Faculty
Celene Domitrovich
Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 1998
Assistant Director, Prevention Research Center for the Promotion of Human Development
(Consultant, Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2005-2008, consulting on the PATHS to PAX Project with Dr. Dennis Embry of the Paxis Institute)
Contact Information
S108B Henderson Building
Phone:
814-865-2616
Fax Number:
814-865-2530
http://www.prevention.psu.edu/
Research Interests
My primary interest as a prevention scientist is to apply my knowledge of developmental psychopathology to create interventions for children that promote school readiness and prevent mental disorders. This involves conducting efficacy, effectiveness and dissemination research in order to determine whether these interventions are effective and then how to optimize their usefulness and sustainability under real-world conditions. My basic research centers on the development of social and emotional competence in young children, the role of parents and teachers in children’s acquisition of these skills, and how these skills are related to success in school.
Examples of Current Prevention Projects
Harrisburg Preschool Program (HPP)
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Start Date: 2002
We are evaluating a comprehensive preschool program
that provides classroom programming, high-quality daycare, parent
education, and health services to 3- and 4-year-old children
and their families in the Harrisburg School District.
Head
Start (Head Start REDI––Research-based, Developmentally
Informed)
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Start Date: 2003
This project will evaluate the impact of infusing current Head
Start programs with social-emotional support curricula (Preschool
PATHS) and language and emergent literacy skill support curricula.
A randomized trial will examine the impact on child school readiness
at the end of Head Start and on adjustment and achievement in
kindergarten and first grade.
School-based Effectiveness Research
PATHS to PAX
Center for Prevention and Early Intervention, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health
National Institutes of Mental Health and Drug Abuse
State Date: 2005
Prevention Research Center and Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Penn State
The aim of this project is to determine the feasibility and specific value of an Integrated Data System that will provide relevant actionable information (academic, social/emotional skills, and attendance) to school personnel so they can manage limited resources optimally.
Harrisburg Character Education Evaluation
Department of Education
State Date: 2006
The project involves implementing two evidence-based character education programs in the district’s 7th- and 8th-grade classrooms: Responsive Designs for Middle School (RDM)--a professional training program that helps teachers create a classroom environment that facilitates positive student-teacher relationships and cooperative learning; and Facing History and Ourselves (FHAO) is a classroom-based character education curriculum.
Start Date: 2006
Other Prevention Projects
Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative
OJJDP/DOE/CMHS
Start Date: 2002
End Date: Summer 2006
This project involved the implementation of a comprehensive safe schools model for the Harrisburg School District.
Recent Publications
Belsky, J., Domitrovich, C.E., & Crnic, K. (1997). Temperament and parenting antecedents of individual differences in 3-year-old pride and shame reactions. Child Development, 68, 456-466.
Domitrovich, C. E., & Greenberg, M. T. (2000). The study of implementation: Current findings from effective programs for school aged children. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 11, 193-222.
Domitrovich, C. E. & Bierman, K. (2001). Parenting practices and child social adjustment: Multiple pathways of influence. Merrill Palmer Quarterly, 47, 235-263.
Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., & Bumbarger, B. (2001). The prevention of mental disorders in school-aged children: Current state of the field. Prevention and Treatment. [Project Report] [Executive Summary, Project Report] [Article]
Gill, S., Domitrovich, C. E., Pepple, L. & Kennedy, J. (2002). Partnership to evaluate an Early Head Start program. National Head Start Association Dialog, 5, 191-212.
Welsh, J., Domitrovich, C. E., & Lang, J. (2003). Promoting safe schools and healthy students in rural Pennsylvania. Psychology in the Schools.
Gest, S. D., Freeman, N. R., Domitrovich, C. E., & Welsh, J. A. (2004). Parent discipline style as a moderator of the association between shared book reading and language comprehension skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19, 319-336.
Domitrovich, C. E., & Greenberg, M. T. (2004). Preventive interventions with young children: Building on the foundation of early intervention programs. Early Education and evelopment, 15, 365-370.
Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., Graczyk, P. A., & Zins, J. E. (2004). The study of implementation in school-based preventive interventions: Theory, research, and practice. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. Final project report. [Project Report]
Gest, S. D. Domitrovich, C. E., & Welsh, J. A. (2005). Peer academic reputation in elementary school: Associations with changes in self-concept and academic skills. Journal of Educational Psychology. 97, 337-346.
Gest, S. D., Welsh, J. A., & Domitrovich, C. E. (2005). Behavioral predictors of changes in social relatedness and liking school in elementary school. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 281-301.
Domitrovich, C. E., Cortes, R., & Greenberg, M. T. (in press). Improving young children's social and emotional competence: A randomized trial of the Preschool PATHS Program. Journal of Primary Prevention.