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Laura Abrams
Ph.D. in Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley Associate Professor of Social Welfare
Phone: 310-206-0693
abrams@spa.ucla.edu |
Download Curriculum Vitae
Professor Abrams’ research is interested in identity formation and transition processes among populations considered to be “at-risk” of negative outcomes. She has published extensively from a four year ethnographic study on young men’s identity transitions in the context of juvenile correctional facilities. These works explore institutional influences on identity and behaviors as well as youths’ subjective accounts of criminality, “risk,” and treatment programs seeking to reshape their identities through various therapeutic practices. She is currently conducting a survey among youth placed in Los Angeles County probation camps to assess gender differences in perceived transition needs, barriers to service use, and social support systems. This pilot project will be used to launch a major study of the experience of transitioning to adulthood from the juvenile justice system.
Recently, Dr. Abrams has become interested in low-income new mothers as another population experiencing identity transitions under adverse circumstances. A pilot research project investigated barriers to service use among low-income ethnic minority women with postpartum depression (PPD) in Los Angeles County. This study raises important questions about the relationships between culture, stigma, and instrumental factors in preventing women from seeking or using mental health services when they are experiencing PPD symptoms. Professor Abrams has expertise in qualitative, historical, and mixed methods and has authored or co-authored articles on cross-cultural research, the role of qualitative research, and the connection between qualitative research and social work practice.
Dr. Abrams earned her Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley in 2000 and held a position as an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work from 2000-2005. Her work is currently supported by grants from the UCLA Faculty Senate, the NIH Center for Vulnerable Populations Research, and the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation.
She currently teaches the following courses in Social Welfare: Cross-Cultural Awareness, Advanced Practice with Diverse Populations, Research Methods with Children and Youth, and Qualitative Research Methods for Doctoral Students.
Research Interests:
Incarcerated youth and identity transitions; the transition to adulthood among formerly incarcerated youth; low-income mothers and postpartum depression; qualitative and mixed methods research; social welfare history; critical race theory and social work pedagogy.
Juvenile Justice and Reentry Project Web site
Selected Publications:
Abrams, L. S., & Curran, L. (2007). Not just a middle class affliction: Crafting a social work research agenda on postpartum depression. Journal of Health and Social Work, 32(4), 289-296.
Abrams, L. S. (2007). From corrections to community: Youth offenders’ perceptions of the challenges of transition. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 44(2/3), 31-53.
Shannon, S. K., & Abrams, L. S. (2007). Juvenile offenders as fathers: Perceptions of fatherhood, crime and becoming an adult. Families in Society, 88(2), 183-191.
Abrams, L. S., & Gibson, P. (2007). Reframing multicultural education: Teaching white privilege in the social work curriculum. Journal of Social Work Education, 43(1), 147-160.
Abrams, L. S., Umbreit, M., & Gordon, A. (2006). Young offenders speak about meeting their victims: Implications for future programs. Contemporary Justice Review, 9(3), 243-256.
Abrams, L. S. (2006). Listening to juvenile offenders: Can residential treatment prevent recidivism? Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 23(1), 61-85.
Abrams, L. S., & Aguilar, J. P. (2005). Negative trends, possible selves, and behavior change: A qualitative study of juvenile offenders in residential treatment. Qualitative Social Work, 4(2), 175-196.
Abrams, L. S., Kim, K., & Anderson-Nathe, B. (2005). Paradoxes of treatment in juvenile corrections. Child & Youth Care Forum, 34(1), 7-25.
Anderson-Nathe, B., & Abrams, L. S. (2005). Getting there is half the fun: Practitioners-as-researchers and vice-versa. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 11(4), 69-77.
Forthcoming:
Abrams, L. S., Shannon, S. K., & Sangalang, C. (In press). Transition services for incarcerated youth: A mixed methods evaluation study. Children and Youth Services Review.
Abrams, L. S., Anderson-Nathe, B, & Aguilar, J. (In press). Constructing masculinities in juvenile corrections. Men and Masculinities.
Report Links:
Bridging the Gap: Barriers to Service Use Among Low-Income Women with Postpartum Depression
Perceived Needs, Barriers, and Social Supports Among the Youth Reentry Population in Los Angeles County
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