Traci L. Wike
Email: twike@vcu.edu
Phone: (804) 828-2877
Pronouns: She/her
Traci Wike, Ph.D., M.S.W., has served on faculty at the VCU School of Social Work since 2011 and began her role as Ph.D. Program director in July 2024. Her primary area of research focuses on youth experiences of structural and interpersonal victimization, specifically peer-related bullying, discrimination and harassment. A central goal of her research is to identify critical factors to increase resilience and promote healthy social-emotional outcomes for children and youth, especially youth from vulnerable populations.
She has conducted work on the effects of social emotional learning on children’s aggression and social competence, as well as interpersonal influences on girls’ choices to engage in delinquency. Her more recent work focuses on risk and protective factors related to identity-based bullying and discrimination for LGBTQIA emerging adults in academic and community settings. In addition, Wike has conducted research and published in the area of evidence-based practice and evidence-supported interventions, and how they are translated into social work practice.
Her teaching interests include research methods, community and organizational practice, child and adolescent development, and social welfare policy. Prior to her appointment at VCU, Wike worked as a social research associate for a large, federally funded study on child maltreatment and also as a practitioner providing services to LGBTQ+ youth and leading trainings on issues specific to this population for community professionals.
Areas of expertise
- Adolescent and Youth Development
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Violence against Women and Children
Education and credentials
Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.S.W., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Work
Selected publications
Corso, C., Hoppe, R., Kliewer, W., Wike, T. L., & Winter, M. (2024). Emotion regulation in families: Exploring the link between parent-child alexithymia and child post-traumatic stress symptoms amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Child Psychiatry and Human Development.
Wike, T. L., *Tomlinson, C., Wagaman, M.A, *Maticijak, A., *Murphy, J., *Watts, K., *O’Connor, K., & McDonald, S.E. (2021). The role of thwarted belongingness on the relationship between microaggressions and mental health among LGBTQ+ emerging adults. Journal of Youth Studies, 26(2).
Wike, T. L., *Bouchard, L., *Yabar, M., & *Kemmerer, A. (2021). Bullying, victimization, and resilience: Experiences of rural LGBTQ+ youth across multiple contexts. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(19-20).
McDonald, S. E., O’Connor, K., *Maticijak, A., *Murphy, J., Applebaum, J., *Tomlinson, C., Wike, T. L., & Kattari, S. (2021). Victimization and psychological wellbeing among LGBTQ+ emerging adults: Testing the moderating role of emotional comfort from companion animals. Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.
McDonald, S.E., *Murphy, J., *Tomlinson, C., *Maticijak, A., Applebaum, J., Wike, T.L., & Kattari, S. (2021). Relations between sexual and gender minority stress, personal hardiness, and psychological stress in emerging adulthood: Examining indirect effects via human-animal interaction. Youth and Society.
Kim, Y., Kim, K., Chartier, K., Wike, T. L., & McDonald, S. (2019). Pathways from childhood adversities to substance use disorders among older adults. Aging and Mental Health.
Wike, T. L., Grady, M. D., Massey, M., Bledsoe, S. E., Bellamy, J. L., Stim, H., & Putzu, C., (2019). Factors influencing the use of the EBP process among newly licensed social work practitioners. Journal of Social Work Education, 42(1).
Grady, M. D., Wike, T. L., Putzu, C., Field, S., Hill, J., Bledsoe, S. E., Bellamy, J., & Massey, M. (2018). Recent social work practitioners’ understanding and use of evidence-based practice and empirically supported treatments. Journal of Social Work Education, 54(1).
Bledsoe, S. E., Wike, T. L., Killian-Farrell, C., Lombardi, B., Rizo, C., Bellows, A., Sommers, A., & Sheely, A. (2018). Feasibility of treating depression in pregnant adolescents using brief interpersonal psychotherapy. Social Work in Mental Health, 16(3).
Bledsoe, S. E., Rizo, C., Wike, T. L., Killian-Farrell, C., Wessel, J., & Bellows, A. O. (2017). Pregnant adolescents’ perceptions of depression and psychiatric services in the United States. Women and Birth, 30(5).
Farmer, T. W., Wike, T. L., Alexander, Q., Rodkin, P. C., & Mehtaji, M. (2015). Students with disabilities and involvement in peer victimization: Theory, research, and considerations for the future. Special issue, Peer victimization and students with disabilities: Considerations for research and intervention. Remedial and Special Education, 36(5), 263-272.
Wike, T. L., Bledsoe, S. E., Manuel, J., Despard, M., Johnson, L., Bellamy, J. L., & Killian-Farrell, C. (2014). Evidence-based practice in social work: Systemic challenges and opportunities for clinicians and organizations. Invited article for special issue, Beyond the manual: Using data and judgment in clinical social work practice, Clinical Social Work Journal, 42(2), 161-170.
Wike, T. L., Miller, S., Winn, D-M., & Taylor, J. (2013). Going along to get along? Interpersonal relationships and girls’ delinquency. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(5), 604-615.
Li, J., Fraser, M. W., & Wike, T. L. (2013). Promoting social competence and preventing childhood aggression: A framework for applying social information processing theory in intervention research. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 18(3), 357-364.
Wike, T. L., Bledsoe, S.E., Bellamy, J., & Grady, M. (2013). Examining inclusion of evidence-based practice on social work training programs’ websites. Journal of Social Work Education, 49(3), 439-450.
Bledsoe, S. E., Bellamy, J. L., Wike, T. L., Grady, M., Dinata, E., Killian, C. & Rosenberg, K. (2013). Agency-university partnerships for evidence-based practice: A national survey of schools of social work. Social Work Research, 37(3), 179-193.
Fraser, M. W., Guo, S., Ellis, A. R., Thompson, A. M., Wike, T. L., & Li, J. (2011). Outcome studies of social, behavioral, and educational interventions: Emerging issues and challenges. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(6), 619-635.
Wike, T. L., & Fraser, M. W. (2009). School shootings: Making sense of the senseless. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14, 162-169.
Professional highlights
Research projects and funding
- 2024-2025: Longitudinal effects of pandemic-related stress on behavioral health outcomes among sexual minority, emerging adult college women. Institute for Research on Behavior and Emotional Health (IRBEH). Virginia Commonwealth University (PI)
- Barriers and Promoters to Accessing HIV Preventive Care among Rural African American Females and their Mothers. Faculty Grant, City University of New York, School of Medicine (Co-I)
- 2018-2019: Rural LGBTQ Youth School and Community Experiences with Bullying, Victimization, and Social Support (PI)
- 2018-2020: Companion Animals in the Context of LGBTQ+ Youth Wellbeing (Co-I)
- 2013-2015: Determining the Role of Protective Factors in Interrupting Developmental Trajectories of Bullying and Victimization in Late Childhood (PI)
- 2012-2015: Pathways to Using Evidence-based Practice among Social Work Practitioners. (Co-PI)
Accomplishments
- 2019-2020: Learning Spaces Teaching Fellowship, VCU Academic Learning Transformation Lab
- 2018-2019: National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity Fellow
- 2014-2015: VCU New Investigators Grant Writing Institute
- 2009-2010: Royster Society of Fellows, Lovick P. Corn Dissertation Fellowship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- 2007-2008: Spencer Foundation Discipline-Based Fellowship in Education Policy, Duke University
- 2006-2007: Scholars for Tomorrow, Ethics in Society Graduate Fellowship, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- May 2002: Frank Porter Graham Graduate and Professional Student Honor Society University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill