Faculty Directory
Scott Easton
Associate Professor
Chair, Health and Mental Health Fields of Practice
Scott Easton
Ph.D., ACSW, LMSW
Contact
McGuinn Hall 207
Telephone: 617-552-4047
Email: scott.easton@bc.edu
Education
- A.B., Harvard University
- M.S.W., University of Iowa
- Ph.D., University of Iowa
Research Interests
Child sexual abuse (life course outcomes), trauma processing models, masculinity and men's health, Middle East/Palestine
Expertise
- Aging
- Clinical Practice
- Global Practice
- Immigrants and Refugees
- Mental Health
- Stress and Health at the Workplace
- Trauma
In the News
BC Talks Aging: Long-term Effects of Sexual Abuse on Men
Boston College Chronicle: Grant to Aid Study of Long-Term Impact of Sexual Abuse
Profile
Scott D. Easton, PhD, ACSW, LMSW, is associate professor and chair of the health and mental health fields of practice and co-directs the Trauma Integration Initiative. His primary program of research uses a life course perspective to investigate risk and protection factors for mental health outcomes of adults who experienced early life course trauma. He has conducted one of the largest studies to date on male survivors of child sexual abuse, including clergy abuse survivors. As a federally-funded scholar, Dr. Easton has published more than 40 articles in leading academic journals, such as Child Abuse & Neglect, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behaviors, and Journal of Gerontology. He regularly presents at national research conferences and has delivered keynote addresses at McLean Hospital, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Brigham Young University.
Because of his clinical and scholarly expertise, he was appointed by Cardinal Sean O’Malley to the Archdiocese Review Board of the Catholic Church of Boston. He is also an editorial board member of the Journal of Loss and Trauma and Psychology of Men and Masculinity and on the National Task Force on Trauma and Advanced Social Work Practice.
A second area of Dr. Easton’s research focuses on social welfare policy and practice in the Middle East. He is currently leading a research project with a co-investigator from al-Quds University (Jerusalem) on the health of social workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
GLOBAL SPOTLIGHT
- Health and Well-being of Palestinian Social Service Providers (Ministry of Social Development; Ramallah, West Bank).
- Evidence-based Practice with Male Survivors (New Zealand Ministry of Social Development/Carswell Consultancy; Christchurch, New Zealand).
Selected Publications
Easton, S. D. (2019). Childhood disclosure of sexual abuse and mental health outcomes in adulthood: Assessing merits of early disclosure and discussion. Child Abuse & Neglect, 93, 208-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.04.005
Easton, S. D., Roh, S., Kong, J., & Lee, Y. S. (2019). Child sexual abuse and depression among Native Americans in adulthood. Health and Social Work, 44(2), 95-103. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlz005
Easton, S. D., Kong, J., Gregas, M., Shen, C., & Shafer, K. (In press). Child sexual abuse and depressive symptoms in late life for men: A population-based, longitudinal analysis. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbx114
Easton, S. D., & Kong, J. (2017). Mental health indicators fifty years later: A population-based study of men with histories of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 63, 273-283. NIHMS 821451. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.09.011
Kong, J. & Easton, S. D. (In press). Re-experiencing violence across the life course: Links between childhood maltreatment and elder abuse victimization. Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences.
Easton, S. D., Safadi, N. S., Wang, Y., & Hasson, R. G. (2017). The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale: Translation and validation of an Arabic version. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 15(215), 1-7. doi.org/10.1186/s12955-017-0783-9
Easton, S. D., Safadi, N. S., & Hasson, R. G. (2017). "We deal with symptoms rather than causes”: Challenges in formulating anti-poverty policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Journal of Loss and Trauma, 22(8), 631-645.
Crea, T. M., Easton, S. D., Florio, J., & Barth, R. P. (In press). Childhood sexual abuse and externalizing behaviors among adopted children: A longitudinal comparison with other forms of maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect.
Crea, T. M., Easton, S. D., Florio, J.*, & Barth, R. P. (2018). Externalizing behaviors among adopted children: A longitudinal comparison of preadoptive childhood sexual abuse and other forms of maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 82, 192-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.06.008
Easton, S. D., Leone, D., & O’Leary, P. J. (2016). “I will never know the person who I could have become”; Perceived changes in self-identity among adult survivors of clergy-perpetrated sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. doi: 10.1177/0886260516650966
Easton, S. D., Leone, D. M., Sophis, E. J., & Willis, D. G. (2015). “From that moment on my life changed”: Turning points in the healing process for men recovering from childhood sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 24(2), 152-173. doi: 10.1080/10538712.2015.997413
Easton, S. D. (2014). Masculine norms, disclosure, and childhood adversities predict long-term mental distress among men with histories of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38(2), 243-251. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.08.020
Selected Grants
National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Washington, D.C. R03 Small Research Grant (Award Number: R03AG048768). Principal Investigator: $156,500. “Population Analysis of Male Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse at Mid and Late Life" (2014-2016).
Boston College, Office of the Provost, Ignite Grant (P.I.: $30,000). “Health of Male Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse” (2018-2019).
Boston College, Institute on Aging, Aging Research Incentive Grant (P.I.: $75,000). “Men, Mental Health, and Aging; Understanding the Role of Child Sexual Abuse” (2012-2015).
McKinstry Family Fund. Grant (P.I.: $15,000). “Early Life Trauma and Substance Abuse in Adulthood” (2017-2018).
Boston College, Office of the Provost, Research Incentive Grant (P.I.: $15,000). “Understanding Identity Changes among Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse” (2014-2015).
Boston College, Office of the Provost, Research Expenses Grant (P.I.: $4,000). “Public Sector Social Workers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” (2016-2018).