Carolyn O’Connor

Honours BA Child & Youth Studies – Brock University
MSW – University of Toronto

Supervisor: Prof. Ramona Alaggia

Email: carolyn.oconnor@mail.utoronto.ca

Carolyn O’Connor, MSW, RSW, is a fifth-year doctoral candidate and course instructor at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work. She also works as a clinical social worker in private practice. She is currently involved in a multi-site research evaluation of a gender-based violence and dating violence prevention program supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada. Carolyn also works as a research assistant for a project examining the nature and impact of the #MeToo movement on collective and micro-level sexual violence disclosures. In addition, she is involved in a mixed-methods study of the child welfare policies and practices that occur when children are exposed to intimate partner violence. Her research interests include the prevention of sexual violence and understanding complex sexual consent issues, particularly among adolescents.

Peer-Reviewed Publications:

Alaggia, R., O’Connor, C., West, K., & Fuller-Thomson, E. (accepted). Troubled times: Canadian social workers’ early adversities, mental health and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Social Work.

O’Connor, C., & Begun, S. (2022). Understanding sexual consent among adolescents: Protocol for a scoping review. Social Science Protocols, 5(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.7565/ssp.v5.6738

Zhao, K., Lenz, T., & O’Connor, C., & Fang, L. (2022). Conceptualizing anti-Asian racism in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic: A call for action to social workers. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 31(3-5), 302-312. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2022.2070892

Begun, S., Barman-Adhikari, A., O’Connor, C., & Rice, E. (2020). Social support and pregnancy attitudes among youth experiencing homelessness. Children and Youth Services Review, 113, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104959

King, B., Fallon, B., Goulden, A., O’Connor, C., & Filippelli, J. (2019). What constitutes risk for young mothers? An examination of child protection investigations involving adolescent and transition-age mothers. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 100(4), 409-421. https://doi.org/10.1177/1044389419847319

King, B., Fallon, B., Black, T., Filippelli, J., & O’Connor, C. (2018). Troubled teens and challenged caregivers: Characteristics associated with the decision to provide child welfare services to adolescents in Ontario, Canada. Children and Youth Services Review, 87, 205-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.02.037

King, B., Fallon, B. A., Boyd, R. K., Black, T., Antwi-Boasiako, K., & O’Connor, C. (2017). Factors associated with racial differences in child welfare investigative decision-making in Ontario, Canada. Child Abuse & Neglect, 73, 89-105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.09.027

Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations:

Alaggia, R., McCallum, L., O’Connor, C., Pascoe, R., Brown, S., Rastin, A., & Singh, D. (2022). Evaluating the PEP Talk Program for gender-based violence prevention in early adolescence. Poster presented at the 27th Annual San Diego International Summit for the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma. San Diego, CA.

O’Kane, M., O’Connor, C., Beltrano, N., Thomson-Sweeny, J., & Seymour, A. (2022). On being a doctoral social work student today: What can the CSWDSN offer? [Panel]. 1st annual Canadian Social Work Doctoral Student Network (CSWDSN) Conference. Vancouver, BC.

O’Connor, C. (2022). Exploring dominant discourses of gender-based violence. Paper presented at the 1st annual Canadian Social Work Doctoral Student Network (CSWDSN) Conference. Vancouver, BC.

Zhao, K., Lenz, T., & O’Connor, C. (2021). Conceptualizing Chinese international students’ sense of belonging in Canadian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paper presented at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education/Association Canadienne pour la Formation en Travail Social (CASWE-ACFTS) Annual Conference, Online.

O’Connor, C., Pascoe, R., Alaggia, R., Chang, D., McCallum, L., & Rastin, A. (2021). Examining the relationship between dating skills and psychosocial strengths among early adolescent boys. Poster presented at the 26th Annual Summit for the Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, Online.

O’Connor, C., Pascoe, R., Alaggia, R., Chang, D., McCallum, L., & Rastin, A. (2021). Exploring the relationship between dating attitudes and resilience: An analysis of survey data from middle school boys. Poster presented at the 25th Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, Online.

Nixon, K., Alaggia, R., & O’Connor, C. (2019). Child protection responses to cases of intimate partner violence: Preliminary findings from interviews with supervisors and managers. Paper presented at the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre (MMFC) Conference. Fredericton, NB.

King, B., Fallon, B., & O’Connor, C. (2019). What constitutes risk among young mothers? Examining the determination that very young children are at risk for future maltreatment during a child protection investigation. Paper presented at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). San Francisco, CA.

King, B., Fallon, B., Black, T., Filippelli, J., & O’Connor, C. (2018). Troubled teens and challenged caregivers: Characteristics associated with the decision to provide child welfare services to adolescents in Ontario, Canada. Paper presented at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). Washington, DC.

Fallon, B., Black, T., Filippelli, J., & O’Connor, C. (2018). Discharge Rates by Ethno-Racial Categories – Peel CAS. Poster presented at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR). Washington, DC.

Research Grants/Awards:

Ontario Graduate Scholarship – 2022-2023 ($15,000)

Neysmith Feminist Social Policy Scholarship – 2022 ($1,375)

University of Toronto Fellowship Award – 2022 ($1,000)

Ontario Graduate Scholarship – 2021-2022 ($15,000)

Ontario Graduate Scholarship – 2020-2021 ($15,000)

Neysmith Feminist Social Policy Scholarship – 2020 ($2,020)

Ontario Graduate Scholarship – 2019-2020 ($15,000)

Insight Grant, Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council – Collaborator, 2019 ($92,979)

Royal Bank of Canada Graduate Fellowship in Applied Social Work Research – 2018 ($10,000)

Carpenters and Allied Workers Local 27 Scholarship – 2018 ($1,925)

Phi Alpha Honour Society for Social Work, Chi Delta Chapter at the University of Toronto – 2017

University of Toronto Fellowship Award – 2015 ($1,000)