Christian Connell
Director, Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
MPI, Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies
- Director, Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
- Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member
Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center
Childhood Development: effects of maltreatment, trauma, and other adverse experiences on child behavioral health outcomes; effects of services, supports, and system involvement on behavioral health outcomes; social-ecological and contextual influences on child wellbeing; development of risky behaviors in childhood
Adolescent Development: effects of maltreatment, trauma, and other adverse experiences on adolescent behavioral health outcomes; effects of services, supports, and system involvement on behavioral health outcomes; social-ecological and contextual influences on adolescent wellbeing; development of risky behaviors in adolescence
Prevention and Intervention Research: effects of community-based services and interventions on behavioral health outcomes for at-risk child and adolescent populations (e.g., child protection and child welfare populations; juvenile justice-involved youth); system-level research and evaluation to improve system-level outcomes and reduce system contact for at-risk populations
Academic Appointments:
2024-present Ken Young Family Professor for Healthy Children, Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University
2017-2024 Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University
2017-present Associate Professor (Adjunct), Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
2010-2017 Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
2004-2010 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
2003-2004 Instructor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
2001-2003 Associate Research Scientist, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
Administrative Positions:
2022-present Director, Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
2017-2022 Associate Director, Child Maltreatment Solutions Network
2014-2017 Co-Director, Division of Prevention & Community Research, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
2004-2007 Coordinator of Pre-doctoral Psychology Training Fellowship, The Consultation Center, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
2003-2017 Director, Child Development & Epidemiological Research, Division of Prevention & Community Research, The Consultation Center, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry
Research Interests:
My research focuses on the experiences of youth who have been maltreated and those involved in child welfare and other child-serving systems, including mental health and juvenile justice. As a clinical-community psychologist, I engage system leaders, policymakers, and practitioners in research to address critical issues, evaluate the effects of programs and policies, and promote effective system change. Using a trauma-informed framework, I examine how individual, family, and contextual factors influence the relationship between maltreatment and child behavioral health outcomes. My work explores the impact of adverse experiences on children’s mental health and well-being, their involvement in various systems, and the effectiveness of interventions designed to mitigate these negative outcomes.
A core aspect of my research is understanding how risk and protective factors affect child welfare outcomes for maltreated children and their families. By analyzing child welfare data, I investigate factors related to child safety, permanency, and well-being, and identify high-risk subgroups within the child welfare system that can benefit from targeted interventions. My current role as Director of Penn State’s Child Maltreatment Solutions Network and Co-Director of the NICHD-funded Translational Center for Child Maltreatment Studies allows me to continue this applied research with at-risk populations. Recent projects include studying the effects of multi-system involvement on child outcomes, exploring patterns of crossover between child welfare and juvenile justice, and examining how child welfare contact influences early intervention services for young children.
I also conduct research on prevention and treatment models aimed at improving outcomes for system-involved youth, who often have complex histories of trauma. Expanding evidence-based interventions is essential to addressing the negative effects of these experiences. My work in this area includes studying community-based wraparound services for families following maltreatment and evaluating the impact of evidence-based treatments delivered by public agencies. These studies highlight the positive effects of community-delivered services on behavioral health and system-level outcomes, while also emphasizing the need for strong supports to maintain service quality and accessibility.
In collaboration with state partners, I lead research on system-level efforts to enhance services for children and families. This includes studying the implementation of trauma-focused screening, assessment, and treatment protocols, and evaluating their impact on child mental health and system-wide practices. Through federal grants, I’ve contributed to the development of trauma screening tools now used in child welfare and juvenile justice systems, and I’m currently working on expanding these efforts to younger populations and other child-serving systems.
Select Peer Review Publications (* denotes student author, # denotes senior author)
- Kurpiel, A., Font, S.A., & Connell, C.M. Juvenile offending among maltreated youth: Assessing type-specificity and offense specialization in the cycle of violence. Crime & Delinquency, in press. https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287231225143.
- Shipe, S.L.*, Guastaferro, K., Ayer, L., Lee, J., & Connell, C.M.# Family structure and children’s risk of child protective services re-reports. Child Abuse & Neglect, in press.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106915.
- Connell, C. M., Swanson, A. S.*, Genovese, M., & Lang, J. M. Effects of child trauma screening on trauma‐informed multidisciplinary evaluation and service planning in the child welfare system. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 37, 337-343, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.23001
- Guastaferro, K., Shipe, S. L.*, Connell, C.M., Holloway, J. L., Pulido, M. L., & Noll, J. G. Knowledge gains from the implementation of a child sexual abuse prevention program and the future of school-based prevention education. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 32, 845-859, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2023.2268618
- Connell, C.M., Kim, H.W., Shipe, S.L.*, Pittenger, S.L.*, & Tebes, J.K. Effects of community-based wraparound services on child and caregiver outcomes following child protective service involvement. Child Maltreatment, 29, 190-201, 2024. http://doi.org/10.1177/10775595221125454
- Crowley, D.M., Connell, C.M., Noll, J.G., Green, L., Scott, T., Long, E., & Giray, C. Legislating to prevent adverse childhood experiences: Growth and opportunities for evidence-based policymaking and prevention. Prevention Science, 23, 181-191, 2022. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-021-01292-x
- Connell, C.M. & Strambler, M.J. Experiences with COVID-19 stressors and parents’ use of neglectful, harsh, and positive parenting practices in the Northeastern United States. Child Maltreatment, 26, 255-266, 2021.
- Connell, C.M., Lang, J.M., Zorba, B., & Stevens, K. Enhancing capacity for trauma-informed care in child welfare: Impact of a statewide systems change initiative. American Journal of Community Psychology [special issue: Applied and Translational Research on Trauma-Responsive Programs and Policy], 64, 467-480, 2019.
- Vidal, S.* & Connell, C.M.# Treatment effects of parent-child focused evidence-based programs on problem severity and functioning among children and adolescents with disruptive behavior. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 48:sup1, S326-S336, 2019.
- Prince, D.M.*, Vidal, S.*, & Okpych, N., Connell, C.M.# Effects of individual risk and state housing factors on adverse outcomes in a national sample of youth transitioning out of foster care. Journal of Adolescence, 74, 33-44, 2019.
- Vidal, S.*, Connell, C.M., Prince, D.M.*, & Tebes, J.K. Multisystem-involved youth: A developmental framework and implications for research, policy, and practice. Adolescent Research Review, 4, 15-29, 2019.
- Huang, C.V.* & Connell, C.M.# Racial/ethnic differences in alcohol use trajectories among adolescents involved in child welfare. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 89, 524-533, 2019.
- Connell, C.M., Bory, C.T.*, Huang, C.Y.*, Genovese, M., Caron, C., Tebes, J.K. Caseworker assessment of child risk and functioning and their relation to service use in the child welfare system. Children & Youth Services Review, 99, 81-86, 2019.
- Connell, C.M., Pittenger, S.L.*, & Lang, J.M. Patterns of trauma exposure in childhood and adolescence and their relation to behavioral wellbeing. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31, 518-528, 2018.
- Pittenger, S.L.*, Moore, K., Dworkin, E., Crusto, C.A., & Connell, C.M.# Risk and protective factors for alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine use among child welfare-involved youth. Children & Youth Services Review, 95, 88-94, 2018.
- Lang, J.M. & Connell, C.M. The Child Trauma Screen: A follow-up validation. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31, 540-548, 2018.
- Lang, J. & Connell, C.M. Development and validation of a brief trauma screening measure for children: The Child Trauma Screen. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9, 390-398, 2017.
- Vidal, S.*, Steeger, C.M.*, Caron, C., Lasher, L., & Connell, C.M.# Placement and delinquency outcomes among system-involved youth referred to Multisystemic Therapy: A propensity score matching analysis. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 44, 853-866, 2017.
Select Book Chapters and Edited Volumes
- Connell, C.M. & Crowley, D.M. (Eds). Strengthening child safety and wellbeing through integrated data solutions. Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
- Connell, C.M. Introduction and volume overview (Chapter 1). In C.M. Connell & D.M. Crowley (Eds). Strengthening child safety and wellbeing through integrated data solutions (pp. 1-11). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
- Connell, C.M. & Noll, J.G. Diverse perspectives on the promise and challenge of child welfare data integration: Panel discussions from the practice and research communities (Chapter 9). In C.M. Connell & D.M. Crowley (Eds). Strengthening child safety and wellbeing through integrated data solutions (pp. 127-140). Cham, Switzerland: Springer, 2023.
- Connell, C.M. Introduction to quantitative methods. In L.A. Jason & D.S. Glenwick (Eds.), Handbook of methodological approaches to community-based research: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods (pp. 121-132). New York, NY: Oxford, 2016.
- Tebes J.K., Kaufman J.S., Connell C.M., Crusto, C.A., & Thai, N.D. Evaluation in primary prevention and health promotion. In: T. Gugliotta & M. Bloom (Eds). The Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion, 2nd Ed (pp. 69-101). New York, NY: Springer, 2014.