Victim Researcher Profile

BIO

BIO: Dr. LINDA CHARMARAMAN is a senior research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women, having received her Ph.D. in Human Development and Education from UC Berkeley. As a former National Institute of Health Child Health and Human Development postdoctoral scholar (2006-2008), she conducted community-based research with vulnerable adolescent populations that promote dialogue with practitioners and policymakers. Since then, she has conducted research and/or evaluations of in-school and out-of-school programs related to diversity and bias awareness, teen bullying & sexual harassment, violence prevention, healthy relationships, drop-out prevention, and program quality from CA, GA, IL, MA, MI, PA, and TX. Her methods have included quantitative and qualitative methods, ethnography, program evaluation, community-based participatory action, Photovoice, and content analysis. Her research is conducted with a wide range of communities with low and high levels of social and cultural capital, however she prioritizes working with disadvantaged communities, such as urban students of color, LGBTQ, victims and perpetrators of bullying and sexual harassment, etc. She is Principal Investigator of the Media & Identity Study, which has recruited approximately 5000 online survey participants and 44 follow-up interview participants from 2013-2018. The objectives of this ongoing study are two-fold: 1) to understand how televised media and social media communities can perpetuate negative stereotypes or stigma about vulnerable communities due to race/ethnicity, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, etc. and 2) to track attitudes about racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia in mainstream and social media, including public perceptions of the #MeToo movement and instances of harassment before and after the presidential elections of Obama and Trump. As Project Director of the Youth, Media, and Wellbeing Research Lab, she is principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health grant to follow middle school students and their parents over 3 time points in order to determine longer term health and wellbeing effects due to early smartphone use, social media use, and gaming. This mixed-method study will measure online bullying, sexual harassment, and exposure to negative online content such as pornography, profanity, excessive violence, drug use, and self-harm. A main objective is to understand how parents are equipped to offer guidance in protecting early users of internet gaming and social media sites from online predators and peer perpetrators. Dr. Charmaraman has been funded by NIH, CDC, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Department of Education, William T. Grant Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Planned Parenthood League of MA, Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, Schott Foundation for Public Education, United Way, Borghesani Community Foundation, I Am Strong Foundation, and Aids Action Committee of MA.

VICTIMIZATION FOCUS

Bullying, Computer/Internet Crimes

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Child victims, LGBTQ victims, teen victims

RESEARCH EXPERTISE

Action research, Community-based participatory research, Data collection, Descriptive studies, Ethnography, Needs assessment, Program evaluation, Qualitative studies, Quantitative studies, Quasi-experimental studies, Randomized controlled trial, Training and/or technical assistance

VICTIM RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Action research, Community-based participatory research, Data collection, Descriptive studies, Ethnography, Needs assessment, Program evaluation, Qualitative studies, Quantitative studies, Quasi-experimental studies, Randomized controlled trial, Training and/or technical assistance