Christine Black-Hughes, PhD., LICSWCurrent Employment: Minnesota State University, Mankato since 1994

Education: 1998 Ph.D. from The Union Institute, in Cincinnati, Ohio; 1989 MSW The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; and 1988 BASW from Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.

Research Interests: Include, but not limited to Early Childhood Attachment, International Practice and Education, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD), AIDS/HIV, Long-Term Care, Interdisciplinary Practice and Ethics and Electronic Instructional Methods.

Teaching: Social work theory and the Integrated Practicum Seminar, along with being a practicum (practical) liaison, has taught a variety of social work courses; Introduction to Social Work,  Social Welfare, Social Work and Policy, Social Work and the Legal System, Social Work and Health to name a few.

Dissertation: Similarities and Differences in the Cultures of Professionals Practicing in Rural Minnesota and the Impact for Undergraduate Social Work Education

Service: Served and consulted on numerous national, state, and local boards along with University, College (Faculty), and Department committees. Past employment includes, but not limited to Clinical Director of community mental health center, assistant director of county alcohol, drug and mental health agency, county mental health supervisor, children’s mental health and addiction therapist, and children’s mental health case manager.

Practice Experience: International practice specifically in South Africa, HIV/AIDS, Adult, child and family mental health, women's issues (Domestic Violence), community-based alcohol and drug addiction programs, legal consultant (Public Defenders Office), program evaluations and clinical social work practice with therapy dogs.

Early Childhood Attachment as the Defining Determinant Between Resilient and Non-Resilient Siblings

Identifying early childhood attachment experiences can be critical in an individual’s ability to overcome numerous later life changing risk factors.  Two recent studies, which will be the focus of this presentation, identified how early childhood attachment experiences of male and female sibling pairs defined their later life ability to remain resilient.  For purposes of these studies, resilience was defined along three variables: criminal history, chemical dependence, and educational attainment.  The degree of attachment was examined as related to the research subject’s mother, father, other significant adult, and best friend.  The research assessed both the level of attachment, as measured by standardized instruments, and the presence or absence of each attachment figure.  In all instances the research identified significant findings that early childhood attachment differentiated resilient from non-resilient siblings.  These finding have further contributed to potential intervention strategies that seek to either reinforce the need for early childhood attachments or to help remediate the impact as experienced by those individuals who were denied early childhood attachment experiences.