Research areas
Clinical
Lab Website
Resilience Emerging Amidst Childhood Hardships (REACH) Lab
Research Interests
Dr. Howell’s program of research centers on the health and well-being of children and families who have experienced potentially traumatic events, such as interpersonal violence and loss. She grounds her research in a developmental psychopathology framework, placing emphasis on longitudinal methods that capture the interplay of risk and protection over time. Much of her work takes place in the community via partnerships with local stakeholders and organizations serving families experiencing violence and other forms of trauma.
One line of Dr. Howell’s research aims to examine the individual, relational, and community factors that enhance resilience or reduce risk for psychopathology among mothers and children experiencing adversity. She has extensively studied the consequences of trauma exposure, and identified multiple ways that it can impact the family system. Because she advocates for a strengths-based approach, much of Dr. Howell’s research has focused on protective factors across the social ecology that contribute to resilience.
A second line of her research centers on developing strengths-based interventions and evaluating their mechanisms of change for individuals exposed to adversity, including youth experiencing family violence and women exposed to intimate partner violence during pregnancy. As one example, Dr. Howell is the co-creator of the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP) which meets pregnant women’s developmental needs, addresses the common mental health problems associated with violence exposure, and promotes maternal resilience.
Representative Publications
(asterisk denotes mentee at the time of publication)
Howell, K.H., *Napier, T.R., Scheid, C.R., Braungart-Rieker, J., & Miller-Graff, L.E. (2024). Evaluating the effects of prenatal intervention on parenting in women exposed to intimate partner violence. Journal of Family Psychology, 38(1), 118-128. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001175
*Campbell, K.D., Howell, K.H., *Napier, T.R., Maye, C.E., & Thurston, I.B. (2023). Strengths-based factors related to post-traumatic stress problems in Black youth with high body weights. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 48(6), 514-522. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsad030
*Thomsen, K.N., Howell, K.H., *Gilliam, H.C., & Wamser-Nanney, R. (2023). Mapping individual, relational, and contextual factors onto posttraumatic stress symptoms and resilience. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(11-12), 7242-7265. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221141930
Miller-Graff, L.E., Paulson, J.L., *Hasselle, A.J., Cummings, E.M., & Howell, K.H. (2022). Examining the efficacy of prenatal intervention in reducing IPV revictimization and improving maternal mental health: A quasirandomized controlled trial of the Pregnant Moms’ Empowerment Program (PMEP). Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90(11), 884-898. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000772
Howell, K.H., Miller-Graff, L.E., Martinez-Torteya, C., *Napier, T.R., & Carney, J. (2021). Charting a course towards resilience following adverse childhood experiences: Addressing intergenerational trauma via strengths-based intervention. Children, 8(10), 844. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8100844
Howell, K.H., *Schaefer, L.M., *Hasselle, A.J., & Thurston, I.B. (2021). Social support as a moderator between syndemics and posttraumatic stress among women experiencing adversity. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 30(6), 828-843. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2020.1783732
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
Howell, K.H., Thurston, I.B., *Hasselle, A.J., Decker, K., & *Jamison, L.E. (2021). Systemic factors associated with prosocial skills and maladaptive functioning in youth exposed to intimate partner violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 36(5-6), 2823-2847. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518766420
Howell, K.H., Thurston, I.B., *Schwartz, L.E., *Jamison, L.E., & *Hasselle, A.J. (2018). Protective factors associated with resilience in women exposed to intimate partner violence. Psychology of Violence, 8(4), 438-447. https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000147
Howell, K.H., Miller-Graff, L.E., *Hasselle, A.J., & Scrafford, K.E. (2017). The unique needs of pregnant, violence-exposed women: A systematic review of current interventions and directions for translational research. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 34, 128-138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2017.01.021