Overview
Ben Goodman is a research scientist at the Center for Child and Family Policy. His research interests focus broadly on the implementation and evaluation of population-based interventions to reduce child maltreatment and improve parent and child health and well-being, including the evidence-based Family Connects postpartum nurse home visiting program. His research also examines how sources of stress and support shape the quality of parent-child relationships, parents’ own well- being, and child development.
Research Interests:- Home Visiting
- Child Maltreatment
- Parenting
- Program Evaluation
- Ph.D. The Pennsylvania State University - 2009
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Research Scientist
Center for Child and Family Policy,
Sanford School of Public Policy
Recent Publications
Promoting Long-Term Parent and Caregiver Mental Health Through Universal Postnatal Nurse Home Visiting: Intervention Effects and Mechanisms of Action.
Journal Article Prev Sci · August 2025 Poor mental health affects millions of parents and caregivers each year. In the absence of intervention, the duration and magnitude of mental health symptoms can have an adverse impact on parent and caregiver well-being, parenting practices, and subsequent ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteUnique Profiles of Postpartum Family Needs and Evidence of Racial and Ethnic Disparities: Insights from Community Implementation of Family Connects.
Journal Article Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · June 2025 ObjectivesTo delineate specific family needs during the postpartum period using data from Family Connects (FC), a universal home-visiting initiative, and to scrutinize potential racial and ethnic disparities in these needs.MethodFC implem ... Full text Open Access CiteBirth Spacing and Child Maltreatment: Population-Level Estimates for North Carolina.
Journal Article Child maltreatment · November 2024 We examine population-level associations between birth spacing and child maltreatment using birth records and child welfare records for 1,099,230 second or higher parity children born in North Carolina between 1997 and 2013. Building upon previous research ... Full text Open Access CiteRecent Grants
Exploring Multilevel Factors Predicting Participation in Family Connects in North Carolina and South Carolina
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Duke Endowment · 2025 - 2026Community Prevention of Child Maltreatment
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 2023 - 2026Routes to Ready (RR) Initiative
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Duke Endowment · 2024 - 2025View All Grants