CPS Faculty Member, CPS Student and University School Senior Present at APA Convention

Nina Campanile, University School senior; Jan Faust, Ph.D., CPS professor

Nina Campanile, University School senior; Jan Faust, Ph.D., CPS professor; John E. Lewis, Ph.D., CPS Professor and Director of Academic Affairs


During the recent 117th annual American Psychological Association convention, CPS professor, Jan Faust, Ph.D., along with CPS doctoral student Lindsay Stewart, M.A., and University School senior, Nina Campanile, featured a poster presentation entitled, Family Cohesion, Adjustment, and Ethnicity in Sexually Abused Children.

University School seniors Nina Campanile and Gabbi Roland coded data and conducted literature searches as part of the University School Capstone Project, a collaboration between the University School and NSU, where junior students receive mentoring by NSU faculty.

The study investigated the perceived levels of family cohesion and its protective factor against internalizing and externalizing behaviors that often result from the trauma of being a victim of child sexual abuse. The study concluded that African American and Hispanic/Latino families scored significantly higher on measure of family cohesion, lower on internalizing behaviors, but higher in externalizing behaviors than did Caucasian children. Thus, these findings illustrate that family cohesion may serve as a buffer against emotional distress, but not acting out behaviors.