Sunny H. Shin - Social Work - Virginia Commonwealth University

Sunny Shin

Professor

Email: sshin@vcu.edu
Phone: (804) 827-4342

Sunny Shin, Ph.D., is a professor in the VCU School of Social Work and the VCU School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. Prior to joining VCU in 2013, Shin was a faculty member at the Boston University School of Social Work. Shin is also the director of the Innovation in Child and Family Wellness Research Group (Innovative Wellness) at VCU and the director of the Rise Above program, which is a trauma-informed, social-emotional learning and substance use prevention program.

Shin has a broad practice and research experience in childhood traumatic experiences, child welfare, youth development and addictive behaviors, and his research has tested theoretical models and theory-driven preventive interventions that include individual vulnerability characteristics, social processes and environmental variables as well as the interactions between these. In particular, Shin’s research team has focused on developing and testing theoretical models that explain the developmental mechanisms that link childhood traumatic experiences to adolescent substance abuse. His team has also designed and evaluated several innovative child maltreatment prevention, social-emotional learning and substance use prevention programs for children and families. Shin’s research has been funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth and ABMRF/Foundation for Alcohol Research.

His work has been published in leading academic journals, including Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Preventive Medicine and Psychiatric Services. Shin has received various awards, including the Society for Social Work and Research Excellence in Research Award, Family and Children's Trust Fund of Virginia (FACT) Child Welfare Award, National Institute of Mental Health Children’s Health Intervention Prevention Service Fellowship Award, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Fellowship Award and the Daniel S. Sanders Fellowship, University of Illinois.

Areas of expertise

Adolescent and Youth Development
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Child Welfare
Evidence-Based Interventions
Mental Health
Research Design and Measurement
Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors

Education and credentials

Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
M.S.W., University of Wisconsin at Madison
B.A., Soongsil University

View Sunny H. Shin's curriculum vitae.

Author: Shin, S. H.

Topic: Adolescent and Youth Development, Child Welfare, Mental Health, Research Design and Measurement, Substance Misuse and Addictive Behaviors

Work

Selected publications

Shin, S. H., Tomlinson, C. A., Nelson-Hence, D., & Ksinan Jiskrova, G. (2022). Understanding the intergenerational cycle of trauma and violence: Maternal adverse childhood experiences and parent-child aggression risk. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 08862605221120884. PMID: 36062736

Shin, S. H., Bouchard, L. M., & Montemayor, B. (2022). An Exploration of Practitioners’ Perceptions and Beliefs About Trauma-Informed Youth Drug Prevention Programs: a Qualitative Study. Prevention Science, 23(4), 636-647. PMID: 34714501

Jiskrova, G. K. & Shin, S. H. (2022). Childhood maltreatment, depressive implicit associations and depression symptoms in young adulthood. Social Work in Mental Health, 20(6), 702-715. PMID: 32101477

Shin, S. H., Jiskrova, G. K., Kimbrough, T., Dina, K. T., Lee, E. O., & Ayers, C. E. (2021). Maternal adverse childhood experiences and postpartum depressive symptoms in young, low-income women. Psychiatry Research, 296, 113679. PMID: 33385783

Shin, S. H. (2021). Preventing E-cigarette use among high-risk adolescents: A trauma-informed prevention approach. Addictive Behaviors, 115, 106795. PMID: 33387976

Kobulsky, J. M., Yoon, S. H., Wildfeuer, R., Simonsson, P., & Shin, S. H. (2021). The effects of father-perpetration of maltreatment on adolescent health risk. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 08862605211001484. PMID: 33765850

Yoon, S., Kobulsky, J.M., Shin, S.H., & Coxea, K. (2021). The roles of child maltreatment and fathers in the development of substance use in an at-risk sample of youth: A longitudinal study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 118, 105130. PMID: 34052661

Snell, M., Harless, D., Shin, S. H., Cunningham, P., & Barnes, A. (2021). A longitudinal assessment of nicotine dependence, mental health, and attempts to quit smoking: Evidence from waves 1-4 of the population assessment of tobacco and health (PATH) study. Addictive Behaviors, 115, 106787. PMID: 33383566

Shin, S. H., Jiskrova, G. K., Yoon, S. H., & Kobulsky, J. M. (2020). Childhood maltreatment, motives to drink and alcohol-related problems in young adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 108, 104657.

Shin, S. H., Jiskrova, G. K., Kobulsky, J. M., & Yoon, S. H. (2020). Childhood maltreatment and problematic alcohol use in young adulthood: The roles of cognitive vulnerability to depression and depressive symptoms. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 46(4), 438-446.

Shin, S. H., Wang X., Yoon, S. H., Cage, J. L., Kobulsky, J., & Montemayor, B. N. (2019). Childhood maltreatment and alcohol-related problems in young adulthood: The protective role of parental warmth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 98, 104238.

Shin, S. H., Ksinan Jiskrova G., Kimbrough, T., Trowbridge, K., Lee, E., & Ayers, C. E. (2019). Impact of a comprehensive hospital-based program to remove unsafe items from infant’s sleeping area: A prospective longitudinal study. Clinical Pediatrics, 58, 1440-1443.

Shin, S. H., Conley, D., Ksinan Jiskrova G., & Wills, T. (2019). Adverse childhood experiences and e-cigarette use during young adulthood. American Journal on Addictions, 28(4), 303-310.

Shin, S. H., Ksinan Jiskrova, G., & Wills, T. (2019). Childhood maltreatment and alcohol use in young adulthood: The role of self-regulation processes. Addictive Behaviors, 90, 241-249.

Shin, S. H., McDonald, S. E., & Conley, D. (2018). Profiles of adverse childhood experiences and impulsivity. Child Abuse & Neglect, 85, 118-126.

Shin, S. H., McDonald, S. E., & Conley, D. (2018). Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and substance use among young adults: A latent class analysis. Addictive Behaviors, 78, 187-192.

McDonald, S. E., Dmitrieva, J., Shin, S., Hitti, S. A., Graham-Bermann, S. A., Ascione, F. R., & Williams, J. H. (2017). The role of callous/unemotional traits in mediating the association between animal abuse exposure and behavior problems among children exposed to intimate partner violence. Child Abuse & Neglect, 72, 421-432.

Shin, S. H., McDonald, S. E., & Conley, D. (2018). Patterns of adverse childhood experiences and substance use among young adults: A latent class analysis. Addictive Behaviors, 78, 187-192.

Butzer, B., LoRusso, A., Shin, S.H., & Khalsa, S.S. (2017). Evaluation of yoga for preventing adolescent substance use risk factors in a middle school setting: A preliminary group-randomized controlled trial. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46:603-632.

Shin, S.H., Chung, E., & Rosenberg, R. (2016). Identifying sensitive periods for alcohol use: The roles of timing and chronicity of child physical abuse. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 40(5), 1020-1029

McDonald, S.E., Shin, S.H., Corona, R., Maternick, A., Graham-Bermann, S. Ascione, F.R., & Williams, J.H. (2016). Children exposed to intimate partner violence: Identifying differential effects of family environment on children’s trauma and psychopathology symptoms through regression mixture models. Child Abuse & Neglect, 58, 1-11.

Shin, S.H., Cook, A., Morris, N., McDougle, R., & Groves, L.P. (2016). The different faces of impulsivity as links between childhood maltreatment and young adult crime. Preventive Medicine, 88, 210-217.

Shin, S.H., Hassamal, S. & Groves, L. (2015). Examining the role of psychological distress in linking childhood maltreatment and alcohol use in young adulthood. American Journal on Addiction, 24, 628-636.

Shin, S.H., Lee, S., Jeon, S., & Wills, T. (2015). Childhood emotional abuse, negative emotion-driven impulsivity, and alcohol use in young adulthood. Child Abuse & Neglect, 50, 94-103.

Shin, S.H., Miller, D.P., & Teicher, M.H. (2013). Exposure to childhood neglect and physical abuse and developmental trajectories of heavy episodic drinking from early adolescence into young adulthood. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 127(1-3), 31-8.

Shin, S.H., Chung, Y., & Jeon, S. (2013). Impulsivity and substance use in young adulthood. American Journal on Addiction, 22(1), 39-45.

Shin, S.H. (2012). A longitudinal examination of the relationships between childhood maltreatment and patterns of adolescent substance use. American Journal on Addiction, 21(5), 453-461.

Shin, S.H., Hong, G., & Wills, T. (2012). An examination of pathways from childhood maltreatment to adolescent binge drinking. American Journal on Addiction, 21(3), 1-8.

Shin, S.H., Hong, G., & Jeon, S. (2012). Personality and alcohol use: The role of impulsivity. Addictive Behaviors, 37(1), 102-107.

Shin, S.H., & Miller, D.P. (2012). A longitudinal examination of childhood maltreatment and adolescent obesity: Results from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth). Child Abuse & Neglect, 36(2), 84-94.

Shin, S.H., & Lee, S. (2011). Caregiver social support for children involved with child welfare: Correlates and racial/ethnic variations. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5(4), 1-20.

Shin, S.H., Hong, H.G., & Hazen, A. (2010). Childhood sexual abuse and adolescent substance use: A latent class analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 109, 226-235.

Shin, S.H., Edwards, E., Heeren, T., & Amodeo, M. (2009). Relationship between multiple forms of maltreatment by a parent or guardian and adolescent alcohol use. American Journal on Addiction, 18(3), 226-234.

Shin, S.H., Edwards, E., & Heeren, T. (2009). Child abuse and neglect: Relations to adolescent binge drinking in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth). Addictive Behaviors, 34(3), 277-280.

Shin, S.H., & Brown, T. (2009). Racial/ethnic disparities in caregiver strain and child mental health services use: A structural equation model. Psychiatric Services, 60:1039-1045.

Shin, S.H. (2009). Improving social work practice with foster adolescents: Examining readiness for independence. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 3(4), 354-371.

Hahm, H.C., Lahiff, M., Baretto, R.M., Shin, S.H., & Chen, W. (2008). Health care disparities and language use at home among Latino, Asian American, and American Indian adolescents: Findings from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Journal of Community Psychology, 36(1), 20-34

Shin, S. H., Lundgren, L., & Chassler, D. (2007). Examining drug treatment entry patterns among young injection drug users. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 33(2), 217-225.

Shin, S.H., & Choi, S. (2007). State response to substance abusing TANF recipients: The challenge of welfare policy. Journal of Policy Practice, 6(1), 65-83.

Shin, S.H., & Amodeo, M. (2007). Injection drug use among adolescents and young adults: Scope of the problems and recommendations. Families in Society, 88(1), 95-103.

Shin, S.H. (2005). Need for and actual use of mental health services by older foster youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 27(10), 1071-1083.

Shin, S. H. (2004). Developmental outcomes of vulnerable youth in the child welfare system. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 9(1/2), 39-56. (Simultaneously published in: Dulmus, C., & Sowers, K. (Eds.). (2004). For better or for worse: How institutions are shaping the future of our children. New York: The Haworth Press.)

Shin, S.H. (2003). Building evidence to promote educational competence of foster youth. Child Welfare, 82(5), 615-632.

Wehrmann, K., Shin, S.H., & Poertner, J. (2002). Transfer of training: An evaluation study. Journal of Health and Social Policy, 15(3), 23-38. (Simultaneously published in: Briar-Lawson, K., & Zlotnik. J. (Eds.). (2003). Evaluation research in child welfare, 23-37. Binghampton, NY: The Haworth Press.)

Shin, S.H. (2002). A review of school-based drug-prevention program evaluations in the 1990s. American Journal of Health Education, May-June, 139-147.

Role: Faculty

Professional highlights

Research projects and funding

Principal investigator
Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences and Promoting Child and Family Wellness
Virginia’s Comprehensive Health Investment Project
Principal investigator
Preventing tobacco use among youth exposed to adverse childhood experiences
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth
Co-investigator.
The Impact of Human-Animal Interactions on Adjustment of Children in Adverse Family Environments. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD; pending)
Principal investigator
Longitudinal Infant and Family Environment (L.I.F.E.) Study
Virginia Department of Social Services
Principal investigator
Adverse childhood experiences and adolescent tobacco use during the transition to adulthood
Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth
Principal investigator (with Sat Bir Khalsa)
Reducing substance use risk factors in the high school setting
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Principal investigator
Childhood maltreatment, self-regulation, and alcohol use in emerging adulthood
ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research
Principal investigator
Childhood interpersonal trauma and substance abuse
National Institute on Drug Abuse

Accomplishments

2019: Family and Children's Trust Fund of Virginia (FACT) Child Welfare Award
2015: Society for Social Work and Research Excellence in Research Award
2012: National Institute of Health Summer Institute on Social and Behavioral Intervention Research
2007-2009: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Fellowship
2005-2006: National Institute of Mental Health Children Health Intervention Prevention Service Fellowship
1999: Daniel S. Sanders Award, School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign