PRIMARY RESEARCH PROJECTS
Access to effective support for parents
A pilot test of a brief eHealth parent-focused prevention intervention with parents referred from primary care clinics (R34 MH124690 | PI: Mehus)
With funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, we are developing a referral process to identify parents in primary care who have concerns about their child's behavioral health, and refer them to a community therapist who will provide support to help the family address their concerns. Within the project, we are testing a training for primary care clinicians and a brief version of an evidence-based parent-focused intervention, called Empowered Generations (eGen), delivered online by community therapists. We are engaging multiple stakeholders and have advisors from each pertinent community to guide the project.
Hitting children: Trends and risk factors
Spanking and hitting children: Trends and changes in risk factors in consecutive, longitudinal, national samples of parents from 1993-2022 (R03 HD107135 | PI: Mehus)
With funding from the National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, we are (1) examining trends in parental violence, including through the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) investigating whether concurrent or prospective risk factors for parental violence have remained constant or changed across recent decades, including during the pandemic, using untapped data from the NIH-funded Monitoring the Future (MTF) study.
TALK: Toolkit for Adolescent Care
Healthy Youth Development Prevention Research Center (U48 DP006414 | center PI: Sieving, core project PI: Mehus)
In each 5-year grant cycle, all CDC-funded Prevention Research Centers conduct prevention research in community settings. Our current core research project aims to support rural primary care clinics and clinicians in providing high-quality adolescent preventive care related to psychosocial and sexual health, including appropriate parent engagement. Central to this project is the development of a clinic-level program, called TALK: Toolkit for Adolescent Care. TALK includes a brief training for primary care clinicians and nurses, resources to support clinicians and parents in their behavioral health conversations with teens, and support for clinics in implementing best practices in adolescent preventive care.
Trauma training in SE Asia
Funded by the University of Minnesota, we (PI: P. Shannon; Co-I: Mehus) are developing and evaluating an online trauma treatment training for mental health professionals in SE Asia. The course focuses on treating trauma in refugee populations and includes training in Narrative Exposure Therapy.
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
(updated January 2023)
*So, M., Woodlee, C., Kaja, S., Brar, P., Mehus, C., & Gewirtz O'Brien, J. (In Press). Protective factors among pregnant and parenting youth experiencing homelessness in shelter: A qualitative exploratory study. Adversity and Resilience Science.
Gunlicks-Stoessel, M., Liu, Y., Parkhill, C., Morrell, N., Choy-Brown, M., Mehus, C., Hetler, J., & August, G. (In Press) Adolescent, parent, and provider attitudes toward a machine learning based clinical decision support system for selecting treatment for youth depression. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 24(1), 4. DOI: 10.1186/s12911-023-02410-1
Mehus, C. J., Buchanan, G., Ballard, J., Berkel, C., Borowsky, I., Estrada, Y., Klein, J., Kuklinski, M., Prado, G., Shaw, D., & Smith, J. D. (In Press). Multiple perspectives on motivating parents in pediatric primary care to initiate participation in parenting programs. Academic Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.07.020
Mehus, C. J., Stevenson, B., Weiler, L., Gunlicks-Stoessel, M., Morrell, N., & Patrick, M (2023). An example of implementing a safety protocol in remote intervention and survey research with college students. Clinical Trials, 20(5), 571-575. DOI: 10.1177/17407745231176803
Mehus, C. J., *Voller, V., Gewirtz O’Brien, J., Gower, A., McRee, AL., & Sieving, R. (2023). How is time alone introduced? Experiences and preferences of adolescents and parents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 73(1), 190-194. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.02.026
Brar, P., Sieving, R., Steiner, R., Gewirtz-O’Brien, J., Moore, M., Mehus, C. J., *Ross, C., Klein, J., & Santelli, J. (2022) Provider facilitation of parent-adolescent health communication: Findings from a national survey. Journal of Pediatric Health Care. Advanced online publication. DOI: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2022.11.003
Mehus, C. J., Gewirtz O’Brien, J., Klein, J., Santelli, J., Sieving, R., & McRee, A. (2022) Opportunities to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health services in primary care clinics. Clinical Pediatrics. Advanced online publication. DOI: 10.1177/00099228221142691
Gewirtz O’brien, J., Brar, P., Worley, J., Woodlee, C., Kelly, E., So, M., McRee, AL., & Mehus, C. J. (2022) Development of a shelter-based health empowerment program for pregnant and parenting youth experiencing homelessness. Progress in Community Health Partnerships, 16(4), 473-489. DOI: 10.1353/cpr.2022.0070
Mehus, C. J., Patrick, M., Schulenberg, J., & Maggs, J. (2022) 35-Year-Old Parents Do Not Approve of 17-year-olds’ Cigarette, Marijuana, or Alcohol Use: U.S. National Data 1993-2018. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(6), 989-992. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.01.001
Sieving, R., Mehus, C. J., Gewirtz O’Brien, J., Steiner, R., Wang, S., Catallozzi, M., Gorzkowski, J., Grilo, S., Kaseeska, K., McRee, AL., Santelli, J., & Klein, J. (2022). Correlates of discussions about sexual and reproductive health during adolescent preventive care visits: Findings from a representative sample of U.S. adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(3), 421-428. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.013
Mehus, C. J., *Aldrin, S., Steiner, R., Brar, P., Gewirtz O’Brien, J., Gorzkowski, J., Grilo, S., Klein, J., McRee, AL., Ross, C., Santelli, J., & Sieving, R. (2022). Parents’ sources of adolescent sexual health information and the role of primary care. Academic Pediatrics, 22(3), 396-401. DOI: 10.1016/j.acap.2021.09.007
Mehus, C. J., *Buchanan, G., & Unell, B (2022). Feasibility of a novel, brief parenting intervention in primary care clinics. Families, Systems, and Health, 40(2), 152-159. DOI: 10.1037/fsh0000514
*Zellmer, L., *Johnson, B., *Idris, A., Mehus, C. J., Borowsky, I. (2021). Post-identification approaches to addressing health-related social needs in primary care: A qualitative study. Journal of General Internal Medicine. Advanced online publication. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-07033-8
Patrick. M., *Lyden, G., Morrell, N., Mehus, C. J., Vock, D. (2021). Main outcomes of M-Bridge: A sequential multiple assignment randomized trial (SMART) for developing an adaptive preventive intervention for college drinking. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 89(7), 601-614. DOI: 10.1037/ccp0000663
Sieving, R., McRee, AL., Mehus, C. J., Gewirtz O’Brien, J., *Wang, S., Brar, P., Catallozzi, M., Gorzkowski, J., Grilo, S., Kaseeska, K., Santelli, J., Steiner, R., & Klein, J. (2021) Sexual and reproductive health discussions during preventive visits. Pediatrics, 148(2), e2020049411. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2020-049411
Mehus, C. J., *Lyden, G., Bonar, E., Gunlicks-Stoessel, M., Morrell, N., Parks, M., *Wagner, A., & Patrick, M. (2021) Association between COVID-19-related loneliness or worry and symptoms of anxiety and depression among first-year college students. Journal of American College Health. Advance online publication. DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1942009
Bonar, E., Parks, M., Gunlicks-Stoessel, M., *Lyden, G., Mehus, C. J., Morrell, N., & Patrick, M. (2021) Binge drinking before and after a COVID-19 campus closure among first-year college students. Addictive Behaviors, 118, 106879. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106879
Patrick, M., Kloska, D., Mehus, C. J., Terry-McElrath, Y., O’Malley, P., & Schulenberg, J. (2021). Key subgroup differences in age-related change from 18 to 55 in alcohol and marijuana use: U.S. national data. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 82(1), 93-102. DOI: 10.15288/jsad.2021.82.93
Mehus, C. J., & Patrick, M. (2021). Prevalence of spanking in US national samples of 35-year-old parents from 1993 to 2017. JAMA Pediatrics, 175(1), 92-93. DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.2197. Media coverage: U.S. News, MinnPost, CNN
Gower, A., Valdez, C., Watson, R., Eisenberg, M., Mehus, C. J., Saewyc, E., Corliss, H., Sullivan, R., & Porta, C. (2021). First- and second-hand experiences of enacted stigma among LGBTQ youth. Journal of School Nursing, 37(3), 185-194. DOI: 10.1177/1059840519863094
Mehus, C., Wieling, E., Oloya, O.T., Achan, L., & Ertl, V. (2021). The impact of alcohol misuse on fathering in northern Uganda: An ethnographic study of fathers. Transcultural Psychiatry, 58(1), 14-26. DOI: 10.1177/1363461520943315
Mehus, C. J., & Patrick, M. E. (2020). Alcohol use among 10th-graders: Distinguishing between high-intensity drinking and other levels of use. Journal of Adolescence, 83, 27–30. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.07.004
Sieving, R. E., Mehus, C. J., Catallozzi, M., Grilo, S., Steiner, R. J., Brar, P., Gewirtz O’Brien, J. R., Gorzkowski, J., Kaseeska, K., Kelly, E. D., Klein, J. D., McRee, A.-L., Randazzo, L., & Santelli, J. (2020). Understanding primary care providers’ perceptions and practices in implementing confidential adolescent sexual and reproductive health services. Journal of Adolescent Health, 67(4), 569-575. DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.03.035
Forster, M., Grigsby, T. J., Gower, A. L., Mehus, C. J., & McMorris, B. J. (2020). The role of social support in the association between childhood adversity and adolescent self-injury and suicide: Findings from a statewide sample of high school students. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49(6), 1195-1208. DOI: 10.1007/s10964-020-01235-9
Patrick, M. E., Evans-Polce, R. J., Wagner, A. C., & Mehus, C. J. (2020). High-intensity drinking by parental status: Differences by age and sex. Addictive Behaviors, 102, 106180. DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106180
Mehus, C. J., Kazlauskaite, V., Colianni, S., & Borowsky, I. (2019). Parent interest in resources to address their child’s behavioral health through primary care. Families, Systems, and Health, 37(3), 244-248. DOI: 10.1037/fsh0000429
Mehus, C. J., Forster, M., Chan, G., Hemphill, S., Toumbourou, J., & McMorris, B. (2018). Longitudinal, reciprocal relationships between parental monitoring and antisocial peer associations. Journal of Adolescence, 68, 146-151. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.07.015
Sajady, M., Mehus, C. J., Moody, E., Jaramillo, E., Mupere, E., Barnes, A., & Cusick, S. (2018) Piloting a developmental screening tool adapted for east African children. Children, 5(8), 101. DOI: 10.3390/children5080101
Mehus, C. J., Doty, J., Chan, G., Kelly, A., Hemphill, S., Toumbourou, J., & McMorris, B. (2018). Testing the Social Interaction Learning Model’s applicability to adolescent substance misuse in an Australian context. Substance Use and Misuse, 53(11), 1859-1868. DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2018.1441307
Mehus, C. J., Wieling, E., Achan, L., & Oloya, T. (2018). Identifying the roles of fathers in post-war northern Uganda: Groundwork for a parenting intervention. African Studies, 77(4), 526-548. DOI: 10.1080/00020184.2018.1496593
Doty, J., Weiler, L., Mehus, C. J., & McMorris, B. (2017). Youth mentors’ relationship capacity: Parent-child connectedness, attitudes toward mentees, empathy, and match quality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 36(2), 642–658. DOI: 10.1177/0265407517740002
Eisenberg, M., Mehus, C. J., Saewyc, E., Corliss, H., Gower, A., Sullivan, T. R., & Porta, C. (2017). Community resources and supports for LGBTQ youth in the U.S. and Canada. Journal of Homosexuality, 65(8), 969. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2017.1364944
Porta, C., Gower, A., Mehus, C. J., Yu, X., Saewyc, E., Eisenberg, M. (2017). "Kicked out": LGBTQ youths' bathroom experiences and preferences in the US and Canada. Journal of Adolescence, 56, 107-112. DOI: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.02.005
Porta, C., Singer, E., Mehus, C. J., Gower, A., Saewyc, E., Fredkove, W., & Eisenberg, M. (2017). LGBTQ youth's views on Gay-Straight Alliances: Building community, providing gateways, and representing safety and support. Journal of School Health, 87(7), 489-497. DOI: 10.1111/josh.12517
Mehus, C. J., Watson, R., Eisenberg, M., Corliss, H., & Porta, C. (2017). Living as an LGBTQ adolescent and a parent’s child: Overlapping or separate experiences. Journal of Family Nursing, 23(2), 175-200. DOI: 10.1177/1074840717696924
Wieling, E., Mehus, C. J., Möllerherm, J., Neuner, F., Achan, L., & Catani, C. (2017). Preparing the field for feasibility testing of a parenting intervention for war-affected mothers in northern Uganda. Family Process, 56(2), 376-392. DOI: 10.1111/famp.12189
Leslie, L., Mehus, C. J., Hawkins, J. D., Boat, T., McCabe, M. A., Barkin, S., Perrin, E., Metzler, C., Prado, G., Tait, V. F., & Beardslee, W. (2016). Primary health care: Potential home for family-focused preventive interventions. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 51(4), S106-S118. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.05.014
Mehus, C. J., & Becher, E. (2016). Compassion fatigue, burn out, and compassion satisfaction in spoken-language interpreters. Traumatology, 22(4), 249-254. DOI: 10.1037/trm0000023
Mehus, C. J., (2015). A tactile lifeline applied to couple therapy. Journal of Family Psychotherapy, 26(4), 318-322. DOI: 10.1080/08975353.2015.1097292
Wieling, E., Mehus, C. J., Moellerherm, J., Neuner, F., Catani, C., & Achan, L. (2015). Assessing the feasibility of a parenting intervention for war-affected families in Northern Uganda. Family and Community Health, 38(3), 253–268. DOI: 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000064
Harris, S. M., Samford, B. A., Mehus, C. J., & Zubatsky, J. (2013). Challenges faced by MFTs in administrative or managerial positions. American Journal of Family Therapy, 41(2), 173-183. DOI: 10.1080/01926187.2012.677643
*denotes student co-author
SELECTED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Mehus, C., McRee, AL., Gewirtz-O’Brien, J., Klein, J., Brar, P., Gorzkowski, J., Steiner, R., Kaseeska, K., Grilo, S., Catallozzi, M., Sieving, R. (November, 2019). Clinician perceptions of parent-provider interactions related to adolescent sexual and reproductive healthcare. Presentation at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.
Sieving, R., Mehus, C., Catallozzi, M., Grilo, S., McRee, A., Steiner, R., Gewirtz-O’Brien, J., Denight, E., Gorzkowski, J., Klein, J., & Santelli, J. (March, 2019). Understanding variations in primary care providers’ perceptions and practices in implementing confidential sexual health services for adolescents. Presentation at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Washington DC.
Mehus, C., & Wieling, E. (2018, May). Cross-cultural adaptation of GenerationPMTO for post-conflict and resettled refugee communities. In K. Holtrop (Chair), Optimizing the Relevance of Prevention Science to Systems. “20x20” presentation at the Society for Prevention Research 26th Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
Mehus, C., Forster, M., Chan, G., Hemphill, S., Toumbourou, J., & McMorris, B. (2018, May). Testing the cross-lagged relationships between parental monitoring and antisocial peer associations in a longitudinal adolescent sample. Poster presentation at the Society for Prevention Research 26th Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
Mehus, C., Kazlauskaite, V., Colianni, S., Borowsky, I. (2018, April). Parent interest in resources to address their child’s behavioral health through primary care. Poster presentation at the Pediatric Research, Education and Scholarship Symposium, Minneapolis, MN.
Forster, M., Mehus, C., Gower, A., Borowksy, I. McMorris, B. (2018, April). Do extra-familial relationships moderate the relationship between ACE and adolescent opiate use in different educational settings? Platform presentation at the Society for Research on Adolescents Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.
Mehus, C., Smith, J., Metzler, C., Kjobli, J., Prado, G., & Hawkins, D. (2017, June). The Promise of Implementing Family-Focused Prevention in Primary Care Settings. Platform presentation (and chair) at the Society for Prevention Research 25th Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
Mehus, C., Doty, J., Chan, G., Kelly, A., Catalano, R., Hemphill, S., Toumbourou, J., & McMorris, B. (2017, June). Testing the Social Interaction Learning Model with adolescent substance use outcomes in a prospective Australian sample. Poster presentation at the Society for Prevention Research 25th Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
Wieling, E., Ballard, J., & Mehus, C. (2017, June). Feasibility of Implementing a Culturally Adapted Parenting Intervention for Karen Refugee Caretakers in the U.S. Poster presentation at the Society for Prevention Research 25th Annual Meeting, Washington DC.
Wieling, E. & Mehus, C. (2017, June). Adapting PMTO for the Context of War Trauma: From Families in Northern Uganda to Resettled Karen Refugees. Paper presentation at the 2nd Global PMTO Conference, Aarhus, Denmark.
Mehus, C., Watson, R., Eisenberg, M., Corliss, H., & Porta, C. (2016, November). Living as an LGBTQ youth and a parent’s child: Overlap of two experiences. Poster presentation at the annual conference of the National Council on Family Relations, Minneapolis, MN.
Mehus, C. (2016, May). Toward the widespread implementation of parent-focused preventive interventions. Presentation at the All-LEAH National Conference, Washington, DC.
Mehus, C., Watson, R., Eisenberg, M., Corliss, H., & Porta, C. (2016, April). LGBTQ youth experiences navigating community and relationships with parents. Poster presentation at the Pediatric Research, Education and Scholarship Symposium, Minneapolis, MN.
Wieling, E., & Mehus, C. (2015, May). Assessing the feasibility of providing a parenting intervention for war-affected mothers in northern Uganda. In E. Wieling (Chair), Early stage implementation efforts to transport an adapted evidence-based parenting intervention to war-affected families in northern Uganda. Paper presentation at the Society for Prevention Research annual conference, Washington DC.
Mehus, C., & Wieling, E. (2015, May). Fathering roles and alcohol abuse in northern Uganda. In E. Wieling (Chair), Early stage implementation efforts to transport an adapted evidence-based parenting intervention to war-affected families in northern Uganda. Paper presentation at the Society for Prevention Research annual conference, Washington DC.
Gliske, K., Mehus, C., & Gewirtz, A. (2014, November). Risk for substance use in military children: Implications for prevention. Paper presentation at the National Council on Family Relations annual conference, Baltimore, MD.
Becher, E., & Mehus, C. (2014, November). A survey of compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction in interpreters. Paper presentation at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies annual conference, Miami, FL.
Wieling, E., Mehus, C., Moellerherm, J., Neuner, F., & Catani, C. (2013, June). Pilot implementation of a parenting and family group intervention with Acholi mothers in Northern Uganda. In C. Catani (Chair), Effects of war trauma on family life: From etiology to intervention. Paper presentation at the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies conference, Bologna, Italy.