Laura Miller-Graff
Associate Department Chair
William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Associate Professor
Faculty Fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, Eck Institute for Global Health, Institute for Educational Initiatives

- Office
- 119 Center For Children & Families
South Bend, IN 46635 - lmiller8@nd.edu
BRAVE (Building Resilience After Violence Exposure) Research Lab
Research and teaching interests
Developmental and intergenerational effects of violence, resilience, brief psychological interventions, cross-cultural treatment adaptation
Biography
Dr. Miller-Graff's research examines the developmental and intergenerational effects of exposure to violence in childhood. Working within an ecological framework, her research seeks to understand how various systems (i.e., individual, family, and community) interact to promote or inhibit healthful development following violence exposure.
Dr. Miller-Graff has a particular interest in the adaptation and evaluation of trauma assessment and treatment in LMIC and conflict-affected settings. Current research projects include the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on women and children’s health and adjustment in the perinatal period, and the adaptation, development, and evaluation of psychological interventions for violence-exposed pregnant women and for families living in settings of chronic violence.
Education
Ph.D., University of Michigan
Approach to Mentoring
Dr. Miller-Graff has a developmental perspective on student mentorship, with more intensive mentorship and guidance as students first enter the lab and an increasing expectation for intellectual independence as students advance. The Building Resilience after Violence Exposure (BRAVE) lab also maintains a commitment to community-engaged research and Dr. Miller-Graff encourages students to actively cultivate a spirit of collaboration, partnership, and reflexive learning both within the lab and with our community partners.Representative Publications
Miller-Graff. L.E. (in press). "The multidimensional taxonomy of individual resilience." Trauma, Violence & Abuse. DOI: 10.1177/1524838020967329
Miller-Graff, L.E., Yoon, S. *Paulson, J., & MacGuire-Jack, K. (2021). "Pathways of depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms across childhood and adolescence." Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49(1), 103-116. DOI: 10.1007/s10802-020-00701-z
Miller-Graff, L.E., Ellis, K. & Hosny, N.M. (2021). "PTSD Coach Online – Arabic: A pilot trial to examine feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness." Journal of Traumatic Stress, 34, 23-34. DOI: 10.1002/jts.22621
Miller-Graff, L.E., *Scheid, C.R., Guzmán, D.B., & *Grein, K. (2020). "Caregiver and family factors promoting child resilience in at-risk families living in Lima, Peru." Child Abuse & Neglect, 108, 1-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104639
Miller-Graff, L.E., Nuttall, A.K. & Lefever, J.B. (2019). "Interpersonal violence during pregnancy: Enduring effects in the post-partum period and implications for the intergenerational transmission of risk." International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(3), 195-203. DOI: 10.1177/0165025418780358