Featured Scholar: Matthew Aalsma, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Health Care Access and Utilization by Youth in Juvenile Justice
Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are known to have significant medical and mental health difficulties. Matt Aalsma is concerned about the large number of youth in the juvenile justice system who are minorities and are impoverished. Dr. Aalsma is researching ways to link these youth to the medical and mental health care they need for successful reentry into community life. To help youth get connected to needed services, a medical and mental health care screening program is being tested at the Indianapolis Juvenile Detention Center. This project is funded through a federal grant from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Successful practices developed here in Indiana can have a positive impact on youth in juvenile justice systems across the country. Professor Aalsma’s research seeks to improve the lives of youth in the juvenile justice system as well as their chances for successful transition to community life.
Dr. Aalsma’s project exploring how to link youth in the juvenile justice system to needed medical and mental health care is another example of how IU Indianapolis's faculty members are TRANSLATING their RESEARCH INTO PRACTICE.
Selected Publications in IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks
With several research works contributed to IU Indianapolis's free, open access repository, Dr. Aalsma has made translational research knowledge available to professionals, researchers, students, and communities around the world.
Hershberger, A., Zapolski, T., & Aalsma, M. C. (2016). Social support as a buffer between discrimination and cigarette use in juvenile offenders. Addictive Behaviors, 59, 7–11. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11592
Aalsma, M. C., Lau, K. S. L., Perkins, A. J., Schwartz, K., Tu, W., Wiehe, S. E., … Rosenman, M. B. (2016). Mortality of Youth Offenders Along a Continuum of Justice System Involvement. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50(3), 303–310. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11040
Haley Kolp, Alexandra Hershberger, M.S., Matthew Aalsma, PhD., and Melissa A. Cyders, PhD. 2016, April 8. Attitudes Towards Substance Use: A Potential Mechanism in the Relationship Between Conduct Disorder and Substance Use in Detained Youth. Poster session presented at IU Indianapolis Research Day 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10172
Taylor, J. L., Aalsma, M. C., Gilbert, A. L., Hensel, D. J., & Rickert, V. I. (2016). Perspectives of family medicine physicians on the importance of adolescent preventive care: a multivariate analysis. BMC Family Practice, 17, 4. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/9855
Aalsma, M. C., Lau, K. S. L., Perkins, A. J., Schwartz, K., Tu, W., Wiehe, S. E., … Rosenman, M. B. (2016). Mortality of Youth Offenders Along a Continuum of Justice System Involvement. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 50(3), 303–310. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11040
Haley Kolp, Alexandra Hershberger, M.S., Matthew Aalsma, PhD., and Melissa A. Cyders, PhD. 2016, April 8. Attitudes Towards Substance Use: A Potential Mechanism in the Relationship Between Conduct Disorder and Substance Use in Detained Youth. Poster session presented at IU Indianapolis Research Day 2016, Indianapolis, Indiana. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/10172
Wiehe, S. E., Rosenman, M. B., Aalsma, M. C., Scanlon, M. L., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2015). Epidemiology of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Offenders Following Arrest or Incarceration. American Journal of Public Health, 105(12), e26–e32. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11650
White, L. M., Aalsma, M. C., Holloway, E. D., Adams, E. L., & Salyers, M. P. (2015). Job-related burnout among juvenile probation officers: Implications for mental health stigma and competency. Psychological Services, 12(3), 291–302. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11048
Wiehe, S. E., Barai, N., Rosenman, M. B., Aalsma, M. C., Scanlon, M. L., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2015). Test positivity for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infection among a cohort of individuals released from jail in Marion County, Indiana. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 42(1), 30–36. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/9772
Salyers, M. P., Hood, B. J., Schwartz, K., Alexander, A. O., & Aalsma, M. C. (2015). The Experience, Impact, and Management of Professional Burnout Among Probation Officers in Juvenile Justice Settings. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, 54(3), 175-193. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/6640
Aalsma, M. C., Schwartz, K., & Perkins, A. J. (2014). A statewide collaboration to initiate mental health screening and assess services for detained youths in Indiana. American Journal of Public Health, 104(10), e82-88. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/11701
Aalsma, M. C., Woodrome, S. E., Downs, S. M., Hensel, D., Zimet, G. D., Orr, D. P., & Fortenberry, J. D. (2013). Developmental Trajectories of Religiosity, Sexual Conservatism and Sexual Behavior among Female Adolescents. Journal of Adolescence, 36(6), 1193–1204. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/8407
White, LM, Aalsma, MC. (2013, April 5). Mental Health Screenings in Juvenile Detention Centers: Predictors of Mental Health Service Utilization and Recidivism. Poster session presented at IU Indianapolis Research Day 2013, Indianapolis, Indiana. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/5472
Oruche UM, Downs S, Holloway E, Draucker C, Aalsma M. Barriers and facilitators to treatment participation by adolescents in a community mental health clinic. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs. 2013 May 17. https://hdl.handle.net/1805/3597