Papers by Jennifer Keenan
Island Studies Journal
Researchers are beginning to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on island populations, b... more Researchers are beginning to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on island populations, but little is known about the experiences of the residents of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in the Northeast region of the United States. In this study, islanders (N=41) provide insight into how spending time in nature influenced their well-being, especially their mental well-being, during this unprecedented time. For the majority of participants, the influence of nature on their well-being increased during the pandemic. Additionally, participants shared benefits of island living such as isolation from the mainland, as well as challenges such as food and supply shortages. Results from this study indicate that further research is needed around the importance of nature on well-being, especially mental health, for island residents.
Journal of Human Services
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted human services education programs to rapidly rethink ... more The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted human services education programs to rapidly rethink the structure of their fieldwork offerings. Mandated social restrictions led to the creation of alternative options to in-person internships. Some of these options included assignment-based tasks, online workshops and trainings, work-based experiences, limited in-person contact at fieldwork sites, and remote internships. For many programs, remote internships were a novel idea that needed to be quickly developed and implemented. The rise of telehealth services and the unknowns of a post-COVID world leave open the possibility of an increase in remote human services internships for the future. This qualitative study takes a first look at what the field of human services has learned about remote internships, including strengths, challenges, and recommendations, and discusses the role that remote internships might play in the future of human services education.
Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 2017
Teachers are a primary source of referral to mental health services for children and adolescents.... more Teachers are a primary source of referral to mental health services for children and adolescents. However, studies find that students identified by teachers differ from those identified by standardized screening scales. This suggests possible discrepancies in conceptualizations of student emotional and behavioral challenges. The current article describes results of a study that explores how teachers conceptualize the emotional and behavioral challenges of adolescents. Middle and high school teachers across the U.S. were identified using a stratified random sampling process and recruited for participation. Twenty-nine teachers (26% of those recruited) were interviewed and asked to describe markers that indicated to them that a student was experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges. Themes in teacher responses were identified and coded. Teachers identified multiple, diverse markers that they perceived were indicators of emotional and behavioral challenges among their students. Markers described by teachers were compared to those typically measured by standardized screening scales. Discrepancies between markers identified by teachers and screening scales are highlighted as potential areas for professional development and enhanced school-based intervention efforts. These findings underscore the importance of integrating teacher perspectives in understanding the referral process for students.
Remedial and Special Education, 2017
Friendships are developmentally important and personally beneficial relationships for all childre... more Friendships are developmentally important and personally beneficial relationships for all children and youth. Despite emphasis from families and educators of students with severe disabilities on the importance of promoting and supporting friendships with their typically developing (TD) peers in inclusive settings, such relationships remain infrequent. We conducted an integrative thematic literature review of research that directly examined the nature of friendship between students with and without severe disabilities to better understand how researchers define friendship, identify participants, and confirm participants’ friendships. Implications for future research are discussed. We also sought to identify themes in extant research to guide future intervention. The thematic findings point to the importance of adults providing direct support while fading their proximity to students, and of TD peers negotiating the ongoing tension between the roles of helper and friend.
Ecopsychology, 2020
Although the multiple benefits of natural environments on individual's lives have been well n... more Although the multiple benefits of natural environments on individual's lives have been well noted, one population that is scarcely studied in current literature is adults who live on islands in the...
Psychological Assessment, 2013
Schools frequently assess bullying and the Olweus Bully/Victimization Questionnaire (BVQ; is the ... more Schools frequently assess bullying and the Olweus Bully/Victimization Questionnaire (BVQ; is the most widely adopted tool for this purpose. The BVQ is a self-report survey that uses a definitional measurement method -describing "bullying" as involving repeated, intentional aggression in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power, and then asking respondents to indicate how frequently they experienced this type of victimization. Few studies have examined BVQ validity and whether this definitional method truly identifies the repetition and power differential that distinguish bullying from other forms of peer victimization. This study examined concurrent validity of the BVQ definitional question among 435 students reporting peer victimization. BVQ definitional responses were compared with responses to a behavioral measure that did not use the term "bullying," but instead included items that asked about its defining characteristics (repetition, intentionality, power imbalance). Concordance between the two approaches was moderate, with an area under the receiver-operating curve of .72. BVQ responses were more strongly associated with students indicating repeated victimization and multiple forms of victimization, than with power imbalance in their relationship with the bully. Findings indicate that the BVQ is a valid measure of repeated victimization and a broad range of victimization experiences, but may not detect the more subtle and complex power imbalances that distinguish bullying from other forms of peer victimization.
The American Journal of Human Genetics, 2006
Epimerase-deficiency galactosemia results from the impairment of UDP-galactose 4 -epimerase (GALE... more Epimerase-deficiency galactosemia results from the impairment of UDP-galactose 4 -epimerase (GALE), the third enzyme in the Leloir pathway of galactose metabolism. Originally identified as a clinically benign "peripheral" condition with enzyme impairment restricted to circulating blood cells, GALE deficiency was later demonstrated also to exist in a rare but clinically severe "generalized" form, with enzyme impairment affecting a range of tissues.
Friendships are developmentally important and personally beneficial relationships for all childre... more Friendships are developmentally important and personally beneficial relationships for all children and youth. Despite emphasis from families and educators of students with severe disabilities on the importance of promoting and supporting friendships with their typically developing (TD) peers in inclusive settings, such relationships remain infrequent. We conducted an integrative thematic literature review of research that directly examined the nature of friendship between students with and without severe disabilities to better understand how researchers define friendship, identify participants, and confirm participants’ friendships. Implications for future research are discussed. We also sought to identify themes in extant research to guide future intervention. The thematic findings point to the importance of adults providing direct support while fading their proximity to students, and of TD peers negotiating the ongoing tension between the roles of helper and friend.
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Papers by Jennifer Keenan