About

Laura Miller-Graff is a professor of psychology and peace studies and a core faculty member of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. She earned a Ph.D. in clinical science from the University of Michigan in 2013. Miller-Graff has been a Kellogg Institute faculty fellow since 2017.

Working within an ecological framework, Miller-Graff’s research seeks to understand how various systems (i.e. individual, family, and community) interact to promote or inhibit healthful development following violence exposure. With a focus on children who have multiple traumatic exposures, she investigates resulting patterns of resilience and psychopathology, including the development of post-traumatic stress symptoms.

In addition to conducting basic research on the effects of violence on development, Miller-Graff also seeks to identify effective intervention practices for children and families affected by violence. This line of work considers the status of psychosocial interventions currently available in international conflict settings and seeks to identify evidence-based intervention practices that facilitate resilience in families and communities. Specific aims of this work include identifying culturally appropriate assessment and treatment practices and developing efficacious and cost-effective psychosocial interventions that can be readily disseminated in conflict settings.

ISP Advisee:
Annika Barron; Kasey Nye

Thematic Interests

Developmental effects of exposure to violence in childhood, with a particular interest in the adaptation and evaluation of PTSD assessment and treatment as they relate to international conflict settings.

Current Research

Effects of intimate partner violence, maltreatment, and community violence on women and children’s cognition and adjustment; factors contributing to resiliency in children and young adults exposed to multiple types of violence; intervention with violence-exposed persons in the US and Middle East.

Countries
Regions
Research Tags

Journal Articles

Other Accomplishments & Recognitions
  • Co-PI, “The First Online Arabic Intervention for Posttraumatic Stress,” American University in Cairo research support grant (RSG2-17) (2017–18)
  • PI, “Evaluating the Effect of Prenatal Intervention for IPV on Infant Health and Development,” Help for Children (HFC) grant (2016–17)
  • Pacific Magazine, 30 top thinkers under 30, Social Sciences (2015)