Research Overview

Dr. Handley will not be accepting applications for graduate students for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Dr. Handley's research is grounded in the developmental psychopathology framework and focuses on the mechanisms underlying the development of adolescent psychopathology. Specifically, she is interested in understanding the multilevel mechanisms underlying risk and resilience among adolescents living in high-risk family contexts (e.g., child maltreatment, parent substance use disorder, and parent psychopathology). These interests have led to investigations of the multilevel pathways (e.g., genetic, cognitive, interpersonal) from child maltreatment to adolescent and young adult substance use disorder and suicidal ideation, as well as studies of the ways in which parents with an alcohol use disorder transmit risk to their offspring via socialization about alcohol.

Dr. Handley is also interested in the translation of research into clinical practice. To that end, she is involved in research aimed at the dissemination of evidence-based treatment for adolescent depression and suicide prevention.

Finally, Dr. Handley has interests and expertise in longitudinal data analysis and advanced quantitative methods.

Selected Publications

Handley, E. D., Adams, T., Manly, J. T., Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S. L. (in press). Mother-daughter interpersonal processes underlying the association between child maltreatment and adolescent suicidal ideation. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior.

*Adams, T. R., Handley, E. D., Manly, J. T., Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S. L. (in press). The intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence among economically disadvantaged mothers and their adolescent daughters. Development and Psychopathology.

*Warmingham, J., Handley, E. D., Rogosch, F. A., Manly, J. T., & Cicchetti, D. (in press). Identifying maltreatment subgroups with patterns of maltreatment subtype and chronicity: A latent class analysis approach. Child Abuse and Neglect.

Sams, D. P., Alpert-Gillis, L., & Handley, E. D. (2018). Mindfulness-based group therapy: Impact on psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

*Alto, M., Handley, E. D., Rogosch, F., Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S. (2018). Maternal relationship quality and peer social acceptance as mediators between child maltreatment and adolescent depressive symptoms: Gender differences. Journal of Adolescence, 63, 19-28.

Handley, E. D., Rogosch, F. A., & Cicchetti, D. (2017). From child maltreatment to emerging adult problem drinking: Identification of a multilevel internalizing pathway among African-American youth. Development and Psychopathology, 29, 1807-1821.

Cicchetti, D., & Handley, E. D. (2017). Methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in maltreated and nonmaltreated children: Associations with behavioral undercontrol, emotional liability/negativity, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Development and Psychopathology, 29, 1795-1806.

Handley, E. D., Michl-Petzing, L. C., Rogosch, F. A., Cicchetti, D., & Toth, S. L. (2017). Developmental cascade effects of interpersonal psychotherapy for depressed mothers: Longitudinal associations with toddler attachment, temperament, and maternal parenting efficacy. Development and Psychopathology, 29, 601-615.

Handley, E. D., Rogosch, F. A., & Cicchetti, D. (2015). Developmental pathways from child maltreatment to adolescent marijuana dependence: Examining moderation by FK506 binding protein 5 gene (FKBP5). Development and Psychopathology, 27, 1489-1502. PMCID: PMC4636038.

Handley, E. D., Rogosch, F. A., Guild, D. J., & Cicchetti, D. (2015) Neighborhood disadvantage and adolescent substance use disorder: The moderating role of maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, 20, 193-202. PMCID: PMC4515954.

Oshri, A., Handley, E. D., Wortel, S., Sutton, T., & Burnette, M. L. (2014). Developmental trajectories of substance use among sexual minority girls: Associations with sexual victimization and sexual health risk. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55, 100-106. PMCID: PMC4171055.

Handley, E. D., & Chassin, L. (2013). Alcohol-specific parenting as a mechanism of parent drinking and alcohol use disorder risk on adolescent alcohol use onset. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 74, 684-693. PMCID: PMC3749311.

Handley, E. D., Chassin, L., Haller, M., Bountress, K., Dandreaux, D., & Beltran, I. (2011). Do executive and reactive disinhibition mediate the effects of familial substance use disorder on adolescent externalizing outcomes? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120, 528-542. PMCID: PMC3166248.

Handley, E. D., & Chassin, L. (2009). The intergenerational transmission of alcohol expectancies in a high-risk sample. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 70, 675-682. PMCID: PMC2741547.