Research Summary
Dr. Palmer's research seeks to understand the nature, extent, and impact of Child Protective Service (CPS) involvement on the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable children. Her recent work has focused on understanding CPS allegations of child neglect. She has previously worked as a licensed clinical social worker providing mental health services to adolescents involved with the child protection and juvenile justice systems.
Education
- MSW, College of Social Work, University of Southern California
- PHD, College of Social Work, University of Southern California
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Human Development and Family Studies, Pennsylvania State University
Selected Works
- Font, S. & Palmer, L. (2024). Educational Disadvantage, Child Protection, and Foster Care. Child Abuse and Neglect. Published, 03/01/2024.
- Rebbe, R., Chen, WT, Olivares, B., Palmer, L. (2024). State-level variation of child neglect: Child protection systems investigations and substantiations. Journal of the Society of Social Work and Research. Published, 01/16/2024.
- Ahn, E., Waters-Roman, D., Morstatter, M. & Palmer, L. (2024). Qualitative Exploration of child welfare workers decision-making experiences and perspectives on fairness. Journal of Public Child Welfare.. Published, 02/12/2024.
- Reddy, J., Palmer, L., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2023). Three-year custody outcomes among infants investigated by child protection systems for prenatal substance exposure in California. Maternal and child health journal. Published, 05/31/2023.
- Palmer L., Herd T., Swanson A.S., Felt J. & Font S. (2023). A Longitudinal Analysis of Concerning Psychotropic Medication Regimens Among Adolescents in Foster Care. (pp. 452-460). Vol. 73, Journal of Adolescent Health. Published, 09/01/2023.
- Putnam-Hornstein, E., Foust, R., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Ngheim, H., Ahn, E., & Palmer, L. (2023). A Population based study of mental health diagnoses and child protection system involvement among Medicaid-insured children. The Journal of Pediatrics.. Published, 01/10/2023.
- Eastman A.L., Cazares-Minero M.K., Palmer L., Wiegmann W., Prindle J.J. & Magruder J. (2023). Caseworker documentation of mothers in foster care: A case study in California. Vol. 146, Child Abuse and Neglect. Published, 12/01/2023.
- Eastman, A., Herz., D., Palmer, L. & McCroskey, J. (2023). Comparing maltreatment experiences for young people with child protective or dual system involvement. Child and Adolescent Social Work.. Published, 03/09/2023.
- Palmer L., Font S., Rebbe R. & Putnam-Hornstein E. (2023). Lifetime rates and types of subsequent child protection system contact following a first report of neglect: An age-stratified analysis. Vol. 18, PLoS ONE. Published, 04/01/2023.
- Herd T., Palmer L. & Font S. (2023). Prevalence of Mental Health Diagnoses among Early Adolescents before and during Foster Care. (pp. E269-E276). Vol. 44, Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. Published, 05/01/2023.
- Herd, T., Haag, A., Selin, C., Palmer, L., S. S., Strong-Jones, S., Jackson, Y., Bensman, H. E., & Noll, J. G. (2022). Individual and social risk and protective factors as predictors of trajectories of post-traumatic stress symptoms in adolescents. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. Published, 09/22/2022.
- Font, S. & Palmer, L. (2022). Revisiting assumptions about permanency: How children fare after reunification, adoption, or guardianship. Court Review [Journal of the American Judges Association]. Special issue on the Adoption and Safe Families Act. Published, 01/01/2022.
- Palmer, L., Font., S., Lane Eastman, A., Guo, L., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2022). What does child protective services investigate as neglect? A population-based study. Child Maltreatment. Published, 07/13/2022.
- Palmer L., Font, S., Herd, T., Prindle, J., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2022). Rates of emotional disturbance among children in foster care: Comparing federal child welfare data and Medicaid records in two states. Child Maltreatment.. Published, 08/11/2022.
- Palmer, L., McCroskey, J., Prindle, J., Eastman, A. L., Rebbe, R., & Foust, R. (2022). Impacts of the Prevention and Aftercare Program in Los Angeles County: A Propensity Score Analysis of Subsequent Child Protective Services Involvement. Child Welfare, 100(6), 91-111. Published, 12/27/2022.
- Palmer, L., Prindle, J., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2021). A population-based examination of suicide and child protection system involvement. Journal of Adolescent Health. Published, 09/01/2021.
- Foust, R., Hoonhut, J., Eastamn, A., Prindle, J., Suthar, H., Cuccaro-Alamin, S., Palmer, L., Raj, S., Ahn, E., Hammond, I., McNellan, C., Reddy, J. Mayfield K., Putnam-Hornstein, E., McCroskey, J. (2021). The Children’s Data Network: Harnessing the scientific potential of linked administrative data to inform children’s programs and policies. International Journal of Population Data Science.. Published, 03/22/2022.
- Palmer, L., Prindle, J., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2021). A population-based case control study of suicide among youth reported for abuse and neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect, 117, 105060. Published, 04/09/2021.
- Palmer, L., Ahn, E., Traube, D., Prindle, J., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2020). Correlates of entry into congregate care among a cohort of California foster youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, 104772. Published, 01/17/2020.
- Eastman, A. L., Palmer, L., & Ahn, E. (2019) Pregnant and parenting youth in care and their Children: A literature review. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1-11. Published, 01/11/2019.
- Eastman, A. L., Foust, R., Prindle, J., Palmer, L., Erlich, J., Giannella, E., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2019). A descriptive analysis of the child protection histories of youth and young adults arrested in California. Child Maltreatment, 24(3), 324-329. Published, 05/29/2019.
- Finno-Velasquez, M., Palmer, L., Prindle, J. Tam, C., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2017). A birth cohort study of child protective services involvement through age 5 among Asian children in CA: The Influence of nativity and ethnic Origin. Child Abuse and Neglect, 72,54-65. Published, 10/01/2017.
- Holloway, I., Tan, D., Dunlap, S., Palmer, L., Cederbaum, J. (2017). Network support moderates the relationship between depression and ART adherence among racial/ethnic minority HIV-positive men. Aids Care, 1-9. Published, 05/10/2017.