Teen Pregnancy and Parenting Research Laboratory

Director:

Amy B. Lewin, Psy.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Science, School of Public Health, at the University of Maryland, College Park. Trained as a clinical psychologist, she received her doctorate from Rutgers University. Prior to coming to University of Maryland, she was on the faculty at Children’s National Health System in Washington DC. At Children’s, she led a research team working on mental health, parenting, and coparenting in teen parent families. Her research has always focused on community engagement, and she has worked with numerous community partners including DC public schools, Unity Health Care, DC Department of Health, and the DCPS New Heights program. Dr. Lewin’s research interests include teen pregnancy and parenting; non-resident father involvement and coparenting; integration of mental health intervention into primary care; community engagement in intervention research, and addressing social, cultural, and familial determinants of health and health disparities.

Research Team:

Kecia Ellick - Kecia is a doctoral candidate in Family Science. She joined the team in January 2016, and is currently examining the relationship between African American teen mothers' attachment style and child behavioral outcomes. 

Julie Fife - Julie is a doctoral candidate in Maternal and Child Health. She joined the team in June 2016, and is currently examining self-sufficiency outcomes for African American teen mothers. 

Erica Coates - Dr. Coates is a 2017 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Family Science department as part of UMD’s Presidential Postdoc Fellow program. She received her B.S. in psychology from the University of Central Missouri and graduated summa cum laude. She earned both her M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of South Florida. Her dissertation was entitled "Nonresident Paternal Factors and the Psychosocial Adjustment of Black Adolescents from Single-Mother Households." Most recently, Dr. Coates worked as a Child Outpatient Intern with the VA Maryland Health Care System at the University of Maryland Medical Center. Her recent research focuses on fatherhood, with a particular interest in father-infant relationships and perceptions of fatherhood in the black community. 

Lauren Ramsey - Lauren is a doctoral candidate in Maternal & Child Health. She began collecting data with the team in August 2014, and has conducted interviews for both the 12-month and 24-month follow up surveys.  Her research examines the role of prenatal father involvement in post-partum depression among teem mothers. 

Alumni:

Towanda Street - Towanda recently completed her PhD in Family Science. She began collecting data with the team in August 2014, and has conducted interviews for both the 12-month and later the 24-month follow-up surveys. She is currently examining the role of social support and strain on depression in teen mothers and behavior problems in their children. She presented her preliminary findings at NCFR 2015 and SRA 2016.  

Deirdre Quinn - Deirdre recently completed her PhD in Family Science (she graduated in December 2017). She began collecting data with the team in August 2014, and has conducted interviews for both the 12-month and later the 24-month follow-up surveys.  Her research focuses on predictors of contraceptive use among African American teen mothers, in particular the role of key support relationships (with the teen mother's own mother, and with the father of the baby) in teen mothers' maintenance of contraceptive use over time. She has presented her findings at multiple national conferences. 

Luciana Assini-Meytin - Luciana is a PhD graduate from the Departpemtn of Behavioral & Community Health. She joined the research team in January 2015, and explored predictors of school retention among African American teen mothers.  She presented her preliminary findings at NCFR 2015.

Damian Waters - Damian Waters completed his master's degree in couple and family therapy in 2009, andhis PhD in Family Science in the UMD School of Public Health's Family Science Department. Damian chose to become a therapist after working as a special education teacher and witnessing the effect family dynamics had on student learning and behavior. His doctoral research focuses on African American fathers' interactions and involvement with their children. He hopes to use findings from this research to develop programs and initiatives that would encourage low-income fathers to become actively involved in their children's lives. 

John Hart - John Hart completed his PhD in Family Science. He earned a B.A. in Psychology with Honors from The George Washington University. He also earned a M.S. in Couple and Family Therapy at the University of Maryland. John has worked at Children’s Hospital in Washington D.C. as a HIV tester and a peer educator on risky health choices. He also interned at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD as a research assistant exploring the role of pharmacological drugs on young adults. He was also a clinical residential counselor at a psychiatric rehabilitation center working with adults. John's clinical interests include the structural patterns (i.e. power dynamics, boundaries around the couple, and boundaries between the partners) that exist in ethnic couples’ relationships. His research interests include the experiences of low-income men as they transition into adulthood, the acculturative and assimilative processes first-generation immigrant young men face, and the interpersonal and societal challenges of African American fathers.

Collaborators:

Lee Beers, MD, is a pediatrician and the Medical Director for Municipal and Regional Affairs for the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children’s National Health System.

Kristine Schmitz, MD, is a pediatrician and the Medical Director of the Generations Program at Children’s National Health System.

Stacy Hodgkinson, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and the Director of Mental Health for the Generations Program at Children’s National Health System.

Michel Boudreaux, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration in the School of Public Health, University of Maryland. Dr. Boudreaux conducts research in interrelated areas of health policy. He is especially interested in publicly financed health programs for low-income populations and how they affect the evolution of health, human capital and socioeconomic position across the life-course. He also maintains an active research agenda focused on improving the quality and usability of health insurance measures collected in federal surveys. His work has appeared in Health Affairs, Health Services Research, Medical Care, Medical Care Research and Review, and Inquiry. He received a PhD (2014) in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration from the University of Minnesota. 

Stephanie Mitchell, PhD, received her doctorate in Human Development from the University of Maryland in 2007. She has collaborated with Dr. Lewin first as a postdoctoral fellow and then as an independent consultant since that time. Her areas of research interest include parenting, specifically fathering, among at-risk, low-income minority populations, and the relationship between parenting and early social and emotional development. 

Manuscripts Under Review

Street, T.M., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. The role of key support relationships in psychosocial outcomes for teen mothers and their young children. Children and Youth Services Review.

Fife, J., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. Medicaid instability and mental health of teen mothers and their children. Family and Community Health

Ramsey, L., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. The role of fathers’ prenatal involvement in adolescent mothers’ postpartum depression. Journal of Family Issues.

Assini-Meytin, L., Garza, M., Lewin, A., & Green, K. Longitudinal predictors of teen fathers’ educational attainment and income in adulthood. Advances in Life Course Research.

Publications

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S. J., Quinn, D. A., Street, T. M., Schmitz, K., & Beers, L. S. (2019). A primary care intervention to prevent repeat pregnancy among teen mothers. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(3), 404-410.

Hodgkinson, S., Godoy, L., Beers, L., & Lewin, A. (2017). Improving mental health access for low-income children and families in the primary care setting. Pediatrics 139(1), e20151175.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., and Lewin, A. (2017). The role of teen mothers' support relationships in maintenance of contraceptive use. Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology 30(1), 35-40. 

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Beers, L., Schmitz, K., & Boudreaux, M. (2016). Improved contraceptive use among teen mothers in a patient-centered medical home. Journal of Adolescent Health, 59(2), 171-176. 

Lewin, A., Hodgkinson, S., Waters, D.M., Prempeh, H.A., Beers, L.S., & Feinberg, M.E. (2015). Strengthening positive coparenting in teen parents: A cultural adaptation of an evidence-based intervention. Journal of Primary Prevention, 36(2). 

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Waters, D., Hodgkinson, S., Southammakosane, C., and Gilmore, J. (2015). The protective effects of father involvement for infants of teen mothers with depressive symptoms. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 19(5): 1016-1023.

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Hodgkinson, S., Gilmore, J., & Beers, L.S., (2014). Pregnancy Intentions Among Expectant Adolescent Couples. Journal of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, 27, 172-176.

Hodgkinson, S., Lewin, A., Chang, B., Beers, L., & Silber, T. (2014). Informed consent and the implications for statutory rape reporting in research with adolescents. The American Journal of Bioethics, 14, 54-55.

Hodgkinson, S., Beers, L.S., Southammakosane, C., & Lewin, A. (2014). Addressing the needs of pregnant and parenting adolescent mothers. Pediatrics, 133, 114-122. 

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., & Ronzio, C.R. (2013). Developmental differences in parenting behavior: Comparing adolescent, emerging adult, and adult mothers. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 59(1), 23-49.

Addison, S., D’Angelo, L., Lewin, A., Hinds, P., Dudzik, G., Gouda, S., & Tuchman, L. (2013). It’s a beautiful thing: Adolescents’ beliefs regarding pregnancy. Journal of Adolescent Health, 52(2), S92-S92.

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Beers, L.S., Feinberg, M.E., & Minkovitz, C.S. (2012). Coparenting in teen mothers and their children’s fathers: Evidence from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort. Academic Pediatrics, 12(5) 539-545. 

Huang, Z.J., Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., & Zhang, J. (2012).  Variations in the relationship between maternal depression, maternal sensitivity, and child attachment by race/ethnicity and nativity: Findings from a nationally representative cohort study. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(1), 40-50.

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Hodgkinson, S., Burrell, L., Beers, L.S. & Duggan, A. (2011). Parental nurturance and the mental health and parenting of urban African American adolescent mothers. Journal of Family Social Work, 14(4), 311-325.

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Burrell, L., Beers, L.S. & Duggan, A. (2011). Patterns and predictors of involvement among fathers of children born to adolescent mothers. Journal of Family Social Work, 14(4), 335-353.

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Rasmussen, A., Sanders-Phillips, K., & Joseph, J.G. (2011). Do human and social capital protect young African American mothers from depression associated with ethnic discrimination and violence exposure? Journal of Black Psychology, 37(3), 286-310.

Mitchell, S.J., Lewin, A., Rasmussen, A., Horn, I.B., & Joseph, J.G. (2011). Maternal distress explains the relationship of young African American mothers’ violence exposure with their preschoolers’ behavior. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(3), 580-603.

Mitchell, S.J., Lewin, A., Horn, I.B., Valentine, D., Sanders-Phillips, K., & Joseph, J.G. (2010). How does violence exposure affect the psychological health and parenting of young African American mothers? Social Science & Medicine, 70, 526-533.

Mitchell, S.J., Lewin, A., & Joseph, J. G. (2009). Exploring gender differences in the association between young African American mothers’ reports of preschoolers’ violence exposure and problem behavior. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 38(4), 576-581.

Mitchell, S. J., Lewin, A., Horn, I. B., Rasmussen, A., Sanders-Phillips, K., Valentine, D., & Joseph, J. G. (2009). Violence exposure and the association between young African American mothers’ harsh discipline and child problem behavior. Academic Pediatrics, 9(3), 157-163.

Presentations

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S. J., & Roy, K. (November 2018). Young African American fathers: How involved are they and what does it mean for their children? Paper presentation at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA.

Lewin, A., Roy, K., & Mitchell, S. J. (April 2018). Father involvement as a buffer of maternal depression among young African American coparenting couples. Paper presentation at Society for Research in Adolescence Biennial Meeting. Minneapolis, MN.

Fife, J., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (November 2017). Inconsistent Medicaid Coverage and Mental Health Outcomes of Teen Mothers and Their Infants. Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Annual Research Conference. Chicago, IL. 

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (October 2017). African-American Teen Mothers’ Parenting Stress & Child Behavioral Outcomes: The Role of Maternal Self-Efficacy. Poster presentation at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference. Orlando, FL.

Fife, J., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (October 2017). Inconsistent Medicaid Coverage and Mental Health Outcomes of Teen Mothers and Their Infants. Poster presentation at the National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference. Orlando, FL.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (October 2017). Teen Mothers’ Parenting Stress and Child Behavior: The Mediating Role of Parenting Self-Efficacy. Poster presentation at the 2017 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo. Atlanta, GA.

Fife, J., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (October 2017). Inconsistent Medicaid Coverage and Mental Health Outcomes of Teen Mothers and Their Infants. Poster presentation at the 2017 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo. Atlanta, GA.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (October 2017). African American Teen Mothers’ Parenting Stress, Maternal Self-Efficacy, and Child Behaviors. Paper presentation at the 5th Annual Black Doctoral Network Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., & Lewin, A. (April 2017). Teen Mothers’ Parenting Stress, Parenting Self-Efficacy, and Child Behavior. Poster presentation at Public Health Research@Maryland Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (April 2017). The Changing Role of Social Support in Teen Mothers’ Ongoing Contraceptive Use. Poster presentation at Graduate Research Appreciation Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (April 2017). Teen Mothers’ Parenting Stress, Parenting Self-Efficacy, and Child Behavior. Poster presented at the Graduate Appreciation Research Day Annual Conference, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Fife, J., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (April 2017). Inconsistent Medicaid Coverage and Mental Health Outcomes of Teen Mothers and Their Infants. Poster presented at the Graduate Appreciation Research Day Annual Conference, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Lewin, A., Mitchell, S.J., Quinn, D., & Street, T. A. (March 2017). New Model of Teen Pregnancy Prevention: The Effectiveness of the Generations Program. Poster Presentation at Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs Annual Meeting. Kansas City, MO.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (November 2016). Mothers’ Attachment Style and Child Behavioral Outcomes for Teen Parent Families. Poster presentation at the 2016 National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (November 2016). The Changing Role of Social Support in Teen Mothers’ Ongoing Contraceptive Use. Panel Presentation at National Council on Family Relations Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, MN.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., Lewin, A. (October, 2016). Mothers’ Attachment Style and Child Behavioral Outcomes for Teen Parent Families. Poster presented at APHA Annual Meeting & Expo in Denver, CO.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (October 2016). The Changing Role of Social Support in Teen Mothers’ Ongoing Contraceptive Use. Poster Presentation at American Public Health Association Annual Meeting. Denver, CO.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (April 2016). Effective Contraceptive Behavior Among African-American Teen Mothers. Poster Presentation at Public Health Research @Maryland Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Ramsey, L. M., Lewin, A. and Mitchell, S. (April 2016). How does fathers’ prenatal involvement influence teen mothers’ postpartum depression?. Poster presentation at Graduate Research Appreciation Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. (Psychology Section Poster Award Winner, 1st Place)

Street, T., Mitchell, S., and Lewin, A. (April 2016). Depression and social support/strain in African American Teen Mothers. Poster Presentation at Graduate Research Appreciation Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. (Psychology Section Poster Award Winner, 2nd Place)

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (April 2016). Effective Contraceptive Behavior Among African-American Teen Mothers. Poster Presentation at Graduate Research Appreciation Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. (Public Health Poster Award Winner, 1st Place)

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., & Lewin, A. (April, 2016). African American teen mothers’ attachment style and child behavioral outcomes. Poster presented at Graduate Appreciation Research Day Annual Conference, University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Ellick, K. L., Mitchell, S., & Lewin, A. (April, 2016). Teen mothers’ attachment style and child behavioral outcomes. Poster presented at Public Health Research@Maryland Day, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. 

Street, T., Mitchell, S., and Lewin, A. (March 2016). Depression and social support/strain in African American Teen Mothers. Poster Presentation at Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (March 2016). Effective Contraceptive Behavior Among African-American Teen Mothers. Poster Presentation at Society for Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting. Baltimore, MD.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., & Lewin, A. (November 2015). Factors Associated With Contraceptive Use Among Urban, African-American Adolescent Mothers. Panel Presentation at National Council on Family Relations Annual Meeting. Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Street, T., Mitchell, S., and Lewin, A. (November 2015). Depression, social support, and strain in African American Teen Mothers. Panel Presentation at National Council on Family Relations Annual Meeting. Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Quinn, D., Mitchell, S.J., and Lewin, A. (April 2015). Factors associated with Contraceptive Use Among Urban, African American teen mothers. Poster presentation at Public Health Research @Maryland Day. College Park, MD. (Outstanding Student Poster Award - Honorable Mention)

Street, T., Mitchell, S., and Lewin, A. (April 2015). Depression, parenting stress, and social support in African American Teen Mothers. Poster presentation at Public Health Research @Maryland Day. College Park, MD.

April 2019: Dr. Lewin revices the University of Maryland Graduate Mentor of the Year award. 

November 2018: Dr. Deirdre Quinn Awarded the Outstanding Poster Award at the National Council on Family Relations 

May 2018: Dr. Lewin inducted into Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society

May 2018: Doctoral candidate Julie Fife inducted into Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society

April 2018: Dr. Lewin receives the UMD School of Public Health Leda Amick Wilson Mentoring Award

April 2018: Doctoral candidate Kecia Ellick awarded the Andrew Billingsley Endowed Scholarship

November 2017: Delta Omega honors two SPH Doctoral Students

October 2017: FMSC Doctoral Candidate Deirdre Quinn Receives Outstanding Paper Award

September 2017: Doctoral Candidate Deirdre Quinn Writes for Population Reference Bureau on DC's Teenage Mothers

July 2017: Family Science Graduate Dr. John Hart recognized as 2017 Faculty Mentor

April 2017: Graduate Research Appreciation Day (GRAD) 2017 Winners

November 2016: FMSC PhD Student Kecia Ellick featured in Public Health Newswire

November 2016: FMSC Faculty, Students, and Alumni Present at NCFR 2016

April 2016: FMSC Ph.D. Candidate Deirdre Quinn Accepted into Policy Communication Training Program

April 2016: Public Health Projects Featured at Graduate Research Appreciation Day

February 2016: Dr. Amy Lewin Awarded Grant to Evaluate Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program

November 2015: FMSC Doctoral Students Win Awards at APHA

April 2015: Public Health Research@Maryland Recognizes Student Poster Award Winners

April 2015: FMSC Graduate Students Participate in Graduate Research Interaction Day

April 2015: School of Public Health Students Win Graduate Research Interaction Day (GRID) Poster Awards

November 2014: Dr. Amy Lewin Reports Increased Father Involvement Associated With Decreased Infant Stress