Amanda Sims
Biographic Data
| ID | 1741401 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Amanda Sims |
| GIVEN NAMES | Amanda |
| FAMILY NAME | Sims |
| SIGNATURE | SIMS A |
| AFFILIATIONS | McMaster University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-7995-6299 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 34 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2015 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Psychosocial adjustment of recently resettled refugee adolescents
Refugee adolescents experience displacement and resettlement-related stressors that increase risk of poor psychosocial outcomes. This study aimed to understand the factors influencing the psychosocial adjustment of recently resettled refugee adolescents in Hamilton, Canada, drawing on the perspectives and lived experiences of adolescents themselves as well as service providers. We conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with 11 refugee adole…
Parenting on the border
There is currently a lack of evidence-based interventions with a dual focus on improving parenting and caregiver mental health in conflict and humanitarian settings. To address this gap, we co-designed a trauma-informed, edutainment-enhanced intervention to improve both parenting and mental health outcomes among migrant and displaced caregivers on the Thailand-Myanmar border. This paper outlines the study protocol for a pragmatic, community-based…
Cultural Adaptation of Parenting Interventions
Purpose: This formative evaluation examined the cultural and contextual relevance of the Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children program's content and delivery for the rural Thai context and its scalability within the public health system. Method: Twenty-six professionals and academics participated in interviews and focus groups to inform adaptation and testing. Data were analyzed thematically. Results: Although the intervention was gene…
The mental health of staff at violence against women organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic
VAW organizations require increased resources and flexible funding to hire and retain more staff to respond to higher and more complex caseloads during public health emergencies. With more structural supports in place, VAW organizations could create more time and space to develop their trauma-informed organizational practices: for example, establishing a culture of connection and learning among staff virtually and in-person and facilitating a ran…
Resettlement, mental health, and coping
Study findings highlight both the resilience of refugee parents and the psychological toll of navigating their families through a new and challenging environment. Policies and programs to provide comprehensive social and economic supports to refugees beyond the first one to two years after arrival are necessary to mitigate the mental health impacts of displacement over time and strengthen individual and family resilience. Such programs should inc…
Early childhood parenting programs and community peacebuilding behaviors
Acceptability and Preliminary Outcomes of a Parenting Intervention for Syrian Refugees
Purpose: Forced displacement may increase the risk of child maltreatment and mental health problems among children and caregivers. This study assessed the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of a parenting intervention to prevent child maltreatment and improve parental and child mental health among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Method: 292 parents and 88 children participated in a structured assessment before and after a group-based parenting in…
Prepper-Worthy Identity Work
Amanda Simsa* http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5189-2000 & Mary Grigsbyba Department of Sociology, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa, USA; b Department of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, United StatesAmanda Sims was born and raised in South Florida, where she went through many hurricane seasons. Her research interests include culture, identity, gender, and responses to perceptions of risk. She earned a BA in socio…
An evaluation of a common elements treatment approach for youth in Somali refugee camps
This project is the first to examine a common elements approach (CETA: defined as flexible delivery of elements, order, and dosing) with children and caregivers in a low-resource setting with delivery by lay providers. CETA-Youth may offer an effective treatment that is easier to implement and scale-up versus multiple focal interventions. A fullscale randomized clinical trial is warranted
Modeling the effects of war exposure and daily stressors on maternal mental health, parenting, and child psychosocial adjustment
Results suggest that the adverse effects of past war trauma and ongoing displacement on refugee mothers' general mental health can increase the risk of negative parenting behavior, and in turn contribute to poorer psychosocial outcomes for children. Interventions should focus on psychosocial and parenting support for war-affected caregivers, as well as address structural challenges that debilitate caregiver and child mental health
Pathways linking war and displacement to parenting and child adjustment
A Qualitative Study of Mechanisms Underlying Effects of a Parenting Intervention in Rural Liberia
Parents make the difference
PMD is a promising approach for preventing child abuse and promoting positive parent-child relationships in low-resource settings
Pathways linking war and displacement to parenting and child adjustment
Prepper-Worthy Identity Work
Amanda Simsa* http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5189-2000 & Mary Grigsbyba Department of Sociology, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa, USA; b Department of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, United StatesAmanda Sims was born and raised in South Florida, where she went through many hurricane seasons. Her research interests include culture, identity, gender, and responses to perceptions of risk. She earned a BA in socio…
Acceptability and Preliminary Outcomes of a Parenting Intervention for Syrian Refugees
Purpose: Forced displacement may increase the risk of child maltreatment and mental health problems among children and caregivers. This study assessed the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of a parenting intervention to prevent child maltreatment and improve parental and child mental health among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Method: 292 parents and 88 children participated in a structured assessment before and after a group-based parenting in…
A Qualitative Study of Mechanisms Underlying Effects of a Parenting Intervention in Rural Liberia
Parents make the difference
PMD is a promising approach for preventing child abuse and promoting positive parent-child relationships in low-resource settings
A Qualitative Study of Mechanisms Underlying Effects of a Parenting Intervention in Rural Liberia
An evaluation of a common elements treatment approach for youth in Somali refugee camps
This project is the first to examine a common elements approach (CETA: defined as flexible delivery of elements, order, and dosing) with children and caregivers in a low-resource setting with delivery by lay providers. CETA-Youth may offer an effective treatment that is easier to implement and scale-up versus multiple focal interventions. A fullscale randomized clinical trial is warranted
Modeling the effects of war exposure and daily stressors on maternal mental health, parenting, and child psychosocial adjustment
Results suggest that the adverse effects of past war trauma and ongoing displacement on refugee mothers' general mental health can increase the risk of negative parenting behavior, and in turn contribute to poorer psychosocial outcomes for children. Interventions should focus on psychosocial and parenting support for war-affected caregivers, as well as address structural challenges that debilitate caregiver and child mental health
Pathways linking war and displacement to parenting and child adjustment
Prepper-Worthy Identity Work
Amanda Simsa* http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5189-2000 & Mary Grigsbyba Department of Sociology, Graceland University, Lamoni, Iowa, USA; b Department of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, United StatesAmanda Sims was born and raised in South Florida, where she went through many hurricane seasons. Her research interests include culture, identity, gender, and responses to perceptions of risk. She earned a BA in socio…
Acceptability and Preliminary Outcomes of a Parenting Intervention for Syrian Refugees
Purpose: Forced displacement may increase the risk of child maltreatment and mental health problems among children and caregivers. This study assessed the acceptability and preliminary outcomes of a parenting intervention to prevent child maltreatment and improve parental and child mental health among Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Method: 292 parents and 88 children participated in a structured assessment before and after a group-based parenting in…
Resettlement, mental health, and coping
Study findings highlight both the resilience of refugee parents and the psychological toll of navigating their families through a new and challenging environment. Policies and programs to provide comprehensive social and economic supports to refugees beyond the first one to two years after arrival are necessary to mitigate the mental health impacts of displacement over time and strengthen individual and family resilience. Such programs should inc…
Early childhood parenting programs and community peacebuilding behaviors
The mental health of staff at violence against women organizations during the Covid-19 pandemic
VAW organizations require increased resources and flexible funding to hire and retain more staff to respond to higher and more complex caseloads during public health emergencies. With more structural supports in place, VAW organizations could create more time and space to develop their trauma-informed organizational practices: for example, establishing a culture of connection and learning among staff virtually and in-person and facilitating a ran…
Parenting on the border
There is currently a lack of evidence-based interventions with a dual focus on improving parenting and caregiver mental health in conflict and humanitarian settings. To address this gap, we co-designed a trauma-informed, edutainment-enhanced intervention to improve both parenting and mental health outcomes among migrant and displaced caregivers on the Thailand-Myanmar border. This paper outlines the study protocol for a pragmatic, community-based…
Cultural Adaptation of Parenting Interventions
Purpose: This formative evaluation examined the cultural and contextual relevance of the Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children program's content and delivery for the rural Thai context and its scalability within the public health system. Method: Twenty-six professionals and academics participated in interviews and focus groups to inform adaptation and testing. Data were analyzed thematically. Results: Although the intervention was gene…
Psychosocial adjustment of recently resettled refugee adolescents
Refugee adolescents experience displacement and resettlement-related stressors that increase risk of poor psychosocial outcomes. This study aimed to understand the factors influencing the psychosocial adjustment of recently resettled refugee adolescents in Hamilton, Canada, drawing on the perspectives and lived experiences of adolescents themselves as well as service providers. We conducted virtual semi-structured interviews with 11 refugee adole…
Migration, Health and Trauma (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Psychiatry (8 works) · Clinical Psychology (7 works) · Mental health (7 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Refugee (6 works) · Developmental psychology (5 works)