Clinical Psychology

Damion J. Grasso

		Graduate Student  -  Primary Advisor: Robert Simons Research Interests Recent Publications Curriculum Vitae dgrasso@psych.udel.edu Office: 123 McKinly Labs (860) 301-7641 (302) 831-3645 -fax Preferred contact method - email

Research Interests

Childhood Trauma, Parent-Child Relationship, and Psychophysiology

Research Summary:

My research explores the facilitative role of caregivers in preventing or mitigating the psychological repercussions of childhood exposure to trauma and maltreatment. This interest emerged from past clinical work with maltreated youth in a residential treatment center and in foster care, as well as, my involvement in a longitudinal study at Yale University that linked the existence of positive adult support with resiliency in maltreated children entering foster care – even those children with a genetic predisposition for psychopathology. This is consistent with a body of research that suggests that the involvement of a nurturing caregiver lessens the risk of children developing PTSD and depression after trauma and is associated with a greater reduction of symptoms in traumatized children receiving treatment for PTSD. My first study at the University of Delaware examined neural correlates of appetitive aspects of maternal behavior in birth and foster/adoptive mothers using event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with motivation and reward. In this study I found that when mothers viewed pictures of their own child compared to other children they produced ERPs associated with high arousal and activation of the reward pathway. My current study will determine if this pattern exists for college students viewing pictures of their caregiver compared to other adults. This study will also test the hypothesis that viewing a picture of one’s caregiver while receiving an acoustic startle probe will attenuate the startle response compared to when receiving a probe and viewing pictures of other adults. Given research linking increased acoustic startle responses in individuals with posttraumatic stress to hyperarousal, one of the symptom clusters of PTSD, this study may have implications for the relationship between proximity of a caregiver and a child’s symptomatology. Thus, a future study will involve traumatized children and their caregivers. Finally, I am involved in an effectiveness and dissemination study in which Trauma-Focused CBT is being implemented throughout the state of Delaware. This study will yield information including the prevalence of posttraumatic stress in Delaware’s detention centers and in maltreated children seen by forensic investigators, barriers to implementation, effect sizes compared to those reported in efficacy studies, change mechanisms during the course of treatment, and caregiver involvement outside of sessions.

Recent Publications

Dozier, M., Grasso, D., & Lindhiem, O. (In Press). A parent of one’s own: The role of caregiver commitment in foster care. In D. Oppenheim & D. F. Gold (Eds.), Briding the Gap. Haifa, Israel: University of Haifa.

Grasso, D., Lipschitz, D., Guyer, A., Houshyar, S., Douglas-Palumberi, H., Billingslea, E., Crouse-Artus, M., Kaufman, J. (In Press). PTSD: The missed diagnosis. Child Abuse and Neglect.

Kaufman, J., Yang, B., Douglas-Palumberi, H., Grasso, D., Houshyar, S., Krystal, J., & Gelertner, J. (2006). BDNF-5-HTTLPR Gene interactions and environmental modifiers of depression in children. Biological Psychiatry, 59(8), 673-680.  

Kaufman, J. & Grasso, D. (2006). The early intervention foster care program: a glass half full. Child Maltreatment 11, 90-91.

Goel, N., & Grasso, D. J. (2004). Olfactory discrimination and transient mood change in young men and women: variation by season, mood state, and time of day. Chronobiology International, 21(4-5), 691-719. 

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