NCID-1760
Jennifer Gómez
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development
Wayne State University
Education/Degree:
1 Psychology Psychology (University of Oregon)
About
Dr. Jennifer M. Gómez, Ford Fellow, received her PhD in clinical psychology in 2017 from University of Oregon. Dr. Gómez is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development at Wayne State University. She is a co-editor of two special issues of Journal of Trauma & Dissociation: Self Injury & Suicidality ? The Impact of Trauma & Dissociation (2015) and Discrimination, Violence, and Healing in Marginalized Communities (2018-21). Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals, books, scholarly newsletters, and newspapers. In proposing cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT), Dr. Gómez incorporates interpersonal trauma in conjunction with discrimination to examine mental health outcomes in Black and other minority populations.For CBTT, Dr. Gómez received the American Psychology Association Division 56 Award for Outstanding Dissertation in the Field of Trauma Psychology. Research in cultural betrayal trauma theory has implications for informing culturally competent mental healthcare for minorities who experience both trauma and discrimination. http://jmgomez.org
Current Work
The focus of Dr. Gómez' research is on the mental and behavioral health outcomes of violence victimization in Black and other minority emerging adult populations (ages 18-29). She developed cultural betrayal trauma theory (CBTT) to examine the differential impact that inequality has on minorities who are victims of violence. For example, in cultural betrayal trauma theory, she proposes that within-group violence in minority populations negatively impacts those who are victimized due to the additional burden of discrimination. Currently, her work examines mental health (e.g., PTSD, depression, hallucinations), behavioral health (e.g., unhealthy alcohol use; suicidal thoughts), and cultural (e.g., internalized prejudice) outcomes. Funded by the Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, her primary project is the development and validation of the Cultural Betrayal Multidimensional Inventory (CBMI) — Black Emerging Adults in the US. The CBMI includes sub scales that assess a range of experiences, including violence victimization and post traumatic growth, thus highlighting the strength of Black people who have experienced violence. The CBMI can facilitate research on CBTT, thus increasing our understanding of how violence and inequality impact Black people's lives.Dr. Gómez utilizes quantitive and qualitative methodology, with feminist and ethnic minority trauma psychologists frameworks. In development: Cultural Betrayal Multidimensional Inventory (CBMI) for Black emerging adults in the US (ages 18-29).
Research Area Keyword(s)
Black emerging adults, Cultural betrayal trauma theory, institutional betrayal, sexual violence