Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Ph.D.

Graduate Program Director, C.R. Hutcheson Associate Professor

Human Development and Family Studies

Phone: (806) 834-6080

Office: HS 301H

Research Focus

My research focus is interdisciplinary, rooted in Human Development, Cross-Cultural Studies, Psychology, Sociology, Criminology, and Public Health. My scholarship focuses on the importance of individual characteristics and contextual factors in the etiology of risk-taking behaviors and deviance in youth, with a particular focus on ethnic minority and "at-risk" populations. My scholarship is also based on a cross-cultural/cross-national comparative approach that aims to generate knowledge on minority and immigrant youth and the characteristics of these understudied groups. I use a mixed-method approach to research through my background in quantitative and qualitative methods (e.g., ethnography, case studies, in-depth interviews, focus groups) and Participatory Action Research (PAR) approaches that seeks to build evidence-based practice for the development, extension, and improvement of prevention/intervention efforts. During the past 20+ years, I have worked closely with several local community and state-wide partners and international collaborators to support the well-being and positive developmental outcomes in youth. All my graduate and undergraduate students gain "hands on" experience by participating in research activities, community outreach programs, volunteering activities, and positive development programs for youth. My research, teaching, and service have been shaped by diverse life experiences and by the people who have made those experiences possible. I have lived in different countries and cultures and thus, I seek to discover what lies beneath our multidimensional lives, to improve and advance the lives of underserved populations, and to serve academia, the community, and society at large.

Areas of Expertise

Positive Youth Development
Risk-Taking & Deviance / Externalizing-Internalizing Behaviors
"At-Risk" Youth / Ethnic/Racial Minorities and Immigrant Youth
Cross-Cultural & Cross-National Comparative Research
Mixed Methods and Participatory Action Research

Selected Recent Publications

*Chawla, M., & Trejos-Castillo, E. (2018). Human Capital and Substance Use: A
Lifespan Perspective in Human Capital: Perspectives, Challenges and Future Directions, Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

*Trevino-Schafer, N., & Trejos-Castillo, E. (2018). Foster Youth Voices: An Exploratory
Study on Their Challenges & Strengths in Handbook of Foster Youth (Trejos-Castillo, E. & Trevino-Schafer, N. Eds.), Routledge -Taylor & Francis Group.

Oblad, T, Trejos-Castillo, E, & Massengale, E. (2017). Characteristics of Cyberaggression
among College Student Minorities: Exploring Pervasiveness and Impact through Mixed-Methods. International Journal of Criminology & Sociology, 6, 192-204.

Barrera-Valencia, M., Calderón-Delgado, L., Trejos-Castillo, E., & O'Boyle, M. (2017).
Cognitive profiles of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Depression in Children and Adolescents. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 17:242-50. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijchp.2017.05.001

Trejos-Castillo, E., Davis, G., & Hipps, T. (2016). Economic Well-Being and Independent
Living in Foster Youth: Paving the Road to Effective Transitioning out of Care. Special Issue on Housing and Economic Security. Child Welfare, 93(6), 53-71.

*Tami, S.H., Reed, D.B., Trejos-Castillo, E., Boylan, M., & Wang, S. (2015). Reliability of
survey tools for assessing parenting styles and family contributors to the development of obesity in Arab children ages 6 –12 years old. Ethnicity & Disease, 25(4), 463-468.

Trejos-Castillo, E., *Bedore, S., Hipps, T., & Davis, G (2015). Bienestar Emocional de
Jóvenes en Programas de Acogimiento Familiar: Un Estudio Exploratorio. (Emotional Wellbeing in Foster Youth: An Exploratory Study). Special Issue on Qualitative Research & Mental Health. Revista CES Psicología, 8(1), 98-118.

*Graduate Students

BOOKS

Trejos-Castillo, E. (Ed.), Trevino-Schafer, N. (Ed.). (2018). Handbook of Foster Youth. New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Trejos-Castillo, E. (Ed.) (2013). Youth: Practices, Perspectives and Challenges. Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, NY.