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Shawna J. Lee

Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work

Shawna J. Lee

Dr. Shawna J. Lee is professor and associate dean for faculty affairs at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She is also currently the director of the Parenting in Context Research Lab and director of the Program Evaluation Group. She serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief for the academic journal Children and Youth Services Review. Lee has published extensively on child maltreatment, fathers' parenting, father-child relationships, parenting stress and family functioning, and parental discipline.

Lee co-led the Michigan Child Welfare Inter-University Consortium to bring together over 18 schools of social work to provide access to child welfare education and training for students across the state. She worked with the Michigan Children's Services Agency to update the state child welfare certificate educational requirements. Lee is principal investigator and the inaugural director of the University of Michigan's statewide Title IV-E educational program.

As director of the Program Evaluation Group (PEG), Lee has been awarded over $3 million in evaluation contracts and grants. PEG's evaluation work is focused on: (1) community-engaged evaluation capacity building; (2) evaluation of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; (3) assessment and monitoring for Michigan Title IV-E educational programs; and (4) evaluation of food insecurity prevention programs in Michigan.

Research Interests/Focus

Father's parenting risk behaviors, child maltreatment, community-based interventions

Education

Year Degree   School
2005 PhD Social Work and Psychology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2003 MS Psychology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2002 MPP Public Policy University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
2001 MSW Social Work University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1997 BA Psychology University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Year Description
2024 Ma, J., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Lee, S.J., Ward, K. P., & Pace, G. (2024). Gender inequality in low and middle-income countries: Associations with parental physical abuse and moderation by child gender [poster presentation]. 27th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Lisbon, PT.
2024 Ward, K. P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Ma, J., Pace, G., & Lee, S.J. (2024a). Associations between 11 parental discipline behaviors and child outcomes across 60 countries [poster presentation]. 27th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Lisbon, PT.
2024 Ward, K. P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Ma, J., Pace, G., & Lee, S.J. (2024b). Gender inequality as a moderator of the associations between parental discipline and child aggression in low- and middle-income countries [poster presentation]. 27th Biennial Meeting of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development, Lisbon, PT.
2024 Lee, J.Y., Lee, S.J., Ward, K.P., Pace, G.T., & Chang, O. (2024). Racially and ethnically diverse fathers: Shared parental responsiveness with mothers and early child outcomes in families with low income. Society for Social Work and Research, Washington D.C., January 10-14, 2023.
2023 Lee, J.Y., Lee, S.J., Yoon, S.H., Kirsch, J., Pace, G.T., & Schoppe-Sullivan, S. (2023). Economic stress, detachment, and warmth among fathers and mothers with low income. Society for Social Work and Research, Phoenix, AZ, January 11-15, 2023.
2023 Lee, J.Y., Lee, S.J., Oh, S., Chang, O.D., & Ward, K. (2023). Family processes underlying COVID-19 pandemic related economic insecurity and children’s internalizing behaviors. Society for Research in Child Development, Salt Lake City, UT, March 23-25, 2023.
2022 Ward, K. P., Lee, S. J., & Chang, O. D. (2022, January). "Tell me what I'm doing wrong:" Criticism of parenting and associations with mental health during COVID-19. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington, D.C.
2022 Ma, J., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Pace, G., Ward, K., & Lee, S.J. (2022, January). What would happen if spanking were eliminated across the world? Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington, D.C.
2022 Lee, J.Y., & Lee, S.J. (2022, January). Examining mechanisms linking economic insecurity to interparental conflict in unmarried residential father families with low income. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR), Washington, D.C.
2021 Hong, J.S., Valido, A., Espelage, D.L., Lee, S.J., deLara, E.W., & Lee, J.M. (2021, November). Racial/ethnic and sex differences in adolescent bullying victimization and psychosomatic symptoms in the United States: Can fathers’ involvement buffer this association? Paper presented at the World Anti-Bullying Forum, Stockholm, Sweden.
2021 Ward, K.P., & Lee, S. J. (2021, August). Experiencing criticism of parenting predicts poorer parental wellbeing during COVID-19. Paper to be presented in C.M. Rodriguez (Chair), Parenting under pressure: Child and parent mental health and harsh parenting during a pandemic. Virtual symposium to be conducted at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association.
2021 Lee, J.Y., & Lee, S.J. (2021, November). Testing the feasibility of an interactive, mentor-based text messaging program to increase fathers’ engagement in home visitation. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations virtual conference.
2021 Lee, S.J., & Ward, K.P. (2021, April). Mental health and worries during the pandemic: Are parents faring worse than non-parents? Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) virtual meeting.
2021 Lee, J., Volling, B., & Lee, S.J. (2021, April). Testing the father–child activation relationship theory: A replication study with low-income unmarried parents. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) virtual meeting.
2021 Ward, K.P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Lee, S.J., Ma., J., & Pace, G.T. (2021, April). Examining nine forms of parental discipline across 60 low- and middle-income countries: A multilevel Bayesian approach. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD) virtual meeting.
2021 Chang, O.D., Lee, S.J., & Ward, K. P. (2021, April). Parental psychological wellbeing and perceived parenting change as predictors of COVID-19 parent-child communication: Self-efficacy matters! Poster presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association Conference virtual meeting.
2021 Ward, K.P., & Lee, S. J. (2021, August). Experiencing criticism of parenting predicts poorer parental wellbeing during COVID-19. Paper to be presented in C.M. Rodriguez (Chair), Parenting under pressure: Child and parent mental health and harsh parenting during a pandemic. Virtual symposium to be conducted at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association.
2021 Ward, K. P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Pace, G. T., Cuartas, J., & Lee, S. J. (2021, January). Predictors of Spanking across 60 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Multilevel Analysis. Poster at the annual Society for Social Work and Research.
2021 Ward, K. P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Pace, G. T., Lee, S. J., & Ma, J. (2021, January). Examining 9 Forms of Parental Discipline across 60 Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Bayesian Multilevel Analysis. Paper presented at the annual Society for Social Work and Research.
2021 Chang, O.D., Lee, S.J., Gershoff, E.T., Lee, J.Y., & Taylor, C.A. (2021, January). Examining parents' acceptability of physical punishment of children: A survey of parents of children ages 0-8. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Lee, J.Y., Lee, S.J., Lin, M., Albuja, A.F., & Volling, B.L. (2021, January). Challenges and joys of becoming a father: A qualitative study of low-income men's prenatal experiences. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Ward, K.P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Pace, G.T., Lee, S.J., & Ma, J. (2021, January). Examining 9 forms of parental discipline across 60 low- and middle-income countries: A Bayesian multilevel analysis. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Lee, S.J. (2021, January). A snapshot of how American families are coping during a pandemic. Symposium organized for the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Rodriguez, C.M., Lee, S.J., & Silvia, P. (2021, January). Predicting child abuse risk during the COVID-19 pandemic: Findings from a longitudinal study. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Lee, S.J., Ward, K.P., & Lee, J.Y. (2021, January). Parenting during a pandemic: Social isolation and risk for child maltreatment. Paper presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Lee, S.J., & Ward, K.P. (2021, January). Mental health, relationships, and coping during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Paper presented at the annual Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2021 Ward, K.P., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Pace, G.T., Cuartas, J., & Lee, S.J. (2021, January). Predictors of spanking across 60 low- and middle-income countries: A multilevel analysis. Poster presented at the Society for Social Work Research Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2020 Grogan-Kaylor, A., Ward, K., Lee, S.J., Ma, J., Knauer, H., & Pace, G. (2020, January). Positive and negative discipline across 62 countries: Does normativeness matter? A Bayesian approach. Poster presented at the annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, D.C.
2020 Ward, K., Lee, S.J., Limb, G., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2020, January). Spanking and child externalizing behavior: An American Indian, African. American, and White comparison. Paper presented at the annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, D.C.
2020 Knauer, H., Grogan-Kaylor, A., Yang, C., Vanneste, A., Nichols, D., Lee, J., & Lee, S.J. (2020, January). The effectiveness of community and family-based programs on promoting refugee child mental health and development: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Paper presented at the annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, D.C.
2020 Knauer, H., Massey, K., Lee, S.J., & Altschul, I. (2020, January). Mothers' and fathers' pregnancy intentions and father involvement at 36 months. Paper presented at the annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, D.C.
2020 Ma, J., Lee, S.J., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2020, January). Adverse childhood experiences, parental spanking, and behavior problems in early childhood. Paper presented at the annual Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR) Conference, Washington, D.C.
2020 Chang, O.D., Lee, S.J., Gershoff, E.T., Lee, J.Y., & Taylor, C.A. (2020, April). Examining parents' acceptability of physical punishment of children: A survey of parents of children ages 0-8. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, Illinois.
2020 Chang, O.D., Lee, S.J., Gershoff, E.T., Lee, J.Y., & Taylor, C.A. (2020, May). Is spanking the same thing as hitting? Parents’ definitions of spanking children and their associations with endorsement of physical punishment. Poster presented at the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, Illinois.
2020 Todorovic, K., Devarasetty, P., Ward, K. P., Lee, S. J., Knox, M., & Andari, E. (2020, October). Evidence for a surge in child maltreatment and intimate partner violence during COVID-19. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Academy on Violence and Abuse Global Health Summit, Dallas, TX.
2020 Lee, S.J., Pace, G.T., Lee, J.Y., & Altschul, I. (2020, November). Emotional security theory processes among parents with low income: Moderation by parental relationship status. Paper presented at the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2020 Lee, S.J. (2020, November). It takes two: Fathers’ and mothers’ interparental conflict behaviors and relations to parenting and child wellbeing outcomes. Symposium organized for the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) Annual Conference (virtual conference).
2019 Ward, K. P., Lee, S. J., Pace, G. T., Grogan-Kaylor, A., & Ma, J. (2019, November). Can attachment style buffer the effects of maternal spanking? A longitudinal investigation. Poster accepted for presentation at the 2019 National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), Fort Worth, Texas.
2019 Lee, S.J., Balu, R., & Walsh, T.B. (2019, March). Development and testing of a smartphone app to reduce fathers’ barriers to participation in fatherhood programs. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), Baltimore, MD.
2019 Lee, J.Y., & Lee, S.J. (2019, March). Development and initial acceptability of tailored messages for Text4dad to increase father engagement in home visitation. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development (SRCD), Baltimore, MD.
2019 Walsh, T., Seabrook, R., Tolman, R., Lee, S.J., & Singh, V. (2018, November). Identification of male intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization in healthcare settings: Perspectives from a nationally representative sample of young men. Paper presented at the 2018 NAPCRG Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL.
2019 Walsh, T.N., Seabrook, R., Tolman, R.M., Lee, S.J., & Singh, V. (2019, January). How can healthcare settings be used to identify male intimate partner victimization and perpetration?: Perspectives from a nationally representative sample of young men. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work & Research (SSWR), San Francisco, CA.
2019 Walsh, T.N., Jones, M., Tolman, R.M., Lee, S.J., & Singh, V. (2019, January). Early service experiences as a barrier or facilitator of subsequent service engagement: An examination of father engagement in prenatal and pediatric care. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work & Research (SSWR), San Francisco, CA.
2019 Seabrook, R., Walsh, T.N., Tolman, R.M., Lee, S.J., & Singh, V. (2019, January). Prescription opiate misuse and IPV perpetration among young men. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work & Research (SSWR), San Francisco, CA.
2019 Pace, G., Lee, S.J., & Grogan-Kaylor, A. (2019, January). Spanking and young children’s socioemotional development in low- and middle- income countries. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Social Work & Research (SSWR), San Francisco, CA.

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