Lucinda Adjesiwor
-
Mail code: 3920Campus: Phoenix
-
Dr. Lucinda Adjesiwor is an Assistant Professor at the Arizona State University School of Social Work. She earned her PhD in Social Work at the University of Southern California's Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She holds an MSW from the University of Ghana and completed an MSW exchange at the University of Wyoming.
Dr. Adjesiwor’s research examines how early adversity shapes child and family wellbeing across diverse sociocultural contexts. She investigates the ways in which adversity, family stress, trauma exposure, and limited access to supportive services influence developmental, relational, and behavioral health outcomes. She also examines parent–child interactions and the effectiveness of parenting interventions designed to strengthen caregiving, promote resilience, and reduce inequities in behavioral health outcomes.
Guided by a developmental and ecological perspective, her scholarship explores how risk and protective factors operate within families, communities, and systems. She is committed to advancing evidence that informs culturally responsive, prevention‑focused approaches in both domestic and international social work settings.
She has direct social work practice experience with children and families and has served as Director of a behavioral health agency. Dr. Adjesiwor has earned the USC PhD Achievement Award and has been recognized as an ISEP Scholar, Provost Scholar, and Oakley Endowed Fellow. She currently serves as a Methodological Mentor in the Society for Research in Child Development’s LEARN program, supporting early‑career scholars in developing rigorous, equity‑focused research.
Ph.D. Social Work, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, University of Southern California
M.S.W. Social Work, University of Ghana
M.S.W. (Exchange), Social Work, University of Wyoming
B.A. Social Work and Sociology, University of Ghana
- Child and family wellbeing
- Childhood adversity and trauma
- Parent - child interaction
- Parenting interventions
- Behavioral health
- International social work
(Selected)
Mahapatra, N., Yoon, S., Ojha Mamta., & Okine (Adjesiwor) L., (2025). Resilience, loneliness, and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2023.2293972
Okine (Adjesiwor) L., & Unger J. E. (2024). Substance Use among Latinx Youth: The Roles of Sociocultural Influences, Family Factors and Childhood Adversity. Journal of Research on Adolescence.95(8), 1617-1627. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13025
Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Rebbe R., Cederbaum J. A., State variations in child maltreatment reports among adolescents in the United States (2024). Journal of Public Child Welfare. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2023.2264808
Cederbaum, J. A., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Monro, W., Albassam, B., Parker, K., McBride, D., & Mennen, F. E. (2024). “The secret sauce”: Experience of a group-based intervention for Black and Latino fathers. Child and Family Social Work, 29(3),772 -784. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.13135
Baiden, P., Graaf, G., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., & LaBrenz, C. A. (2024). Association between exposure to adverse childhood experiences and unmet health care needs among children in the United States. Social Work in Public Health, 39(3), 261- 275. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2024.2323137
Oh H., Winn J.G., Verdugo J. L., Banada R., Zachry C., Chan G., Okine (Adjesiwor) L., Park J., Formigoni M., Leaune, E. (2024). Mental health outcomes of multiracial individuals: A systematic review between the years 2017-2022. Journal of Affective Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2023.11.040
Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Cederbaum, J. A., Duan, L., & Lee, J. O. (2023). Maternal childhood adversity and adolescent marijuana use at age 17 years: The role of parental mental health and parenting behaviors. Journal of Adolescence, 95(8), 1-18, 1617 -1627. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12230
Ross, L., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., & Cederbaum, J. A. Promoting social support as a protective factor for parental stress (2023). Journal of Family Issues. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X231209047
Onyeaka, H. K., Muoghalu, C., Baiden, P., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Szlyk, H. S., Peoples, J. E., ... & Torous, J. (2022). Excessive screen time behaviors and cognitive difficulties among adolescents in the United States: Results from the 2017 and 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Psychiatry Research, 114740. 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114740
Ziminski, D., Szlyk, H. S., Baiden, P., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Onyeaka, H. K., Muoghalu, C., & Cavazos-Rehg, P. (2022). Sports-and physical activity-related concussions and mental health among adolescents: Findings from the 2017 and 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Psychiatry Research, 114542. 10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114542
Cederbaum, J. A., Lee, A., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Duan, L., & Lee, J. O. (2021). Using the Theory of Reasoned Action to examine grandparent and maternal substance use on the cannabis use of children of teen mothers. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.109019
Baiden, P., LaBrenz, C. A., Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Thrasher, S., & Asiedua-Baiden, G. (2020). The toxic duo: Bullying involvement and adverse childhood experiences as factors associated with school disengagement among children. Children and Youth Services Review, 119, 105383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105383
Okine (Adjesiwor), L., & Dako-Gyeke, M. (2020). Drivers of Repeat Pregnancy among Teenage Mothers in Accra, Ghana. Children and Youth Services Review, 105002. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105002
Okine (Adjesiwor), L., Dako-Gyeke, M., Baiden, P., & Saa-Touh Mort, K. (2020). Exploring the influence of repeat pregnancy on the lives of teenage mothers. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 1-18. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2020.1763226