Rate My Professor Jodi Berger

Cardoso's research examines the impact of stress and trauma on the mental health of children and caregivers, with a focus on psychological stressors before, during, and after migration affecting Latin American immigrants and refugees. She is a leading scholar on migration-related family separation and its effects on children's mental health, identifying these as chronic relational traumas influencing attachment, behavior, and emotional development. Her work has shaped understanding of deportation risks and immigration enforcement as threats to child well-being. She has secured funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Department of Homeland Security, and Hogg Foundation for projects on unaccompanied minors, Latinx youth mental health, and disaster-affected children. Key publications include 'Threat and Deprivation as Distinct Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress and Depression Symptoms in First and Second Generation Latinx Youth' (2023, Applied Developmental Science), 'Discrimination and PTSD among Latinx Immigrant Youth: The Moderating Effects of Gender' (2022, Psychological Trauma), and 'Psychological Distress and Physical Health Symptoms in the Latinx Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic' (2022, Cognitive Therapy and Research). Awards include Society for Social Work Research Fellow (2020), Phi Alpha Honors Society (2022), and Humanitarian Award for Excellence in Mental Health (2016). She has served twice on the SSWR national board and is a founding member of the Central American Minors Workgroup.