Kimberly Mitchell, PhD is a Research Professor of Psychology at the Crimes against Children Research Center located at the University of New Hampshire. Her areas of research focus on childhood violence exposure, peer victimization, technology-involved victimization, violence prevention, and childhood adversity, including childhood exposure to opioid overdose. She is well-versed in several different research methodologies including those involving telephone-based interviews, online surveys, and in-person interviews. She has conducted research with caregivers, adolescents, school staff, law enforcement, and service providers.
She has been studying childhood violence exposure for 18 years. With over 110 articles published in peer-referred journals, Dr. Mitchell’s research is both visible and salient. In total, her work has been cited over 7,000 times. Relatedly, Dr. Mitchell has an established history of successful grants and grantsmanship, including being PI on a current NIH grant (R21HD086464) in which she is developing a national youth firearm risk and safety assessment tool and Co-I on a recent NIJ grant to study the law enforcement response to hate crimes nationally.
Courses Taught
- JUST 602: Research Internship
Research Interests
- Adolescent Health
- Adolescent Sexual Behavior
- At Risk/High Risk Populations (Health)
- Child Abuse/Neglect
- Child/Maternal Health
- Cyberbullying
- Firearms/Guns
- Hate/Hate Crime/Hate Speech
- Opiates / Opioids
- Resilience
- Suicide
- Trauma
- Violence Prevention
Selected Publications
Mitchell, K. J., Gewirtz-Meydan, A., O'Brien, J. E., & Ein-Dor, T. (2024). Exposure to child sexual abuse materials among law enforcement investigative personnel: Exploring trauma and resilience profiles.. Psychol Trauma. doi:10.1037/tra0001804
O’Brien, J. E., DellaPenna, R., Gonzalez-Pons, K., & Mitchell, K. (2024). Medical First Responders and Child Sexual Exploitation: Needs, Efforts, and Next Steps. Journal of Human Trafficking, 10(4), 606-616. doi:10.1080/23322705.2022.2061280
Banyard, V., Mitchell, K. J., Goodman, K. L., & Ybarra, M. L. (2024). Bystanders to Sexual Violence: Findings From a National Sample of Sexual and Gender Diverse Adolescents.. J Interpers Violence, 8862605241259005. doi:10.1177/08862605241259005
Mitchell, K. J., Ybarra, M. L., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Jackson, L. A., & Patts, C. E. (2024). Implementation of a Risk Reduction Protocol in Youth Violence Research.. Ethics Behav, 34(2), 77-88. doi:10.1080/10508422.2022.2157277
Ybarra, M. L., Strøem, I. F., Goodman, K. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2023). Event Characteristics of Sexual Violence Perpetration Against Romantic Partners Versus Non-Romantic Partners.. J Interpers Violence, 38(17-18), 10282-10308. doi:10.1177/08862605231171411
Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., Jones, L. M., & Wolak, J. (2012). Prevalence and Characteristics of Youth Sexting: A National Study. PEDIATRICS, 129(1), 13-20. doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1730
Wolak, J., Finkelhor, D., Mitchell, K. J., & Ybarra, M. L. (2008). Online "Predators" and their victims - Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGIST, 63(2), 111-128. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.63.2.111
Ybarra, M. L., Mitchell, K. J., Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2006). Examining characteristics and associated distress related to Internet harassment: Findings from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey. PEDIATRICS, 118(4), E1169-E1177. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-0815
Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Online aggressor/targets, aggressors, and targets: a comparison of associated youth characteristics.. J Child Psychol Psychiatry, 45(7), 1308-1316. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00328.x
Ybarra, M. L., & Mitchell, K. J. (2004). Youth engaging in online harassment: associations with caregiver-child relationships, Internet use, and personal characteristics.. J Adolesc, 27(3), 319-336. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2004.03.007
