Catherine A. LaBrenz

• Doctor of Philosophy
• Professor (Associate) at The University of Texas at Arlington

This study explored and compared conceptualizations of social work research across Anglophone and Latin American countries. Open-ended survey responses ( n = 46) from participants in three Anglophone countries and three Latin American countries were analyzed. Three themes emerged: (1) social work research seeks solutions or actions; (2) social work...

This study examined the association between perceived weight, actual weight, and suicidal ideation among adolescents. Data for this study were obtained from a nationally representative sample from the Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YRBS) between 2015 and 2021. A total of n = 61,298 adolescents ages 12 to 18 were included in the final analytic sample....

Purpose While federal guidelines prioritize family reunification as a goal for youth in foster care, there are exceptions where other permanency outcomes are the case goal. Case goals guide service planning and establish trajectories towards permanency outcomes. However, little is known about factors associated with whether, and under what circumst...

This study examined the association between community disadvantage and substance use among adolescents referred to child protective services (CPS) and the interaction role of race/ethnicity in the association between community disadvantage and adolescent substance use. Findings revealed that higher county-level alcohol/drug mortality rates were ass...

Research has highlighted racial and socioeconomic disparities for families in child welfare, with calls to address inequities through trainings and structural change. However, few measures have been developed to assess the recognition of racial and class biases among child welfare practitioners, one key step in addressing implicit biases and reduci...

Background Sleep plays a vital role in the well-being of children and adolescents. Researchers have identified adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as an important factor associated with poor sleep among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the mediating role of family resilience on the association between ACEs and insufficient s...

The inseparability of siblings is a key child rights principle, however, many children adopted from care are separated from siblings. Through a self-administered survey, we examined Chilean adoptive parents' perspectives on sibling group adoption and post-adoption sibling contact. We examined types and frequency of contact and a thematic analysis a...

Although studies have investigated and found an association between victimization and weapon carrying, few studies have examined the association between exposure to neighborhood violence (NV) and gun carrying among adolescents. The objective of this study was to examine the cross-sectional association between exposure to NV and gun carrying among a...

Suicide has been identified as the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the USA. Although neighborhood violence has also been identified as a major public health issue, few studies have examined the association between exposure to neighborhood violence and suicidal behaviors among adolescents using a large nationally representative sa...

Research suggests that the demands of parenting have increased during the COVID‐19 pandemic, especially for mothers. Widespread loss of childcare and in‐person schooling forced parents to make adjustments to care for their children in new ways, many while working remotely. This qualitative study, guided by Walsh's theory of family resilience, exami...

In Chile, social work in indigenous communities has been met with ongoing resistance and tensions. These have been constant between indigenous and non-indigenous people, a product of racism that permeates daily relationships, the lack of intercultural educational policies, and lack of recognition of indigenous nations and communities. As a discipli...

Family engagement, or meaningful family participation and involvement, has been linked to improved child welfare outcomes. Yet, to date, interventions to increase family engagement have been understudied. This study presents information from a pilot of the Texas Permanency Outcomes Project (TXPOP) Practice Model, an innovative model developed to in...

Adolescent substance use has been linked to several negative outcomes, which can be exacerbated by exposure to adversity such as child maltreatment. However, few studies have examined the intersection of adolescent substance use and child protective service (CPS) involvement. This study examined the relationship between substance use treatment and...

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to investigate risk (violence and victimization, symptoms of depression, substance use, and obesity) and protective factors (physical activity and academic performance) associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among Black adolescents. Data were obtained from the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Su...

This study explores mothers’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on stressors, parenting roles, and work expectations. Qualitative analysis of open-ended interviews with a diverse group of 44 mothers in the United States generated two main themes: adjusting parenting roles and career concerns for mothers. Findings reveal that moth...

This chapter presents a reflection of the processes through which academic mothers have reconciled work-life balance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior research has evidenced gender disparities in academia, with lower proportions of female faculty as rank increases. During the pandemic, academic mothers have encountered intensified productive and...

Over the past several decades researchers have documented disproportionality for Black families across multiple decision-making points within the child welfare system. Yet, few studies have examined how specific state policies may impact disproportionality across decision points. The racial disproportionality index (RDI) was calculated for Black ch...

This study examined the prevalence of citing inadequate housing as a removal reason at the state level by utilizing data from the Adoption and Foster Care Reporting and Analysis System (AFCARS) and investigated the relationship between inadequate housing and reunification outcomes. The results revealed heterogeneity in citing inadequate housing as...

Objective: Polysubstance use among adolescents is a significant public health concern, yet most studies on adolescent substance use focus on a singular substance. This study is one of the first to investigate the association between perceived racial discrimination (PRD) in school and polysubstance use among racial/ethnic minority adolescents using...

Purpose Childhood high betrayal trauma (HBT; a high degree of closeness and dependency between a victim and perpetrator) and parental substance use disorder (SUD) are both associated with consequences negatively influencing reunification success among child welfare-involved families. HBT abuse may have a particularly grievous impact on children whe...

Although several studies have examined child and family factors associated with substantiation, less research has explored the role of state child maltreatment policies in substantiating cases of alleged maltreatment. In parallel, there is growing pressure to reduce racial/ethnic disproportionality and disparities across the span of a child welfare...

This paper presents the results of a qualitative study of mothers' lived experiences during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United States. An analysis of open-ended interviews with 44 mothers who had children ages zero-to-five identified two main themes: 1) increased stress among mothers; and 2) resilience through the use of coping mechanisms. The fin...

Background Child maltreatment and caregiver history of abuse is negatively associated with the development of emotion regulation, and maltreatment in early childhood may be particularly disruptive. Objective We examined patterns of emotion dysregulation and the contribution of caregiver victimization and early maltreatment history on the developme...

The objectives of this study were to investigate: 1) the prevalence of perceived racial discrimination (PRD) in school, among racial/ethnic minority adolescents, and 2) the association between PRD and suicidal behaviors among racial/ethnic minority adolescents in the United States. Data from a sample of 3,241 racial/ethnic minority adolescents (53....

Background and objective Although studies have investigated the association between cigarette smoking and sleep outcomes among adolescents in the United States, few studies have examined the association between electronic vaping products (EVPs) use and insufficient sleep among adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the cross-se...

Background LGBTQ+ youth frequently experience disparities in outcomes related to permanency and overall well-being while in out-of-home care. These negative outcomes often persist after youth have transitioned out of care, particularly in the domains of housing, education, employment, and mental health. Initial research has found that the ongoing C...

Background: The use of screen time for young children has been hotly debated among experts. This study explored the utilization of screen time among mothers with young children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to understand maternal motivation for utilizing screen time and how mothers have engaged in screen time since...

As COVID-19 reached pandemic levels in March 2020, schools shifted to remote learning. Student parents in higher education had to adapt to their own remote learning and assume responsibility for childcare and their children’s education. Few studies have explored the impact of COVID-19 on mothers who are also full-time students. This study utilized...

Purpose: Although some studies have examined the association between prescription opioid misuse and mental health outcomes, few have investigated the effects of prescription opioid misuse on suicidal behaviors among Black adolescents. The objective of this study was to investigate the cross-sectional association between prescription opioid misuse...

A focus on promoting sexual health and preventing sexual violence remains largely unaddressed in most evidence-based parenting prevention programmes, despite the promise of success in addressing these topics after foundational parenting practices have been strengthened. The primary objective of this study was to understand how Mexican family and ge...

Background Recent federal policy has solidified the importance of preserving families, yet over 400,000 children enter foster care each year. Although a few studies have found that certain types of services, like intensive family preservation services, may reduce child removals, more research is needed. Objective This study examined the relationsh...

Objective Alternative response (AR) is a family-centered, preventative approach for child protection systems. This study first examined what family and case factors predicted re-investigation and then explored which organizational factors influence caseworker and agency implementation of AR Method Using administrative data from child protection re...

Social support is a key protective factor among transition age youth. Yet, for youth with lived experience in foster care, social support systems are frequently disrupted. This may disproportionality impact LGBTQ+ youth and youth of color, given their overrepresentation in foster care. Using data from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, w...

El contexto de la idea del cuento surge a partir de investigación de magister de una de las autoras que buscaba aportar a las familias, luego de la denuncia de una situación de abuso sexual infantil (ASI), en esta investigación surgieron aspectos relevantes del tema, que fueron una base para la creación del cuento, estos aspectos fueron: Para prev...

Placement instability for children in foster care has an adverse effect on child safety, permanency, and well-being. Some studies have examined racial matching between caseworker-child to improve child outcomes, but fewer have explored racial matching in foster care placements and subsequent outcomes. This study examined the impact of same-race fos...

Worldwide, there has been a push toward reforming or abolishing child welfare systems because of systemic bias against families. Few studies have examined the role of bias in decision-making processes among child welfare practitioners, especially in child welfare systems in processes of change/reform. This qualitative study utilized discussion grou...

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are a major public health issue linked to negative health outcomes. Yet, few recent studies drawing on national data have examined the association between ACEs and binge drinking. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the association between ACEs and binge drinking among adults in the...

Objective Adverse childhood experiences have been found to be associated with negative outcomes during adulthood. Emerging research indicates that adverse childhood experiences may elevate the risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, few studies have investigated the association between adverse childhood experiences and subjective cognitive decline among...

Positive permanency, or leaving foster care to a permanent family setting, is a priority for children in care. Yet, there are barriers to achieving permanency, particularly among children of color. This study examined child and state factors that impacted permanency outcomes, with a particular focus on racial disparities. The researchers utilized a...

La superniña de las mariposas es un cuento escrito por tres trabajadoras sociales que buscan poner a disposición de equipos profesionales un recurso que favorezca el abordaje y la prevención de las agresiones sexuales vividas por niños, niñas y jóvenes. A través del género del libro álbum, donde tanto el texto como las ilustraciones tienen una fuer...

The objectives of this study were to examine: a) adverse childhood experience (ACE) knowledge among healthcare professionals in Central Texas; b) prevalence of screening and patient disclosure of ACEs; c) implementation of ACE-informed response strategies; and d) the relationship between ACE knowledge and familiarity, and implementation of ACE-info...

The objective of this study was to investigate the association between first sexual intercourse and sexual violence victimization, symptoms of depression, and suicidal ideation among sexually active adolescents in the United States. Data for this study came from the U.S. 2017 and 2019 iterations of the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analyt...

Background Past studies have linked measures of social isolation to mental health among caregivers of children. As people across the world adjust to social distancing measures, there is a need to understand consequences of social distancing measures on mental health. Thus, the objective of this study is to examine the association between adherence...

Since March 2020, families across the United States have faced challenges due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its subsequent restrictions. Although some experts have voiced concern over the impact of COVID-19 on family well-being, few studies have been conducted thus far. This study utilized n = 250 responses from an online survey...

This article presents findings from two studies conducted in Chile to examine the link between human rights and social work practice. The focus of this paper was to explore the role of undergraduate education in preparing future social work practitioners for human rights practice. Data from a qualitative longitudinal study to understand the role of...

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate childhood physical and sexual abuse as factors associated with arthritis among adults from selected states in the United States. Data for this study came from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. An analytic sample of 75,717 adults 18–75 years old (49.7% female) w...

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are commonly observed in the general population and often have lasting neurological and physiological effects. Previous studies have found links between exposure to ACEs, headaches, and functional difficulties in adults. However, little is known about the mechanisms through which exposure to ACEs is...

Background Racial/ethnic disparities are persistent in referrals and removals of children into child welfare systems. Yet, less is known about disparities in reunification, and how system factors may contribute to more equitable outcomes for families of color. Objective This study examined racial/ethnic disparities in reunification rates across U....

Objective: The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to examine: 1) the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and asthma among children, and 2) the interaction between sex and race/ethnicity on asthma. Methods: Data for this study were obtained from the 2017-2018 National Survey of Children’s Health. Binary logistic regre...

Background Alternative Response (AR) refers to assessment-focused responses to Child Protective Service allegations for families with low to moderate risk while diverting them from a traditional investigation. Although the AR is beneficial to meet needs and promote self-sufficiency of families, less is known about the AR assignment for families wit...

Family Team Conference (FTC) has been suggested as a promising practice model to effectively reduce racial disproportionality and disparities in child welfare. However, previous studies have noted ongoing challenges to promoting cultural responsiveness in FTC. This study analysed caseworkers’ survey data (n = 736) to explore the role of racial matc...

About 30% of children referred to child protective services each year in the US experience recurring maltreatment. Maltreatment has been linked to a myriad of negative developmental outcomes for children, such as externalizing and internalizing behaviors. Yet, few studies have examined services to prevent recurrences of maltreatment among reunified...

Spanking is a divisive discipline practice in the U.S. and is considered an inappropriate and harmful discipline tactic by some scholars and practitioners. However, increased diversity in the U.S. has contributed to varying cultural beliefs regarding discipline, which in turn influences child development. While prior literature has examined correla...

The objective of this study was to examine sex differences in the association between sexual violence victimization and suicidal ideation and suicide attempt among adolescents. Data for this study came from the 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. An analytic sample of 10,475 adolescents aged 14-18 years (52.3% female) was analyzed. We used bi...

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been linked to mental and physical health problems, leading to ACEs being viewed as a public health concern. Yet, less research has focused on the prevalence and impact of ACEs among diverse racial and ethnic groups. Given the increasing diversity in the USA, coupled with research that has found certain rac...

Objective: Although studies have examined the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and health and mental health outcomes, few studies have investigated the association between ACE and household food insecurity among children aged 0–5 years in the USA. The objective of this study is to investigate the association between ACE and h...

Since March 2020, families across the U.S. have faced challenges due to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its subsequent restrictions. Prior literature has linked family stress to negative outcomes, such as parent and child mental health, increased risk of child maltreatment, and overall well-being, as well as protective factors that may help fa...

Although studies have examined the effects of bullying victimization and adverse childhood experiences on health and mental health outcomes, few studies have examined bullying involvement and adverse childhood experiences as factors associated with school disengagement among children in the US. The objective of this study is to examine bullying inv...

Children who have been adopted are more likely to have mental health diagnoses than non-adopted peers and may be overrepresented in residential treatment centers (RTCs). Yet, few studies have examined adoptive parents’ experiences with RTCs. We administered a survey to N = 113 adoptive parents who had at least one child in RTC. Many families utiliz...

As many as one third of children who reunify from child welfare systems reenter care because of continued child maltreatment. This can have long-term deleterious effects on mental health. Yet, few studies have examined interventions that have been effective in promoting successful reunification or reunification that does not result in recidivism. T...

Objectives This study examined the relationship between ACE score and substance use, mental health, and parenting competence among a sample of Latino caregivers at-risk for child maltreatment. This study sought to increase our understanding of ACEs and outcomes among Latino caregivers that had at least two risk factors for child maltreatment. Meth...

Childhood adversity has been linked to negative outcomes related to health, behavior, and interpersonal relationships among adults. Research has explored how a parental history of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can impact the health and wellbeing of their own children. A parental history of ACEs can heighten the risk of perpetuating intergene...

Although some studies have examined factors associated with suicidal behaviors, few studies have examined the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity on suicidal behaviors among adolescents. The objective of this study is to examine the intersection of sexual orientation and race/ethnicity on suicidal ideation and suicide attempt. We...

Background: Research suggests that up to one-third of children who reunify re-enter care because of continued maltreatment. For young children, this is particularly detrimental due to rapid brain development during the first years of life. Objective: This study examined family-and state child welfare system predictors of successful reunification,...

A history of transracial and intercountry adoptions in the United States is briefly provided as well as highlights trends, demographics, practices, and policies that have evolved as families have become more diverse. The current prevalence of intercountry and transracial adoptions in the United States is examined as well as the impact of policy cha...

A plethora of research has linked exposure to violence during childhood to negative long-term physical health, mental health, and risk behavior outcomes. Yet, despite estimates that up to 60% of children in the United States will be exposed to violence, little is known about the impact on adult life satisfaction among different racial and ethnic gr...

Although children who have been adopted are referred for mental health services more often than their non-adopted peers and might be overrepresented within residential treatment centers (RTCs), little is known about adoptive families’ experiences with RTCs. The present study sought to understand the experiences of families whose children were place...

Scientific research into children’s wellbeing and development highlights the risk of significant harm to children detained with or without their parents. The purpose of this research brief is to review the existing literature on the effects of detention for children and families, and to provide recommendations to support children’s and families’ we...

La Justicia Restaurativa Juvenil ha sido implementada en los países de Europa Occidental por más de treinta años. Como es de esperar este proceso de implementación ha tenido etapas de aprendizaje en base a aciertos y desaciertos. Este estudio comparativo analiza la implementación de las prácticas de justicia restaurativa (JR) en los sistemas de jus...

Recent attention to juvenile delinquency has led to calls for alternative approaches for youth offenders that can reduce recidivism. This research analyzes how practitioners in Sweden, England, Italy, and Chile perceive the implementation of victim offender mediation (VOM). An emphasis is given to challenges and strategies that practitioners in Swe...

In order to address the number of children entering the foster care system each year and to promote the family's participation in the decision-making process, family-centered meetings have been widely adopted throughout the United States as well as in other countries. Since 1989, Family Group Conferencing, Family Group Decision Making, and Family T...

This research studies the construction of juvenile restorative justice in Italy and Chile, how these policies are implemented in practice, and how families participate in these processes. In-depth interviews were conducted with professionals about restorative justice in both countries regarding their experiences working both with policy and practic...

La presente investigación tuvo por objetivo realizar un análisis comprensivo del proyecto de ley de Entrevistas Videograbadas en Chile, en relación a los procesos investigativos de Suecia e Israel, pues estos últimos cuentan con políticas de protección de la infancia e intervenciones basadas en evidencia, permitiendo contrastarlo con la realidad ju...

Poor outcomes and several complaints to the judicial system against residential services for children have triggered a deep review of the Chilean child welfare services, particularly in relation to family reunification. This paper offers strategic guidelines to improve alternative care for children younger than six years of age, who are under prote...