Faculty Directory
Matias Placencio-Castro
Part-time Faculty
Matias Placencio-Castro
Contact
Email: matias.placencio@bc.edu
ORCID 0000-0003-4927-3344
Education
- B.A., Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
- M.A., Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Research Interests
Implementation Science
Early Childhood Development
Parental and adolescent Mental Health
Quantitative Research Methods, with special emphasis on Psychometrics, Instrument Development, Statistical Programming, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs, and Multilevel and Structural Equation Modeling
Expertise
- Child Welfare
- Global Practice
- Innovations in Research Methods
- Evaluation
Biography
Matias earned a Bachelor's in History, a school teacher License, and a Master’s degree in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Currently, he is a Doctoral Candidate in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment at the Boston College Lynch School of Education and Human Development.
In Chile, he has worked in governmental organizations such as the National Institute of Statistics and the Quality of Education Agency and as a research assistant in several government-funded research projects.
In the U.S., he has worked as a Graduate Statistical Consultant for Boston College Research Services and as a Statistical Analyst for the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and the Boston Public Schools District.
He has also served as a Consultant for the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean. Currently working as Manager for Data Analysis at the Research Program on Children and Adversity, Boston College School of Social Work, he is responsible for the integrity and security of datasets, along with providing support to principal investigators, research scientists, postdoctoral researchers, program managers, and students on research methodologies, including study design, sampling, instrument development, data collection and data management, and advanced statistical modeling.
His research interests include Implementation Science, Early Childhood Development, Parental and adolescent mental Health, and Quantitative Research Methods, with special emphasis on Psychometrics, Instrument Development, Statistical Programming, Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs, and Multilevel and Structural Equation Modeling.
Selected Publications
Freeman, J., Farrar, J., Placencio-Castro, M., Desrosiers, A., Brennan, R., Feika, M., Jambia, M., Hansen, N., Akinsulure- Smith, A., Su, S., Bangura, J., & Betancourt, T. (2023). Integrating Youth Readiness Intervention and Entrepreneurship in Sierra Leone: A Hybrid Type II CRT. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0890856723022542
Desmond, C., Grace Watt, K., Jensen, SK., Simmons, E., Murray, S.M., Farrar, J., Placencio-Castro, M., Sezibera, V., Rawlings, L., Wilson, B., Betancourt, T. (2023). Measuring the cost-effectiveness of a home-visiting intervention to promote early child development among families linked to the Rwandan Social Protection System. PLOS Global Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0002473
Jensen, S. K., Murray, S., Placencio-Castro, M.; Kajani, U., Amponsah, D., Sezibera, V., & Betancourt, T. (2023). Family Violence Reduction Within a Parenting Intervention in Rwanda: A Mixed-Methods Study. Pediatrics, 151, S2, May 2023. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2023-060221L
McKay, A., Placencio-Castro, M., Kelly-Weeder, S. & Harris, A. (2023). Development and psychometric testing of a scale to measure sexual minority-inclusivity in sex education (SMISES), Sexuality Research and Social Policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-023-00794-3
Mendive, S., Placencio-Castro, M., Strasser, K., Dominguez, P., Pozo, F., Kucirkova, N. (2023). Impacts of a Personalized Book Giveaway Intervention in low-SES Households, Early Childhood Research Quarterly 63:169–80. doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.12.008.
McKay, E. A., Placencio-Castro, M., Fu, M., & Fontenot, H. (2021). Associations between Sex Education Types and Sexual Behaviors Among Female Adolescents: A Secondary Data Analysis of the National Survey of Family Growth 2011-2019, Sexuality Research and Social Policy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-021-00664-w
Maru, M., Rogers, E. S., Nicolellis, D., Legere, L., Placencio-Castro, M., Magee, C., & Harbaugh, A. G. (2021). Vocational peer support for adults with psychiatric disabilities: Results of a randomized trial. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. https://doi.org/10.1037/prj0000484.
Jensen SK, Placencio-Castro M, Murray SM, et al (2021) Effect of a home-visiting parenting program to promote early childhood development and prevent violence: a cluster-randomized trial in Rwanda. BMJ Global Health 2021;6:e003508.
Selected Appointments and Awards
2017-2021: Becas Chile Ph.D Scholarship, National Research and Development Agency (ANID), Chilean Government.
2014 - 2015: National Master Scholarship, National Research and Development Agency (ANID), Chilean Government.
2012: Teacher’s Vocation Scholarship, Ministry of Education, Chilean Government.