McNair Scholar 2019 Anna R. Heinz
Anna R. Heinz is a senior at University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, majoring in Child Psychology. Her research interests revolve around trauma, adversity, resilience, child-welfare and therapy interventions. Ms. Heinz plans to complete a Master’s degree in social work and perhaps a PhD in the future.
My dream is to treat and protect traumatized children. I want to go into different fields of child maltreatment, by getting my masters in social work and license to practice as a therapist.
Research project
Teacher Relationships in Children at Risk Due to Homelessness
Abstract: Children experiencing homelessness face many adversities that can negatively impact their wellbeing. Because teacher-child relationships can support child resilience, I examined how sociodemographic risk was related to teacher-child closeness and conflict. Participants included 83 homeless caregivers (95% female; Mage = 30 years; 61% African American, and their 4- to 6year-old children (54% male; 66% African American). Parents provided demographic information and teachers subsequently reported on their relationships with the children. Teachers reported more conflict with boys and more closeness for children with higher IQ scores. Overall, ten sociodemographic risk indicators did not predict teacher-child closeness or conflict. However, exploratory analyses suggest that “parents less than 18 years of age at birth of first child” unexpectedly was the strongest predictor of teacher-child closeness. Unsafe housing was the strongest predictor of teacher-child conflict. These findings highlight the importance of individual and contextual characteristics for teacher-child relationships, and thereby possibly school success.
Faculty mentor
Dr. Ann Masten is a Regents Professor and Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development and Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota. In 1976, she began her doctoral work in clinical psychology at the University of Minnesota, where she was advised by Norman Garmezy. Dr. Masten's research aims at understanding the processes that promote competence and prevent problems in human development, with a focus on resilience processes and pathways to adaptation in the context of high cumulative risk, adversity, and trauma. Dr. Masten has more than 200 publications and has presented her work at numerous national and international conferences.