Positions

Research Areas research areas

Overview

  • Heather A. Turner is Professor of Sociology and Senior Research Associate at the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Turner’s research program has concentrated on social stress processes and mental health, including the effects of violence, victimization, and other forms of adversity on the social and psychological development of children and adolescents. Dr. Turner has over 15 years of research experience on childhood exposure to violence, has conducted numerous national surveys, and has published over 125 articles, many focusing on the childhood adversity and mental health. She was a principal investigator for the OJJDP funded National Surveys of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV I, NatSCEV II and NatSCEV III) – studies designed to obtain comprehensive estimates of children’s exposure to multiple forms of violence and victimization across the full developmental spectrum (ages 0-17). Dr. Turner is the Director of the International Conference on Social Stress Research and past the Chair of the Sociology of Mental Health Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
  • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title
    2024 When Is Online Sexual Solicitation of a Minor Considered Sexual Abuse? Recommendations for Victim Prevalence Surveys.Trauma, Violence and Abuse: a review journal.  25:4117-4129. 2024
    2024 Contexts and Characteristics of Imaged-Based Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children: Incident Dynamics in a National Sample.Child Maltreatment.  10775595241233970. 2024
    2023 Help-Seeking From Websites and Police in the Aftermath of Technology-Facilitated Victimization.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  38:11642-11665. 2023
    2023 Predictors of Online Child Sexual Abuse in a U.S. National Sample.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  38:7780-7803. 2023
    2022 Specifying the Nature of the Victim-Offender Overlap: A Gendered Analysis of Victimization and Offending SubtypesVictims and Offenders.  17:372-394. 2022
    2022 Independent and Cumulative Effects of Recent Maltreatment on Suicidal Ideation and Thoughts of Self-harm in a National Sample of Youth.Journal of Adolescent Health.  70:329-335. 2022
    2021 Understanding the Impact of Seeing Gun Violence and Hearing Gunshots in Public Places: Findings From the Youth Firearm Risk and Safety Study.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  36:8835-8851. 2021
    2021 Exposure to Family and Friend Homicide in a Nationally Representative Sample of YouthJournal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  36:NP4413-NP4442. 2021
    2021 Exposure to Family and Friend Homicide in a Nationally Representative Sample of Youth.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  36:NP4413-NP4442. 2021
    2021 Past Year Technology-Involved Peer Harassment Victimization and Recent Depressive Symptoms and Suicide Ideation Among a National Sample of Youth.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  36:NP1165-1179NP. 2021
    2020 Exposure to Multiple Forms of Bias Victimization on Youth and Young Adults: Relationships with Trauma Symptomatology and Social Support.Journal of Youth and Adolescence: a multidisciplinary research publication.  49:1961-1975. 2020
    2020 The Youth Firearm Risk and Safety Tool (Youth-FiRST): Psychometrics and Validation of a Gun Attitudes and Violence Exposure Assessment Tool.Violence and Victims.  35:635-655. 2020
    2020 Strengthening the predictive power of screening for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in younger and older children.Child Abuse and Neglect.  107:104522. 2020
    2020 Peer Victimization Patterns and Trauma Symptoms in a National Longitudinal Sample of Youth.Violence and Victims.  35:143-159. 2020
    2020 Family predictors of sibling versus peer victimization.Journal of Family Psychology.  34:186-195. 2020
    2019 Gun Violence Exposure and Posttraumatic Symptoms Among Children and Youth.Journal of Traumatic Stress.  32:881-889. 2019
    2019 Child Neglect and the Broader Context of Child VictimizationChild Maltreatment.  24:265-274. 2019
    2019 Child Neglect and the Broader Context of Child Victimization.Child Maltreatment.  24:265-274. 2019
    2019 Corporal Punishment: Current Rates from a National SurveyJournal of Child and Family Studies.  28:1991-1997. 2019
    2019 Rates of neglect in a national sample: Child and family characteristics and psychological impact.Child Abuse and Neglect.  88:256-265. 2019
    2019 Peer Harassment among Youths with Different Disabilities: Impact of Harassment Online, in Person, and in Mixed Online and In-Person IncidentsChildren and Schools.  41:17-24. 2019
    2019 Youth Exposure to Suicide Attempts: Relative Impact on Personal Trauma Symptoms.American Journal of Preventive Medicine.  56:109-115. 2019
    2018 Characteristics of bias-based harassment incidents reported by a national sample of U.S. adolescents.Journal of Adolescence.  65:50-60. 2018
    2018 Beyond residential mobility: A broader conceptualization of instability and its impact on victimization risk among children.Child Abuse and Neglect.  79:485-494. 2018
    2018 From Poly-Victimization to Poly-Strengths: Understanding the Web of Violence Can Transform Research on Youth Violence and Illuminate the Path to Prevention and Resilience.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  33:719-739. 2018
    2018 Poly-Victimization and Peer Harassment Involvement in a Technological World.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  33:762-788. 2018
    2018 Exposure to Medication Overdose as an Adversity in Childhood.Journal of Pediatric Nursing.  38:127-132. 2018
    2018 Family Adversity's Role in the Onset and Termination of Childhood Sibling VictimizationPsychology of Violence.  8:10-18. 2018
    2018 Injuries From Physical Abuse: National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence I-III.American Journal of Preventive Medicine.  54:129-132. 2018
    2017 Family abduction in a national sample of US children.Child Abuse and Neglect.  67:403-407. 2017
    2017 Victimization and adversity among children experiencing war-related parental absence or deployment in a nationally representative US sample.Child Abuse and Neglect.  67:271-279. 2017
    2017 Effects of Poly-Victimization on Adolescent Social Support, Self-Concept, and Psychological Distress.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  32:755-780. 2017
    2017 Assessing the Impact of Harassment by Peers: Incident Characteristics and Outcomes in a National Sample of YouthJournal of School Violence.  16:1-24. 2017
    2017 Victimization by Siblings in Children with Disability or Weight Problems.Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.  38:378-384. 2017
    2016 A Behaviorally Specific, Empirical Alternative to Bullying: Aggravated Peer Victimization.Journal of Adolescent Health.  59:496-501. 2016
    2016 The Role of Technology in Peer Harassment: Does It Amplify Harm for Youth?Psychology of Violence.  6:193-204. 2016
    2016 Children Exposed to Abuse in Youth-Serving Organizations: Results From National Sample Surveys.JAMA Pediatrics.  170:e154493. 2016
    2016 Polyvictimization and Youth Violence Exposure Across Contexts.Journal of Adolescent Health.  58:208-214. 2016
    2016 At-School Victimization and Violence Exposure Assessed in a National Household Survey of Children and YouthJournal of School Violence.  15:67-90. 2016
    2016 Poly-victimization and resilience portfolios: Trends in violence research that can enhance the understanding and prevention of elder abuse.Journal of Elder Abuse and Neglect.  28:217-234. 2016
    2015 Victim Reports of Bystander Reactions to In-Person and Online Peer Harassment: A National Survey of Adolescents.Journal of Youth and Adolescence: a multidisciplinary research publication.  44:2308-2320. 2015
    2015 A revised inventory of Adverse Childhood Experiences.Child Abuse and Neglect.  48:13-21. 2015
    2015 Beyond bullying: Aggravating elements of peer victimization episodes.School Psychology Quarterly.  30:366-384. 2015
    2015 Prevalence of Childhood Exposure to Violence, Crime, and Abuse: Results From the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence.JAMA Pediatrics.  169:746-754. 2015
    2015 Intervention Following Family Violence: Best Practices and Helpseeking Obstacles in a Nationally Representative Sample of Families With ChildrenPsychology of Violence.  5:325-336. 2015
    2015 Weapon Involvement in the Victimization of Children.Pediatrics.  136:10-17. 2015
    2014 Family dynamics and young children's sibling victimization.Journal of Family Psychology.  28:625-633. 2014
    2014 Sibling and peer victimization in childhood and adolescence.Child Abuse and Neglect.  38:1599-1606. 2014
    2014 Child maltreatment rates assessed in a national household survey of caregivers and youth.Child Abuse and Neglect.  38:1421-1435. 2014
    2014 The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse and sexual assault assessed in late adolescence.Journal of Adolescent Health.  55:329-333. 2014
    2014 Trends in children's exposure to violence, 2003 to 2011.JAMA Pediatrics.  168:540-546. 2014
    2014 Youth exposure to violence prevention programs in a national sample.Child Abuse and Neglect.  38:677-686. 2014
    2014 Upset among youth in response to questions about exposure to violence, sexual assault and family maltreatment.Child Abuse and Neglect.  38:217-223. 2014
    2013 Bullying vs. school violence: a response to Williams and Stelko-Pereira (2013).Child Abuse and Neglect.  37:608-609. 2013
    2013 Association of sibling aggression with child and adolescent mental health.Pediatrics.  132:79-84. 2013
    2013 Violence, crime, and abuse exposure in a national sample of children and youth: an update.JAMA Pediatrics.  167:614-621. 2013
    2013 Community disorder, victimization exposure, and mental health in a national sample of youth.Journal of Health and Social Behavior.  54:258-275. 2013
    2013 Family structure, victimization, and child mental health in a nationally representative sample.Social Science and Medicine.  87:39-51. 2013
    2013 Prevalence and correlates of sibling victimization types.Child Abuse and Neglect.  37:213-223. 2013
    2013 Improving the adverse childhood experiences study scale.JAMA Pediatrics.  167:70-75. 2013
    2013 Perpetrator and victim gender patterns for 21 forms of youth victimization in the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence.Violence and Victims.  28:915-939. 2013
    2012 Recent victimization exposure and suicidal ideation in adolescents.JAMA Pediatrics.  166:1149-1154. 2012
    2012 Family context, victimization, and child trauma symptoms: variations in safe, stable, and nurturing relationships during early and middle childhood.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry: interdisciplinary approaches to mental health and social justice.  82:209-219. 2012
    2012 Let's prevent peer victimization, not just bullying.Child Abuse and Neglect.  36:271-274. 2012
    2012 Teen Dating Violence: Co-Occurrence With Other Victimizations in the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV)Psychology of Violence.  2:111-124. 2012
    2011 Disability and victimization in a national sample of children and youth.Child Maltreatment.  16:275-286. 2011
    2011 Specifying type and location of peer victimization in a national sample of children and youth.Journal of Youth and Adolescence: a multidisciplinary research publication.  40:1052-1067. 2011
    2011 Youth Internet victimization in a broader victimization context.Journal of Adolescent Health.  48:128-134. 2011
    2011 School, police, and medical authority involvement with children who have experienced victimization.JAMA Pediatrics.  165:9-15. 2011
    2010 The overlap of witnessing partner violence with child maltreatment and other victimizations in a nationally representative survey of youth.Child Abuse and Neglect.  34:734-741. 2010
    2010 Infant victimization in a nationally representative sample.Pediatrics.  126:44-52. 2010
    2010 Child mental health problems as risk factors for victimization.Child Maltreatment.  15:132-143. 2010
    2010 Psychological distress as a risk factor for re-victimization in children.Child Abuse and Neglect.  34:235-243. 2010
    2010 Poly-victimization in a national sample of children and youth.American Journal of Preventive Medicine.  38:323-330. 2010
    2010 Trends in childhood violence and abuse exposure: evidence from 2 national surveys.JAMA Pediatrics.  164:238-242. 2010
    2010 The effects of adolescent victimization on self-concept and depressive symptoms.Child Maltreatment.  15:76-90. 2010
    2010 Disasters, victimization, and children's mental health.Child Development.  81:1040-1052. 2010
    2009 Pathways to poly-victimization.Child Maltreatment.  14:316-329. 2009
    2009 Violence, abuse, and crime exposure in a national sample of children and youth.Pediatrics.  124:1411-1423. 2009
    2009 Lifetime assessment of poly-victimization in a national sample of children and youth.Child Abuse and Neglect.  33:403-411. 2009
    2009 The developmental epidemiology of childhood victimization.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  24:711-731. 2009
    2009 Psychiatric diagnosis as a risk marker for victimization in a national sample of children.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  24:636-652. 2009
    2008 Media exposure predicts children's reactions to crime and terrorism.Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.  9:225-248. 2008
    2007 Juvenile delinquency and victimization: a theoretical typology.Journal of Interpersonal Violence: concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence.  22:1581-1602. 2007
    2007 The significance of employment for chronic stress and psychological distress among rural single mothers.American Journal of Community Psychology.  40:181-193. 2007
    2007 Predictors of receiving counseling in a national sample of youth: the relative influence of symptoms, victimization exposure, parent-child conflict, and delinquencyJournal of Youth and Adolescence: a multidisciplinary research publication.  36:861-876. 2007
    2007 Re-victimization patterns in a national longitudinal sample of children and youth.Child Abuse and Neglect.  31:479-502. 2007
    2007 Family structure variations in patterns and predictors of child victimization.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry: interdisciplinary approaches to mental health and social justice.  77:282-295. 2007
    2007 Poly-victimization: a neglected component in child victimization.Child Abuse and Neglect.  31:7-26. 2007
    2007 Polyvictimization and trauma in a national longitudinal cohort.Development and Psychopathology.  19:149-166. 2007
    2006 Kid's stuff: the nature and impact of peer and sibling violence on younger and older children.Child Abuse and Neglect.  30:1401-1421. 2006
    2006 Stress, social resources, and depression among never-married and divorced rural mothersRural Sociology: devoted to scientific study of rural and community life.  71:479-504. 2006
    2006 Exposure to interparental conflict and psychological disorder among young adultsJournal of Family Issues.  27:131-158. 2006
    2006 The effect of lifetime victimization on the mental health of children and adolescents.Social Science and Medicine.  62:13-27. 2006
    2005 Measuring poly-victimization using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire.Child Abuse and Neglect.  29:1297-1312. 2005
    2005 The Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire: reliability, validity, and national norms.Child Abuse and Neglect.  29:383-412. 2005
    2005 Understanding variations in exposure to social stress.Health: an interdisciplinary journal for the social study of health, illness and medicine.  9:209-240. 2005
    2005 The victimization of children and youth: a comprehensive, national survey.Child Maltreatment.  10:5-25. 2005
    2004 Long-term effects of child corporal punishment on depressive symptoms in young adults - Potential moderators and mediatorsJournal of Family Issues.  25:761-782. 2004
    2003 Direct and indirect effects of childhood adversity on depressive symptoms in young adultsJournal of Youth and Adolescence: a multidisciplinary research publication.  32:89-103. 2003
    2001 "When feeling other people's pain hurts": The influence of psychosocial resources on the association between self-reported empathy and depressive symptomsSocial Psychology Quarterly.  64:376-389. 2001
    1999 Gender, social status, and emotional reliance.Journal of Health and Social Behavior.  40:360-373. 1999
    1999 Participation bias in AIDS-related telephone surveys: Results from the national AIDS behavioral survey (NABS) non-response studyJournal of Sex Research.  36:52-58. 1999
    1998 Age, disability, and the sense of mastery.Journal of Health and Social Behavior.  39:169-186. 1998
    1998 Sources and determinants of social support for caregivers of persons with AIDS.Journal of Health and Social Behavior.  39:137-151. 1998
    1997 Informal caregiving to persons with AIDS in the United States: caregiver burden among central cities residents eighteen to forty-nine years old.American Journal of Community Psychology.  25:35-59. 1997
    1996 Corporal punishment as a stressor among youthJournal of Marriage and Family.  58:155-166. 1996
    1996 Determinants of perceived family support and conflict: life-course variations among the physically disabled.International Journal of Aging and Human Development.  42:21-41. 1996
    1994 The prevalence of informal caregiving to persons with AIDS in the United States: caregiver characteristics and their implications.Social Science and Medicine.  38:1543-1552. 1994
    1994 GENDER AND SOCIAL SUPPORT - TAKING THE BAD WITH THE GOODSex Roles: a journal of research.  30:521-541. 1994
    1993 Determinants of social support among gay men: the context of AIDS.Journal of Health and Social Behavior.  34:37-53. 1993
    1992 Coping with death anxiety: help-seeking and social support among gay men with various HIV diagnoses.AIDS.  6:999-1005. 1992

    Chapter

    Year Title
    2010 Stress Process Applications in Child Victimization Research.  207-228. 2010

    Editor Of

    Teaching Activities

  • Research Practicum Taught course
  • Sociology of Mental Health Taught course
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2023
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2022
  • Independent Reading & Research Taught course 2020
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2020
  • Research Practicum Taught course 2020
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2020
  • Doctoral Research Taught course 2019
  • Pro-Seminar Taught course 2019
  • Sociology of Mental Health Taught course 2019
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2019
  • Adv Spc Top/Research Practicum Taught course 2018
  • Senior Thesis Taught course 2018
  • Internship Independent Study Taught course 2017
  • Sociology of Mental Health Taught course 2017
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2017
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2016
  • Adv Spec Top/Practicum Taught course 2015
  • Sociology of Mental Health Taught course 2015
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2014
  • Mental Health and Society Taught course 2014
  • Education And Training

  • B.A. Sociology, University of Western Ontario
  • Ph.D. Human Development&Family Study, University of California - San Francisco
  • Full Name

  • Heather Turner