Heather Turner
Heather A. Turner is Professor of Sociology and Senior Research Associate at the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. Dr. Turner’s research program has concentrated on social stress processes and mental health, including the effects of violence, victimization, and other forms of adversity on the social and psychological development of children and adolescents. Dr. Turner has over 15 years of research experience on childhood exposure to violence, has conducted numerous national surveys, and has published over 125 articles, many focusing on the childhood adversity and mental health. She was a principal investigator for the OJJDP funded National Surveys of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV I, NatSCEV II and NatSCEV III) – studies designed to obtain comprehensive estimates of children’s exposure to multiple forms of violence and victimization across the full developmental spectrum (ages 0-17). Dr. Turner is the Director of the International Conference on Social Stress Research and past the Chair of the Sociology of Mental Health Section of the American Sociological Association (ASA).
Research Interests
- Aging and life course
- AIDS
- Sociology of the family
- Stress processes and mental health
- Survey research
Courses Taught
- SOC 625: Mental Health and Society
- SOC 699: Senior Thesis
- SOC 740: Sociology of Mental Health
- SOC 792: Internship Independent Study
- SOC 997: Adv Spc Top/Research Practicum
Selected Publications
Vanderminden, J., Hamby, S., David-Ferdon, C., Kacha-Ochana, A., Merrick, M., Simon, T. R., . . . Turner, H. (2019). Rates of neglect in a national sample: Child and family characteristics and psychological impact. Child Abuse & Neglect, 88, 256-265. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.014
Mitchell, K. J., Turner, H. A., & Jones, L. M. (2019). Youth Exposure to Suicide Attempts: Relative Impact on Personal Trauma Symptoms. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 56(1), 109-115. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2018.09.008
Jones, L. M., Mitchell, K. J., Turner, H. A., & Ybarra, M. L. (2018). Characteristics of bias-based harassment incidents reported by a national sample of U.S. adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 65, 50-60. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2018.02.013
Merrick, M. T., Henly, M., Turner, H. A., David-Ferdon, C., Hamby, S., Kacha-Ochana, A., . . . Finkelhor, D. (2018). Beyond residential mobility: A broader conceptualization of instability and its impact on victimization risk among children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 79, 485-494. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.01.029
Hamby, S., Taylor, E., Jones, L., Mitchell, K. J., Turner, H. A., & Newlin, C. (2018). From Poly-Victimization to Poly-Strengths: Understanding the Web of Violence Can Transform Research on Youth Violence and Illuminate the Path to Prevention and Resilience. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 33(5), 719-739. doi:10.1177/0886260517744847
Turner, H. A., Finkelhor, D., & Ormrod, R. (2010). Poly-Victimization in a National Sample of Children and Youth. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38(3), 323-330. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2009.11.012
Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., & Hamby, S. L. (2009). Violence, Abuse, and Crime Exposure in a National Sample of Children and Youth. PEDIATRICS, 124(5), 1411-1423. doi:10.1542/peds.2009-0467
Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R. K., & Turner, H. A. (2007). Poly-victimization: A neglected component in child victimization. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(1), 7-26. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2006.06.008
Turner, H. A., Finkelhor, D., & Ormrod, R. (2006). The effect of lifetime victimization on the mental health of children and adolescents. Social Science & Medicine, 62(1), 13-27. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.05.030
Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., Turner, H., & Hamby, S. L. (2005). The Victimization of Children and Youth: A Comprehensive, National Survey. Child Maltreatment, 10(1), 5-25. doi:10.1177/1077559504271287
Most Cited Publications