Share This:
Primary Research and Clinical Interests
Dr. Clark has a B.S. and M.S. in Sociology and a PhD in Prevention Science. With her educational background in sociology and prevention science, Dr. Clark is trained to use a preventative framework to understand how to develop interventions and policies that can best support marginalized children and families. In her work, she studies risk and protective factors for families experiencing (or at risk of experiencing) adverse events such as incarceration and child welfare involvement. By shedding light on these risk and protective factors, her work informs intervention development and policy level changes.
Her most recent and upcoming publications focus on three key issues: 1. Examining school-level risk factors for future incarceration; 2. Examining the experiences of families who have been impacted by incarceration (including experiencing parental incarceration); and 3. Examining how KEEP (an OSLC intervention for foster parents) can be adapted to better support the needs of specific families. Dr. Clark uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to better understand the lived experiences of children and families.
A full list of her publications can be found in her Google Scholar profile.
Selected Publications
Clark, M. G., Metcalfe, R. E., Caffery, C. M., Conn, A. D., & Kjellstrand, J. M. (2023). Parenting Through Re-Entry: Ecologically-Grounded Perspectives of Parents Returning to the Community after Incarceration. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 1-17.
Clark, M., Loan, C., & Kjellstrand, J. (2022). Predictors of Parent-Child Contact During a Parent’s Incarceration. Corrections, 1-18.
Clark, M., Kjellstrand, J., & Morgan, K. (2021). Service Needs for Corrections-Involved Parents With a History of Problematic Opioid Use: A Community Needs Assessment. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 667389.
Clark, M., Buchanan, R., Kovensky, R., & Leve, L. D. (2018). Partner influences on young women’s risky drug and sexual behavior. Reproductive health, 15, 1-15.