Valerie Earnshaw

Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences University of Delaware

  • Newark DE

Prof. Earnshaw examines associations between stigma and health inequities.

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Spotlight

1 min

Mindful celebrations: University of Delaware experts on integrating mental wellness into your holiday plans

The holiday season is a whirlwind of joy, lights, and laughter, but sometimes it can also sneak in some added stress. Experts from the University of Delaware are here to remind us that our mental wellness shouldn’t take a backseat during these festive times. By weaving mindfulness into our holiday plans, we can maximize the joy and peace we experience. Prioritizing presence over presents Let's face it: the holiday rush often translates to an avalanche of consumerism. But Amit Kumar, a marketing professor who focuses on the scientific study of happiness, suggests focusing on being present rather than the presents. Carving out mindful time The holidays can stir up complex emotions as families come together. Psychology professors Franssy Zablah and Zachary Meehan offer strategies to support mental well-being this season. Valerie Earnshaw and Raphael Travis, professors who study health and wellbeing, can share guidance for supporting family members with substance use disorders this holiday season. Gifting intentionally this year  Education professors Myae Han and Roberta Golinkoff can talk about gifts for children that promote reading or positive play. Keeping the spirts bright year after year  Debra Hess Norris offers tips on how to preserve decorations and make them look brand new every year. To contact any of these experts, click on their expert profiles or email MediaRelations@udel.edu.

Valerie EarnshawRoberta GolinkoffAmit Kumar

1 min

The harmful impact of stigma on individuals struggling with opioid addiction

People in recovery from opioid use disorder often struggle with decisions to tell others about their past substance use, treatment, and/or recovery. Although disclosures that go well can lead to social support that is helpful for recovery, disclosures that go poorly can lead to stigma that can harm recovery. Valerie Earnshaw, associate professor in the College of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware, specializes in speaking about addiction and stigma and can speak on this phenomenon.  She recently spoke about this topic a the annual Marion H. Steele Symposium at UD.  Earnshaw charted the growth of the opioid crisis in the United States, discussed stigma as a complex social process with the power to affect health outcomes and shared her work on an intervention she designed to help people with the disclosure process. She can be contacted by clicking her "View Profile" button. 

Valerie Earnshaw

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Biography

Valerie Earnshaw in a Professor in the College of Education and Human Development's Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing associations between stigma and health inequities across the lifespan. She aims to contribute to knowledge of the mechanisms whereby stigma undermines health outcomes as well as interventions to reduce stigma and improve the wellbeing of stigmatized populations.

Industry Expertise

Health and Wellness
Mental Health Care

Areas of Expertise

Health Inequities
Health Outcomes
HIV Stigma
AIDS Stigma
Stigmatized Conditions‎

Answers

How does stigma impact individuals struggling with opioid addiction? 
Valerie Earnshaw

People in recovery from opioid use disorder often struggle with decisions to tell others about their past substance use, treatment, and/or recovery. Although disclosures that go well can lead to social support that is helpful for recovery, disclosures that go poorly can lead to stigma that can harm recovery.

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Media Appearances

Sex, Drugs & Science

Podcast  online

Interviewing your favorite sex and drugs scientists about what they study and why. Each week features an interview with a scientist studying topics such as: pornography, opioids, HIV, harm reduction, and other topics. Co-hosted by Valerie Earnshaw and Carly Hill with help from the UD Stigma Lab. Follow @sexdrugsscience on Instagram for updates.

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Coronavirus pandemic: How to help senior citizens

NBC News  online

2020-04-24

"Like all people, seniors are vulnerable to seeing and believing misinformation about COVID-19 on the internet and their social media feeds,” says Valerie Earnshaw, a social psychologist and assistant professor of human development and education at the University of Delaware. “We know that people who believe more misinformation are less likely to follow public health recommendations to protect themselves and others from this virus.”

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Don't Let Fear of Covid-19 Turn into Stigma

Harvard Business Review  online

2020-04-06

Human evolution has wired us to stigmatized sick people. But that’s dangerous. During the current pandemic, shunning Covid-19 survivors will exacerbate mental health issues. It also will contribute to the spread of the disease as mildly ill patients will be reluctant to admit they are sick. We need leaders and celebrities to normalize the disease, corporate leaders to make clear that a company’s diversity values extend to Covid-19 patients, and managers to make sure there is no stigma around being sick at work. Finally, we all need to reach out to make social contact with people who have been sick or have close friends and family who are sick. Pandemics remind us of how connected we all are. Our shared vulnerability to this virus is a source of solidarity.

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Articles

Multilevel Resilience and HIV Virologic Suppression Among African American/Black Adults in the Southeastern United States

Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

2023

Objective
To assess overall and by neighborhood risk environments whether multilevel resilience resources were associated with HIV virologic suppression among African American/Black adults in the Southeastern United States.

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Treatment System Adaptations during War: Lessons from Ukrainian Addiction Treatment Providers

Substance Use & Misuse

2023

Background:
The war in Ukraine has posed significant challenges to the healthcare system. This paper draws upon expert consultations, held between December 2022 and February 2023, focused on HIV/AIDS, addiction, and mental health service delivery during the first year of this war, and following the Global Mental Health Humanitarian Coalition panel discussion in May 2022.

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Impart: findings from a prison‐based model of HIV assisted partner notification in Indonesia

Journal of the International AIDS Society

2023

Introduction
Assisted partner notification (APN) safely and effectively increases partner awareness of HIV exposure, testing and case identification in community settings. Nonetheless, it has not been specifically developed or evaluated for use in prison settings where people with HIV often are diagnosed and may have difficulty contacting or otherwise notifying partners. We developed Impart, a prison‐based APN model, and evaluated its efficacy in Indonesia to increase partner notification and HIV testing.

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Accomplishments

Visiting Senior Lecturer, Centre of Excellence for Research in AIDS (CERiA), Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya

2019

Early-Stage Investigator Lecture, NIH Office of Disease Prevention

2019

Emerging Leader, Psychology and AIDS Distinguished Leadership Award, Committee on Psychology and AIDS, American Psychological Association

2019

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Education

Pennsylvania State University

BA

Psychology

2006

University of Connecticut

MA

Social Psychology

2009

University of Connecticut

PhD

Social Psychology

2011

Affiliations

  • American Psychological Association
  • Association for Psychological Science
  • Social Personality and Health Network
  • Society of Behavioral Medicine
  • Society for Personality and Social Psychology
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Languages

  • English

Event Appearances

Substance use disorder and HIV stigma: Key concepts, findings, and intervention strategies

(2022) HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies at the New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University  Virtual

Reflections on the Patient Journey

(2022) Addiction Policy Forum’s webinar on Understanding the Patient Journey through Treatment and Recovery  Virtual

HIV and Substance Use Stigma

(2022) Mental Health and Disparities Core Speaker Series, Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health, University of Miami  Virtual

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