Caroline Mavridis is an Assistant Research Professor of HDFS and Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Culture, Health, and Human Development (CHHD). Her work includes research, evaluations of social intervention programs in Connecticut, supervising graduate and undergraduate research assistants in the CHHD, and training front-line human service workers. Caroline’s research interests are twofold: 1) the role of culture in parenting ideas and practices, and its implications for children’s developmental outcomes; and 2) experiences of stress, self-care, and well-being among caregivers.
Caroline became interested in stress and self-care as a doctoral student working with interview data from expectant and new mothers in the International Baby Study (funded by NIH) with advisors Sara Harkness and Charles Super, developing a mixed-methods analysis that formed the basis of her dissertation. Around the same time, as part of the CHHD, Caroline became involved in collaboration with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood through evaluation research and training for direct service staff, such as home visitors, who serve families with complex needs. Caroline found that these family service staff were an understudied caregiving population, with their own sets of daily contexts and ideas that shaped their self-care, well-being, and job satisfaction. This experience led her to carry out an analysis of staff reflections about their stress and self-care (Mavridis, Super, Harkness, & Liu, 2019), and, more recently, to design and conduct a study of stress and coping among supervisors of home visiting programs as they supported staff through the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic (Mavridis, Gans, & Harkness, 2024, submitted for publication).
The findings of these studies point to the need for more formal support tailored to the unique emotional challenges of frontline family service staff and the people who supervise and support them, and the promise of empowerment-based training for helping these staff to enhance their mindfulness and self-care, set healthier work/family boundaries, and build up their support systems. Caroline is involved at all stages of other CHHD research projects. She has presented at national and international conferences, such as ISSBD, and for the local service provider community through webinars and workshops for the Office of Early Childhood. She continues a long record of work on behalf of the National Family Development Credential ™ (FDC) Program, having co-facilitated training for frontline staff and leaders from Connecticut and nationwide.
Caroline earned her BA in Anthropology at Connecticut College and completed her PhD and postdoctoral training in UConn’s Department of HDFS at the CHHD. When not in research mode, Caroline enjoys time with loved ones, science fiction, and early morning workouts.
Mavridis, C. J., Harkness, S., Super, C. M. & Liu, J. L. (2019). Family workers, stress, and the limits of self-care. Children and Youth Services Review, 103, 236-246.
Mavridis, C., Gans, K. M., & Harkness, S. (2024, submitted for publication). Supervising home visitors at a distance: Challenges and adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic.