Publications & Presentations

Publications

2025	Belonging and reclaiming identity: Understanding the lived experiences of youth adopted from foster care in transracial families Berman, A., Ruderman, M., Ordaz, A. C., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Family closeness and adoption satisfaction: A longitudinal study of families adopting from foster care (In Press) Ruderman, M., Christy, D., Berman, A., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Mental health providers working with foster/adoptive families: Examining the impact of COVID-19, telehealth/hybrid services, and professional quality of life Ruderman, M., Whitman, L. K., Perez, V., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. A mixed-methods study of students of color with foster care experience navigating a syndemic Whitman, K., Ruderman, M., Harvey, B., Tully, B., Berman, A., & Langley, A.
2023	COVID-19 and resource families: An examination of ongoing impact and disparities Ruderman, M., Whitman, L. K., Perez, V., Waterman, J., & Langley, A.
2022	Concurrent Planning: Understanding the Placement Experiences of Resource Families Nadeem, E., Blake, A. J., Waterman, J. M., & Langley, A. K. Mental health engagement among foster and adopted youth: The transition from in-person to telemental health services Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Kussman, M., Waterman, J., Langley, A. Leveraging leadership in child welfare systems: Large-scale trauma-and resilience-informed training initiative Rodriguez, A., Fei, Z., Barrera, W. A., Tsao, E. H., Waterman, J., Franke, T. M., Mogil, C.E., Bonilla, B., Cugley, G.M., Gillams, T., & Langley, A. Resource parents navigating two pandemics: COVID-19 and racial injustice Whitman, L. K., Ruderman, M., Perez, V., Waterman, J., Franke, T., & Langley, A.
2021	Cumulative risk and substance use in adoptees: Moderation by adoptive parent stress Blake, A.J., Waterman, J.M., Kiff, C.J., Guzman, J. and Langley, A. K. Long-term effects of pre-adoptive risk on emotional and behavioral functioning in children adopted from foster care Blake, A. J., Ruderman, M. A., Waterman, J. M., & Langley, A. K. Impact of COVID-19 on resource families: Unique challenges and strengths Langley, A., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Franke, T.
2020	Developmental outcomes of infants adopted from foster care: Predictive associations from perinatal and preplacement risk factors
2018	Substance use in youth adopted from foster care: developmental mechanisms of risk Blake, A. J., Tung, I., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Temperamental sensitivity to early maltreatment and later family cohesion for externalizing behaviors in youth adopted from foster care Tung, I., Noroña, A. N., Lee, S. S., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Adoption-specific therapy: A guide to helping adopted children and their families thrive (Book) Waterman, J., Langley, A. K., Miranda, J., & Riley, D. B.
2017	Preparing and Partnering with Families to Support the Adoption of Children from Foster Care Edelstein, S. B., Gonzalez, A., Langley, A. K., Waterman, J., Paasivirta, M., & Paczkowski, E. Long-term effects of pre-placement risk factors on children's psychological symptoms and parenting stress among families adopting children from foster care Nadeem, E., Waterman, J., Foster, J., Paczkowski, E., Belin, T. R., & Miranda, J.
2014	Parent adjustment over time in gay, lesbian, and heterosexual parent families adopting from foster care Lavner, J. A., Waterman, J. and Peplau, L. A.
2013	Pre-placement risk and longitudinal cognitive development for children adopted from foster care Waterman, J.M., Nadeem, E., Paczkowski, E., Foster, J.C., Lavner, J.A., Belin, T. and Miranda, J.
2012	Can gay and lesbian parents promote healthy development in high-risk children adopted from foster care? Lavner, J.A., Waterman, J., Peplau, L.A.
2011	Care of the foster child: A primer for the pediatrician Wang, C., Edelstein, S.B., Waldinger, L., Lee, C. M., & Bath, E.
2002	Older children in preadoptive homes: issues before termination of parental rights Edelstein, S.B., Burge, D., and Waterman, J.
2001	Helping foster parents cope with separation, loss and grief Edelstein, S.B., Burge, D., and Waterman, J.
1999	Experiences, concerns and service needs of families adopting children with prenatal substance exposure: A summary and recommendations McCarty, C., Waterman, J., Burge, D., and Edelstein, S.B.

Presentations

2025	Strength-based interventions for foster/adoptive families: Implications for research and practice. Presenters: Luis-Sanchez, B., Scheller, J., Brodell, R., Waterman, J., Langley, A., & Ruderman, M. Symposium presented at the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Denver, CO, United States.
2024	The intersection of race and foster care: A call for increased ethnic-racial socialization efforts. Presenters: Ruderman, M., Whitman, K., Saleem, F., Keller, E., & Langley, A. Symposium presented at the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Seattle, WA, United States. An examination of social experiences at school for youth adopted from foster care. Presenters: Berman, A., Ruderman, M., Langley, A., & Waterman, J. Poster presented at the International Conference on Adoption Research (ICAR), Minneapolis, MN. Lessons learned from foster/adoptive families navigating two pandemics: The importance of racial identity and racial socialization. Presenters: Langley, A., Ordaz, A. C., Tsao, E. H., & Waterman, J. Symposium presented at the International Conference on Adoption Research (ICAR), Minneapolis, MN. The experiences of foster youth of color: Interrogating carceral systems toward (re)imagining educational opportunity. Presenters: Ruderman, M., Langley, A., Whitman, K., Harvey, B., & Howard, T. Symposium presented as Presidential Session at 2024 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Convention, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
2023	College-going foster youth navigating two pandemics: A mixed-methods study on campus climate and safety. Presenters: Whitman, K., & Ruderman, M. Symposium presented at 2023 Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) Convention, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
2022	Child welfare and COVID-19: An examination of impact and equity. Presenters: Ruderman, M., Whitman, K., Waterman, J., Langley A., & Bath, E. Symposium accepted to the 2022 American-Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), Toronto, Canada. Telemental health service utilization among foster/adopted youth: An examination of race and gender. Presenters: Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley A. Poster accepted to the 2022 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), Toronto, Canada. Examining the impact of COVID-19 and transition to telehealth on foster/adoptive youth, their families, and the clinicians who support them. Presenters: Langley A.,* Ruderman, M., Whitman, K., Waterman, J., & Bath, E.* Paper presented as a part of a symposium at the 2022 American-Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), Toronto, Canada. The relationship between number of caregivers at home and telemental health engagement. Presenters: Juwadi K., Perez V., Ruderman, M., & Langley A. Poster accepted to the 2022 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention. Minneapolis, MN, United States. Factors related to the recruitment and retention of prospective foster and adoptive parents. Presenters: Milton, N., Ruderman, M., Perez, V., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Paper presented as a part of a symposium at the 2022 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Comparing methods of resource and adoptive parent engagement in youth mental health services. Presenters: Moody, C.T., Ruderman, M., Perez, V., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Paper presented as a part of a symposium at the 2022 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Exploring the impact of pre-adoptive risk factors on client engagement Presenters: Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley A. Accepted as a part of a symposium at the 2022 American Psychological Assosiation (APA) Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Positive and adverse effects of COVID-19 on transracial foster/adoptive families. Presenters: Perez, V., Miranda, M., Sophia, J., Juwadi K., Finch S., Ruderman, M., & Langley A., Poster accepted to the 2022 American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN, United States. Black deaths and protests in 2020: A comparison of same-race and transracial families on conversations about race. Presenters: Juwadi K., Perez V., Ruderman, M., & Langley A. Oral presentation accepted to the 2022 UCLA Undergraduate Research Showcase, Virtual. The impact of COVID-19 on access to remote services for foster and adoptive caregivers: An examination of race and enthicity. Presenters: Miranda M., Perez V., Ruderman M., & Langley A. Poster accepted to the UCLA Undergraduate Research Week, Virtual.
2021	Exploring the impact of racial justice and COVID-19 on foster and adoptive youth and their caregivers. Presenters: Cardenas, L., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Paper presented as a part of a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Virtual. Adoptive parent depression and adoptive children's educational achievement. Presenters: Jeong, A., Perez, V., Guzman, J., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Poster presented as part of a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Virtual. Impact of COVID-19 on Resource Parents: Unique Challenges and Strengths. Presenters: Langley, A., Ruderman, M., Perez, V., Cardenas, L., & Waterman, J. Paper presented as a part of a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Virtual. Comparing the perceptions of youth adopted from foster care and their caregivers on the impact of COVID. Presenters: Nava, S., Finch, S., Jeong, A., Lee, A., Yee, N., Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Langley, A., Addison, P., & Waterman, J. Poster presented as part of a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Virtual. Impact of telehealth on client engagement in mental health services. Presenters: Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Paper presented as a part of a symposium at the American Psychological Association Annual Convention, Virtual. Adoption satisfaction for youth adopted from foster care and their parents in late adolescence/early adulthood: A follow-up study. Presenters: Waterman, J., Perez, V., Ruderman, M. Symposium presented at the International Conference on Adoption Research 7, Virtual. Prospective resource parents’ willingness to adopt LGBTQ+ foster youth and youth with behavioral and/or emotional challenges. Presenters: Lee, A., Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Oral presentation at the 2021 Undergraduate Research Week at UCLA, Virtual. The impact of parental perceptions of telehealth on psychotherapy engagement for youth. Presenters: Nava, S., Perez, V., Ruderman, M., Waterman, J., & Langley, A. Oral presentation at the 2021 Undergraduate Research Week at UCLA, Virtual.
2018	PTSD as a mediator of pre-adoptive risk on adolescence/young-adulthood aggression and arrests. Presenters: Guzman, J., Tung, I., Langley, A., & Waterman, J. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, San Francisco, CA, United States. The comparitive effects of prenatal risk, postnatal risk, and socioeconomic status on executive functioning in foster and adopted youth. Presenters: Brodell, R., Gaines. J. T., Cheng, C. Poster presented at the UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Experiences of concurrent planning and parenting among foster parents wishing to adopt. Presenters: Nadeem, E., Blake, A. J., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Abstract accepted for presentation at the biennial meeting of the World Congress for Infant Mental Health, Rome, Italy. Substance use in youth adopted from foster care: Developmental mechanisms of risk. Presenters: Blake, A.J., Tung, I., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
2017	Gender differences in service utilization among youth adopted from foster care. Presenters: Blake, A.J., Langley, A.K., & Waterman, J.M. Poster presented at the 64^th annual meeting of the American Academy for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Washington, D.C., United States. Linking cumulative risk to friendship outcomes: The mediating role of emotion dysregulation. Presenters: Blake, A. J., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the Charleston Child Trauma Conference, Charleston, SC, United States. Changes in willingness to adopted children with behavior and learning problems after preparatory sessions: The role of demographic differences. Presenters: Moore, T., Blake, A. J., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Conference, Los Angeles, CA, United States. The effects of family environment on academic performance of adopted youth. Presenters: Preston, A. E., Blake, A. J., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Los Angeles, CA, United States. Long-term effects of preadoptive child maltreatment: Does subtype matter? Presenters: Blake, A. J., Langley, A. K., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the Western Psychological Association Convention, Sacramento, CA, United States. Temperamental sensitivity to maltreatment and later family support for externalizing behaviors in children adopted from foster care. Presenters: Tung, I., Noroña, A. N., Lee, S. S., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the 2017 Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Austin, TX, United States.
2016	Trajectories of mental health in children adopted from foster care: Effects of age of placement. Presenters: Blake, A. J. & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Denver, CO, United States. Difficulty in parenting foster-adoptive infants. Presenters: Rouzitalab, S., Vreeland, A., Ganz, D., & Waterman, J. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Denver, CO, United States. Relationship between parental stress and infant cognitive development. Presenters: Vreeland, A., Ganz, D., Rouzitalab, S., & Waterman, J. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention, Denver, CO, United States. Trajectories of mental health in children adopted from foster care: Effects of abuse and neglect. Presenters: Blake, A. J. & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the 13th Rudd-REFCA New Worlds of Foster Care and Adoption Conference, Amherst, MA, United States. Predictive associations between prenatal and postnatal risk factors and developmental and temperamental outcomes among infants in foster care. Presenters: Tung, I., Christian-Brandt, A. S., Langley, A., & Waterman, J. M. Poster presented at the 13th Rudd-REFCA New Worlds of Foster Care and Adoption Conference, Amherst, MA, United States. Long term follow-up of children adopted from foster care in the USA. Presenters: Waterman, J. M., Blake, A. J., & Lavner, J. A. Paper presented at the International Conference on Adoption Research, Auckland, New Zealand.
2015	Emotion regulation in foster youth: The effects of abuse-neglect and placement instability. Presenters: Blake, A.J. & Waterman. J.M. Poster presented at UCLA Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference, Los Angeles, CA, United States.