CSWS Annual Review

“The First National Conference to End Sexual Harassment against Farmworker Women," poster displayed on wall at the headquarters of PCUN, Oregon’s farmworker union, in Woodburn, Oregon.

Feeling Disposable: Exploring the Emotional Structure of Precarious Migrant Labor

by Lola Loustaunau, PhD candidate, Department of Sociology

“One time I hurt my back, because the work there is really heavy, and I remember she [the human resource director] made me cry, gave a warning and wouldn’t let me go to the doctor, and I felt so bad,” said Mercedes, a bakery worker, while seated on her couch. It’s an icy winter morning and we have been talking for a while. Although I had asked about work injuries the answer that Mercedes gave me went beyond stating that she had, in fact, injured her back while working. 

TAG (Transitions in Adolescent Girls) research team members include, top l-r: Ben Nelson, Dr. Jenn Pfeifer, Dr. Nandi Vijayakumar, Lauren Hval, Bernie Brady, Theresa Cheng, and bottom l-r: Dr. Nick Allen, Sam Chavez, Dr. Michelle Byrne, Sarah Donaldson, Izzy the dog, and Dr. Kate Mills / photo by Dr. Jim Prell.

Abuse, Mental Illness, and Girls’ Immune Health

by Michelle Byrne, Assistant Research Professor, Department of Psychology

What does mental illness have to do with adolescent girls’ immune health? How can we better understand the development of girls who experience abuse? Are there health disparities for girls, especially girls that experience childhood adversity and depression? Our project asked these questions in order to fully explore how girls’ physical and mental health may be linked.