About

Sara Jaffee is a developmental psychopathologist and professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on the development of antisocial behavior and gene-environment interplay, particularly in at-risk families and children. She is interested in how stressful environments exacerbate biobehavioral vulnerabilities affecting children's development. Additionally, she studies whether policies targeting structural determinants of health promote positive outcomes for children and families. Her work combines longitudinal, epidemiological methods with experimental and quasi-experimental designs to better understand how risk and protective factors operate in children’s development.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Medicine
• Psychiatry

Selected publications

• Hospitalizations and Emergency Department Visits in PHLHousing+

  Open Science Framework · 2026-01-01

  otherOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This research takes the form of a randomized control trial (RCT) wherein study participants are randomly selected from Philadelphia Housing Authority's waitlist into a Voucher group (households who were offered vouchers, which are paid to their landlords); Cash group (households who were offered cash paid through pre-paid debit cards), or Control Group (a sample of households remaining on the waitlist). Inclusion criteria included that the households were low-income at baseline and had consented to sharing electronic health records. This study aims to determine the effect of rental assistance on rates of emergency department visits and rates of hospitalizations.

  PublisherDOI

• Social mobility and parenting: Testing associations in a prospective longitudinal cohort study

  Child Development · 2026-02-20

  articleOpen access

  This study tested whether parents' social mobility is associated with parent-child interactions. Data came from 719 Dunedin Parenting Study members (mean age: 32.7; 52.3% female, 90.2% New Zealand European ethnicity) who have been followed from birth to midlife and participated in parenting assessments with their 3-year-old children (50% female). Upwardly mobile parents provided more sensitive parenting and cognitively stimulating environments than parents from stable-low socioeconomic backgrounds, but less sensitive parenting and cognitively stimulating environments than parents from stable-high socioeconomic backgrounds. These results were not fully explained by pre-existing differences between parents in experienced parenting and childhood characteristics. Our findings underscore the importance of supporting families with fewer socioeconomic resources through a life-course and intergenerational approach to caregiving environments.

  PublisherDOI

• Investigating Social Support and Expectations for the Future across Sexual Minority and Straight Youth

  ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) · 2025-04-11

  otherSenior author

  Youth with more positive expectations for their futures (PFE) tend to report better mental health and increased wellbeing. Previous research shows that experiencing support from one's family, and to a lesser extent, one's peers, is associated with more PFE. Little to no research has investigated this relationship in LGBTQ+ youth, though they experience a unique sociocultural context that makes generalizing previous findings complicated. We addressed this gap in the research by conducting a secondary data analysis of Waves I-II (1994-96) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 20,747 U.S. adolescents in grades 7-12). In particular, we investigated whether associations between two kinds of peer support (peer social activity and perceiving friends as caring) and future expectations were the same or different for sexual minority (LGB) and non-LGB youth, and if peer support mattered more at different levels of family support. Regression modelling found that, with the exception of expectations to obtain middle-class family income by age 30, LGB identity did not moderate relationships between peer support and PFE (qs>.05). Across all youth, perceiving friends as caring mattered more for PFE than greater peer social activity (qs<.001). We also found no evidence of significant interactions between peer and family support (qs>.05). Results suggest that peer support predictors of PFE largely do not differ by LGB status or family support level in this sample. Future work to test these relationships in a contemporary, sexual and gender minority specific cohort is necessary.

  Publisher

• Positive and negative parenting practices and offspring disruptive behavior: A meta-analytic review of quasi-experimental evidence.

  Psychological Bulletin · 2025-11-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) are common in childhood and adolescence, with global estimates of 5.7%. While parenting practices are associated with DBDs, it is not clear whether these associations reflect causal effects or confounding. To strengthen causal inference, we meta-analyzed quasi-experimental evidence on the relationship between parenting practices and DBD symptoms. We conducted multilevel random-effects meta-analyses to pool results and assess evidence of heterogeneity and moderator analyses to further investigate potential sources of heterogeneity. We identified 45 studies that used data from 28 distinct cohorts (n = 38,591) and implemented seven different quasi-experimental methods. There was evidence of a causal effect of negative parenting practices on offspring DBD symptoms (Pearson's r = 0.13; 95% confidence interval, CI [0.09, 0.16]; 95% prediction interval, PI [-0.08, 0.35]; n = 30,677), but no effect of positive parenting practices (r = -0.06; 95% CI [-0.14, 0.02]; 95% PI [-0.39, 0.28]; n = 21,100). Moderator analyses indicated that the effect of negative parenting was consistent across offspring characteristics and maternal and paternal parenting but varied by type of quasi-experimental method, informant for the exposure and outcome, and study quality. The present study thus provides evidence of a small, harmful, causal effect of negative parenting practices on offspring DBDs. Effectively targeting such parenting practices could reduce the substantial societal burden of DBDs, with a potential 4% decrease in the global prevalence of DBD symptoms. This is equivalent to approximately 4.5 million school-aged children no longer meeting clinical thresholds for DBDs, which may reduce pressure on the criminal justice, health care, and social welfare sectors. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Unpacking Stress: The Association Between Housing Assistance and Mental Health

  Scholarly Commons (University of Pennsylvania) · 2025-01-01

  otherOpen accessSenior author

  This study examines whether housing assistance moderates the link between residential mobility and maternal mental health. Using data from the Philadelphia PHL Housing+ project (n = 1,196), which provided either cash or housing vouchers to low-income families, a linear regression tested the interaction between number of residential moves in the past two years and type of assistance on mothers’ psychological distress (Kessler K10 Scale). Results show that more moves are significantly associated with higher distress, but assistance type (cash, voucher, or control) does not alter this relationship. Findings suggest that financial support alone may not buffer the mental-health costs of frequent moves, underscoring the need for qualitative research on non-monetary factors influencing relocation decisions.

  Publisher

• The Legacy of the Determinants of Parenting Process Model

  Cambridge University Press eBooks · 2025-08-31

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• PHLHousing+: Effect of Cash-Based Rental Assistance on Households’ Financial Stability

  Scholarly Commons (University of Pennsylvania) · 2025-01-01

  otherOpen access

  PHLHousing+ is a randomized controlled trial testing how direct cash assistance affects financial stability among 300 households from the Philadelphia Housing Authority Voucher Waitlist. Households receiving either monthly cash payments (N = 301), housing vouchers (N =169), or no assistance (N = 711) were studied over a three year period. Using survey data from 2022–2025, logistic regression results show that both cash and voucher recipients were more likely to report financial stability (cash: OR = 1.52, p < 0.05; voucher: OR = 1.68, p < 0.05) and less likely to have paid rent late (cash: OR = 0.57, p < 0.01; voucher: OR = 0.40, p < 0.001) compared to controls. Interviews highlight that predictable housing costs enabled participants to pay debts, build savings, and plan for their families, though benefits varied by circumstance. Both forms of assistance reduced short-term financial stress and fostered stability, creating potential for longer-term and intergenerational benefits if support is sustained.

  Publisher

• Evaluating Rental Assistance Programs and Parent-Child Dynamics: To What Extent Does Rental Assistance Impact Parent-Child Relationships?

  ScholarlyCommons (University of Pennsylvania) · 2025-01-01

  otherOpen accessSenior author

  Housing cost burden is defined as spending over 30% of household income on rent. In the United States, only one in four eligible households receives rental assistance. To address this gap, PHLHousing+ is a direct rental assistance pilot program in Philadelphia that was launched in 2022 and provides unconditional cash payments to 300 families through June 2026. This poster aims to evaluate the extent to which rental assistance, in the form of cash and vouchers, impacts child-related expenses, activities, and parenting styles. Using biannual survey data, three outcomes were analyzed: (1) whether parents cut back on child-related expenses (education, food, clothing), (2) the average response of parent engagement in fifteen child activities, and (3) parenting style using two dimensions of the Parenting Behaviors and Dimensions Questionnaire (PBDQ): emotional warmth and punitive discipline. Responses at two years were regressed on baseline (or 6-month) values to compare the treatment groups (cash and voucher) to a control group over time while controlling for baseline differences. No statistically significant differences were observed across the groups for activities and parenting styles. However, a statistically significant reduction in cutting back on child-related expenses was observed for the voucher group (p=0.031), while the cash group did not. These findings suggest that rental assistance, particularly in the form of vouchers, may help reduce financial strain on families, allowing them to spend more on their children. However, improving parent engagement in child activities and parenting styles may require additional support beyond financial assistance. These results align with findings from the Baby’s First Years study, which also found limited effects of cash transfers on parent–child relationships.

  Publisher

• Annual Research Review: Cash transfer programs and young people's mental health – a review of studies in the United States

  Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · 2024-12-21 · 6 citations

  reviewOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Worldwide, more than one in 10 children or adolescents is diagnosed with a mental disorder. Cash transfer programs, which aim to reduce poverty and improve life outcomes by providing direct cash assistance to families and incentivizing or enabling spending on education, health service use, dietary diversity and savings, have been shown to improve the mental health and well-being of young people in low- and middle-income countries. The goal of this review is to describe cash transfer programs in the United States, to describe potential mechanisms by which cash transfer programs could improve child and adolescent mental health and to summarize any evidence of the impact of cash transfer programs. We conclude that much of the evidence on the relationship between cash transfer programs and child and adolescent mental health in the United States is based on a relatively small set of studies. Although most of these studies find that cash transfer programs are associated with reductions in emotional or behavioural health problems, effect sizes are small. For potential mechanisms of cash transfer effects, the strongest evidence is that cash transfer programs increase child-related expenditures and savings and increase time spent with children. Evidence is mixed on whether cash transfer programs improve maternal mental health, parental disciplinary practices or children's exposure to violence.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence for the Association Between Adverse Childhood Family Environment, Child Abuse, and Caregiver Warmth and Cardiovascular Health Across the Lifespan: The Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) Study

  Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes · 2024-01-23 · 14 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: This study aimed to quantify the association between childhood family environment and longitudinal cardiovascular health (CVH) in adult CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) Study participants. We further investigated whether the association differs by adult income. METHODS: We applied the CVH framework from the American Heart Association including metrics for smoking, cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose, body mass index, physical activity, and diet. CVH scores (range, 0-14) were calculated at years 0, 7, and 20 of the study. Risky Family environment (range, 7-28) was assessed at year 15 retrospectively, for childhood experiences of abuse, caregiver warmth, and family or household challenges. Complete case ordinal logistic regression and mixed models associated risky family (exposure) with CVH (outcome), adjusting for age, sex, race, and alcohol use. RESULTS: The sample (n=2074) had a mean age of 25.3 (±3.5) years and 56% females at baseline. The median risky family was 10 with ideal CVH (≥12) met by 288 individuals at baseline (28.4%) and 165 (16.3%) at year 20. Longitudinally, for every 1-unit greater risky family, the odds of attaining high CVH (≥10) decreased by 3.6% (OR, 0.9645 [95% CI, 0.94-0.98]). Each unit greater child abuse and caregiver warmth score corresponded to 12.8% lower and 11.7% higher odds of ideal CVH (≥10), respectively (OR, 0.872 [95% CI, 0.77-0.99]; OR, 1.1165 [95% CI, 1.01-1.24]), across all 20 years of follow-up. Stratified analyses by income in adulthood demonstrated associations between risky family environment and CVH remained significant for those of the highest adult income (>$74k), but not the lowest (<$35k). CONCLUSIONS: Although risky family environmental factors in childhood increase the odds of poor longitudinal adult CVH, caregiver warmth may increase the odds of CVH, and socioeconomic attainment in adulthood may contextualize the level of risk. Toward a paradigm of primordial prevention of cardiovascular disease, childhood exposures and economic opportunity may play a crucial role in CVH across the life course.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R01HD050691

  NIH · $230k · 2008

Frequent coauthors

• Terrie E. Moffitt

  Center for Genomic Science

  52 shared

• Avshalom Caspi

  University of Oslo

  42 shared

• Thomas S. Price

  32 shared

• Louise Arseneault

  University of the West of England

  28 shared

• Steven J. Holochwost

  City University of New York

  27 shared

• Vanessa V. Volpe

  North Carolina State University

  26 shared

• Cathi B. Propper

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  26 shared

• W. Roger Mills‐Koonce

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  26 shared

Labs

• Sara Jaffee LabPI

Education

• PhD, Psychology

  University of Wisconsin, Madison

  2001

• BA

  Oberlin College

  1994