Cindy A Crusto PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Program and Service System Evaluation at The Consultation Center
Research Interests
Social determinants of health; Children's exposure to trauma; Family violence; Program and service system evaluation; School-based mental health; Community-academic partnerships; Prevention and health promotion
Research Summary
Dr. Crusto has extensive experience in the development, implementation, and evaluation of child and family prevention and intervention programs and initiatives. She has 15 years of experience providing training and technical assistance to staff of community-based organizations in program evaluation design and implementation. She has directed several statewide and community-based initiatives and programs focused in the areas of family violence, education, youth substance use/abuse, child protective services, early literacy, service system development, and host of other children’s mental health related issues.
Dr. Crusto’s research interests are focused on understanding the impact of family violence exposure on young children’s well-being and on identifying the factors that serve to place young children at risk and protect against negative developmental outcomes through basic and intervention research.
Selected Publications
- Hooper, L. M., & Crusto, C. A. (in press). Ecological systems theory. In K. Keith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural Psychology. New York, NY: Wiley.
- Roberts, Y. H., Crusto, C. A., & Kaufman, J. S. (2012). Traumatic impact of young children’s exposure to arrest. Journal of Trauma & Treatment, 1:e108. doi:10.4172/2167-1222.1000e108
- Roberts, Y. H., Snyder, F., Kaufman, J. S., Finley, M. K., Griffin, A., Anderson, J.,…Crusto, C. A., (2013). Children exposed to the arrest of a family member: Associations with mental health, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Doi:10.1007/s10826-013-9717-2
- Roberts, Y. H., Ferguson, M., & Crusto, C. A. Exposure to traumatic events and health-related quality of life in preschool-aged children, Quality of Life Research, Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0330-4
- Crusto, C.A., Melissa L. Whitson, M.L., Feinn, R., Gargiulo, J., Holt, C., Paulicin, B., Simmons, W., & Lowell, D.I. Evaluation of a mental health consultation intervention in preschool settings. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, in press.
- Snyder, F. J., Roberts, Y. H., Crusto, C. A., Connell, C. M., Griffin, A., Finley, M. K., Radway, S., Marshall, T., & Kaufman, J. S. (2012). Exposure to traumatic events and the behavioral health of children enrolled in an early childhood system of care. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25, 700-704.
- Hooper, L. M., Qu, L., Crusto, C., & Huffman, L. Scalar equivalence in self-rated depressive symptomatology as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II: Do racial and gender differences in college students exist? Psychology. [Special Issue on Depression], 2012(3), 762-774.
- Kilmer, R.P., Cook, J.R., Crusto, C.A., Strater, K.P., and Haber, M.G. Understanding the ecology and development of children and families experiencing homelessness: Implications for practice, supportive services, and policy. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(3), 2012, 389-401.
- Ward, N.L., Woods, L.N., Crusto, C.A., Strambler, M.J., Linke, L.H. Creating a safe space to learn: The significant role of graduate students in fostering educational engagement and aspirations among urban youth. The Community Psychologist, 44(1), 2011, 33-36.
- Crusto, C.A., Whitson, M.L., Walling, S.N., Feinn, R., Friedman, S.R., Reynolds, J., Amer, M., and Kaufman, J.S. Posttraumatic stress among young urban children exposed to family violence and other potentially traumatic events. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2010, 23(6): 716-724.
Selected Publications
- Hooper, L. M., & Crusto, C. A. (in press). Ecological systems theory. In K. Keith (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Cross-Cultural Psychology. New York, NY: Wiley.
- Roberts, Y. H., Crusto, C. A., & Kaufman, J. S. (2012). Traumatic impact of young children’s exposure to arrest. Journal of Trauma & Treatment, 1:e108. doi:10.4172/2167-1222.1000e108
- Roberts, Y. H., Snyder, F., Kaufman, J. S., Finley, M. K., Griffin, A., Anderson, J.,…Crusto, C. A., (2013). Children exposed to the arrest of a family member: Associations with mental health, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Doi:10.1007/s10826-013-9717-2
- Roberts, Y. H., Ferguson, M., & Crusto, C. A. Exposure to traumatic events and health-related quality of life in preschool-aged children, Quality of Life Research, Advance online publication. doi:10.1007/s11136-012-0330-4
- Crusto, C.A., Melissa L. Whitson, M.L., Feinn, R., Gargiulo, J., Holt, C., Paulicin, B., Simmons, W., & Lowell, D.I. Evaluation of a mental health consultation intervention in preschool settings. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, in press.
- Snyder, F. J., Roberts, Y. H., Crusto, C. A., Connell, C. M., Griffin, A., Finley, M. K., Radway, S., Marshall, T., & Kaufman, J. S. (2012). Exposure to traumatic events and the behavioral health of children enrolled in an early childhood system of care. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 25, 700-704.
- Hooper, L. M., Qu, L., Crusto, C., & Huffman, L. Scalar equivalence in self-rated depressive symptomatology as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II: Do racial and gender differences in college students exist? Psychology. [Special Issue on Depression], 2012(3), 762-774.
- Kilmer, R.P., Cook, J.R., Crusto, C.A., Strater, K.P., and Haber, M.G. Understanding the ecology and development of children and families experiencing homelessness: Implications for practice, supportive services, and policy. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82(3), 2012, 389-401.
- Ward, N.L., Woods, L.N., Crusto, C.A., Strambler, M.J., Linke, L.H. Creating a safe space to learn: The significant role of graduate students in fostering educational engagement and aspirations among urban youth. The Community Psychologist, 44(1), 2011, 33-36.
- Crusto, C.A., Whitson, M.L., Walling, S.N., Feinn, R., Friedman, S.R., Reynolds, J., Amer, M., and Kaufman, J.S. Posttraumatic stress among young urban children exposed to family violence and other potentially traumatic events. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 2010, 23(6): 716-724.
- Crusto, C.A., Lowell, D., Paulicin, B., Reynolds, J., Feinn, R., Friedman, S.R. and Kaufman, J.S. Evaluation of wraparound services for children exposed to violence. Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, 2008, 4(1):1-18.
- Berent, R., Crusto, C.A., Hightower, D., Epstein, M. and Kaufman, J.S. Development and psychometric refinement of a screening tool for young children exposed to violence, Best Practices in Mental Health: An International Journal, 2008, 4(1):19-30.
- Friedman, S.R., Reynolds, J., Quan, M.A., Call, S., Crusto, C.A, and Kaufman, J.S. Measuring changes in interagency collaboration: An examination of the Bridgeport Safe Start Initiative, Evaluation and Program Planning, 2007, 30:294-306.
- Crusto, C.A., Ross, E., Kaufman, J.S. & The Center for Women and Families of Eastern Fairfield County, Inc. A practitioner's guide to evaluating domestic violence prevention and treatment programs. In The prevention and treatment of interpersonal violence within the African American community: Evidence-based approaches, eds. T.P. Gullotta, and R. Hampton, Springer, New York, 2006, 165-203.
- Kaufman, J.S., Crusto, C.A., Quan, M., Ross, E., Friedman, S.R., O’Reilly, K. and Call, S. Utilizing program evaluation as a strategy to promote community change: Evaluation of a comprehensive community-based family violence initiative. The American Journal of Community Psychology. 2006, 38(3-4):191-200.
- Nation, M., Crusto, C., Kumfer, K., Wandersman, A., Seybolt, D., Morrissey, E. and Davino, K. What works in prevention: Principles of effective prevention programs. Prevention that works for children and youth. American Psychologist. 2003, 58, 6/7:449-456.
