization exposure and psychosocial functioning among school-aged children: The role of moderating and mediating variables. Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 9(4), 329-340.

Romano, E., Lyons, J., & St. John, E. (2015). Male childhood sexual abuse, self-compassion, and trauma symptoms. International Journal of Child and Adolescent Resilience, 3(1), 34-51.

Gosselin, J., Babchishin, L., & Romano, E. (2015). Family transitions and children's well-being during adolescence. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 56(7), 569-589.

Bell, T., & Romano, E. (2015). Child resilience in out-of-home care: Child welfare worker perspectives. Children & Youth Services Review, 48, 49-59.

Bell, T., & Romano, E. (2015). Permanency and safety among children in foster family and kinship care. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse. Online publication.

Frechette, S., & Romano, E. (2015). Corporal punishment over time in a representative sample of Canadian parents. Journal of Family Psychology, 29(4), 507-517.

Bell, T., Romano, E., & Flynn, R. J. (2015). Profiles and predictors of behavioural resilience among children in child welfare. Child Abuse & Neglect, 48, 92-103.

Fréchette, S., Zoratti, M., & Romano, E. (2015). What is the link between corporal punishment and child physical abuse? Journal of Family Violence, 30(2), 135-148.

Lyons, J., Bell, T., Fréchette, S., & Romano, E. (2015). Child-to-parent violence: Frequency and family correlates. Journal of Family Violence, 30(6), 729-742.

Romano, E., Babchishin, L., Marquis, R., & Frechette, S. (2014). Childhood maltreatment and educational outcomes. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 16(4), 418-437.

Babchishin, L., & Romano, E. (2014). Evaluating the frequency, co-occurence, and psychosocial correlates of childhood multiple victimization. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 33, 47-65.

Romano, E., Bell, T., & Norian, R. (2013). Corporal punishment: Examining attitudes toward the law and factors influencing attitude change. Journal of Family Violence, 28, 265-275.

Babchishin, L., Weegar, K., & Romano, E. (2013). Early child care effects on later behavioural outcomes using a Canadian nationwide sample. Journal of Educational and Developmental Psychology, 3(2), 15-29.

Bell, T., Romano, E., & Flynn, R. (2013) Multilevel correlates of behavioural resilience among children in child welfare. Child Abuse & Neglect, 37(11), 1007-1020.

Czincz, J., & Romano, E. (2013). Childhood sexual abuse: Community-based treatment practices and predictors of use of evidence-based practices. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 18(4), 240-246.

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