Dr. Ruth Speidel
Managing Director
I am a developmental psychologist interested in children's social-emotional development (e.g., emotion regulation, empathy) and early prevention and intervention methods. Specifically, my research examines the effects of early family processes and caregiver-child interactions on child social-emotional development, including within pathogenic family environments and in contexts of early adversity (e.g., maltreatment, poverty). Further, my work focuses on the area of community-based research to support the development of effective, accessible, and evidence-based programs and initiatives that support improved care for children and families.
Short C.V.
Awards and Scholarships
Presidential Fellow in Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Notre Dame (2015-2020)
Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of Notre Dame (2018)
Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, Graduate Student Research Award, University of Notre Dame (2017)
Graduate Student Travel Award, Society for Research in Child Development (2019)
Conference Presentation Grant, University of Notre Dame (2017, 2019)
Publications
Peer Reviewed
Valentino, K., Hibel, L. C., Speidel, R., Fondren, K., & Ugarte, E. (2020). Longitudinal effects of reminiscing and emotion training on maltreated children’s diurnal cortisol regulation. Development and Psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457942000019X
Lawson, M., Jaeger, B., McManus, E., Speidel, R., & Valentino, K. (2020). Maternal reminiscing is associated with preschoolers’ reports of maltreatment during forensic interviews. Child Maltreatment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559520925180
Kuehn, M., Lawson, M., Speidel, R., & Valentino, K. (2020). The association between maternal reminiscing and maternal perpetration of neglect. Child Maltreatment. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1077559520916241
Speidel, R., Wang, L.P., & Cummings, E.M., & Valentino, K. (2020). Longitudinal pathways of family influence on child self-regulation: The roles of parenting, family expressiveness, and maternal sensitive guidance in the context of child maltreatment. Developmental Psychology, 56, 608-622. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000782
Fondren, K., Speidel, R., McDonnell, C.G., & Valentino, K. (2020). Elaborative reminiscing and child receptive language in the context of maltreatment: The moderating role of maternal sensitivity. Child Maltreatment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559519898753
Lawson, M., Speidel, R., Fondren, K., Cummings, E.M., & Valentino, K. (2020). Intimate partner violence and maltreated preschoolers’ internal representations of conflict. Journal of Family Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000627
Fondren, K., Lawson, M., Speidel, R., McDonnell, C.G., & Valentino, K. (2020). Buffering the effects of childhood trauma within the school setting: A systematic review of trauma-informed and trauma-responsive interventions among trauma-affected youth. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104691
Speidel, R., Valentino, K., McDonnell, C.G., Cummings, E.M., & Fondren, K. (2019). Maternal sensitive guidance during reminiscing in the context of child maltreatment: Implications for child self-regulatory processes. Developmental Psychology, 55, 110-122. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0000623
McDonnell, C.G., Fondren, K., Speidel, R., & Valentino, K. (2019). Emotion socialization and developmental risk: The interactive effects of receptive language and maltreatment on emotional reminiscing. Journal of Child and Family Studies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01592-5
Nuttall, A.K., Speidel, R., & Valentino, K. (2019). Expanding and extending the role reversal construct in early childhood. Journal of Child and Family Studies.
https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01490-w
Lawson, M., Valentino, K., Speidel, R., McDonnell, C.G., & Cummings, E.M. (2018). Reduced autobiographical specificity among maltreated preschoolers: The indirect effect of neglect through maternal reminiscing. Child Development. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13153
Lawson, M., Valentino, K., McDonnell, C.G., & Speidel, R. (2018). Maternal attachment is differentially associated with mother–child reminiscing among maltreating and nonmaltreating families. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 169, 1-18. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2017.12.005