Melissa Wells

Melissa Wells, Ph.D., LICSW, is interested in understanding adolescent victimization, both within family systems and over the Internet. Her current research projects examine outcomes for youth aging out of foster care and child welfare agency efforts to engage parents. Additionally, she and Kimberly Mitchell at the UNH Crimes Against Children Research Center collaborate on research related to online victimization of high risk youth. She serves as the program evaluator for the UNH/DCYF Child Welfare Training Project and is the Evaluation Coordinator for the Department of Social Work.
Courses Taught
- INCO 590: Rsrch Exp/Social Work
- SW 962: Data Analysis and Statistics
- SW 965: Program & Practice Evaluation
- SW 983: Field Internship IV
Selected Publications
Morton, C. M., Wells, M., & Cox, T. (2019). The Implicit Curriculum: Student Engagement and the Role of Social Media. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION, 55(1), 153-159. doi:10.1080/10437797.2018.1508393
Wells, M., Mitchell, K. J., Jones, L. M., & Turner, H. A. (2019). Peer Harassment among Youths with Different Disabilities: Impact of Harassment Online, in Person, and in Mixed Online and In-Person Incidents. CHILDREN & SCHOOLS, 41(1), 17-24. doi:10.1093/cs/cdy025
Sage, M., Wells, M., Sage, T., & Devlin, M. (2017). Supervisor and policy roles in social media use as a new technology in child welfare. CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW, 78, 1-8. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.04.018
Morton, C., & Wells, M. (2017). Behavioral and Substance Use Outcomes for Older Youth Living With a Parental Opioid Misuse: A Literature Review to Inform Child Welfare Practice and Policy. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE, 11(4-5), 546-567. doi:10.1080/15548732.2017.1355866
Wells, M., Bartlett, L., Tappan, C., & Levesque, S. (2015). Child Welfare Agency Climate: Congruence with Practice Model Beliefs. JOURNAL OF PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE, 9(3), 236-255. doi:10.1080/15548732.2015.1043422
Mitchell, K. J., Wells, M., Priebe, G., & Ybarra, M. L. (2014). Exposure to websites that encourage self-harm and suicide: Prevalence rates and association with actual thoughts of self-harm and thoughts of suicide in the United States. JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENCE, 37(8), 1335-1344. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2014.09.011
Wells, M., & Mitchell, K. J. (2014). Patterns of Internet Use and Risk of Online Victimization for Youth With and Without Disabilities. JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION, 48(3), 204-213. doi:10.1177/0022466913479141
Wells, M., & Mitchell, K. J. (2008). How do high-risk youth use the internet? Characteristics and implications for prevention. CHILD MALTREATMENT, 13(3), 227-234. doi:10.1177/1077559507312962
Mitchell, K. J., & Wells, M. (2007). Problematic Internet experiences: Primary or secondary presenting problems in persons seeking mental health care?. SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE, 65(6), 1136-1141. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2007.05.015
Wells, M., Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., & Becker-Blease, K. A. (2007). Online mental health treatment: Concerns and considerations. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY & BEHAVIOR, 10(3), 453-459. doi:10.1089/cpb.2006.9933
Most Cited Publications