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Darcy Mitchell

Associate Professor
School of Business & Social Sciences
darcy.b.mitchell@colby-sawyer.edu
603.526.3743

Professor Mitchell joined the faculty in 2010. She holds a doctorate in applied developmental psychology and a master’s degree in early childhood education from Boston College’s Lynch School of Education. She earned a bachelor of science degree in mathematics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Prior to coming to Colby-Sawyer, Professor Mitchell was project manager on a longitudinal research study investigating the needs of children with disabilities and their families at Boston College. She also taught a number of courses in education and psychology at Boston College's Lynch School of Education and was adjunct faculty in the Graduate School of Education of the University of Massachusetts in Lowell.

Professor Mitchell's research interests cover a range child and family topics, including children with special needs, families in poverty, family cohesion and parental stress, as well as bringing the knowledge and resources of the college to help meet community needs. read more…

Areas of Expertise

  • Child and Human Development
  • Diverse Families
  • Education
  • Psychology

Recent Publications

  • Mitchell, D. B., Szczerepa, A., & Hauser-Cram, P. (2016). Spilling over: Partner parenting stress as a predictor of family cohesion in families of adolescents with developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 49-50, 258-267.
  • Mitchell, D. B., Hauser‐Cram, P., & Crossman, M. K. (2015). Relationship dimensions of the ‘Down syndrome advantage’. Journal Of Intellectual Disability Research, 59(6), 506-528. doi:10.1111/jir.12153
  • Hauser-Cram, P. & Mitchell, D. B. (2012). Early childhood education. In K.R. Harris, S. Graham, and T. Urdan (Eds.-in-Chief, APA educational psychology handbook, vol. 3: Application to learning and teaching, (pp. 3-22). American Psychological Association.
  • Mitchell, D. B., & Hauser-Cram, P. (2010). Early childhood predictors of mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with adolescents with developmental disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(6), 487-500.
  • Mitchell, D. B., & Hauser-Cram, P. (2009). Early predictors of behavior problems: Two years after Early Intervention. Journal of Early Intervention, 32(1), 3-16.
  • Mitchell, D. B.. & Hauser-Cram, P. (2008). The well-being of mothers of adolescents with developmental disabilities in relation to medical care utilization and satisfaction with health care. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 29, 97-112.

Recent Presentations

  • Mitchell, D. B. (2016). Family cohesion as a predictor of maternal well-being in families of adolescents with developmental disabilities. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence Conference, Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Mitchell, D. B. (2014). The role of parenting stress in the social lives of children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. Poster presented at the 2014 SRCD Special Topic Meeting: New Conceptualizations in the Study of Parenting-At-Risk, San Diego, California.
  • Mitchell, D. B., & Murphy, K. (2014). Longitudinal predictors of the quality of life of adolescents with developmental disability: The importance of parents. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Adolescence Conference, Austin, Texas.
  • Mitchell, D. B. (2013). Quality of medical care as a predictor of loneliness in adolescents with developmental disabilities. Poster presented at the Society for Research on Child Development Conference, Seattle, Washington.
  • Mitchell, D.B. (2013). Early family cohesion as a predictor of quality of life and self-determination in adolescents with disabilities. Poster presented at the Gatlinbug Conference, San Antonio, Texas.
  • Mitchell, D. B., & Hauser-Cram, P. (2012). Partner stress as a contributor to family cohesion in parents of adolescents with disabilities. Poster presented at the Gatlinburg Conference, Annapolis, Maryland.
  • Mitchell, D. B., Crossman, M. K., Rosenfeld, A., Comstock,M., & Hauser-Cram, P. (2011). Mother-child interactions and maternal acceptance: The Down syndrome advantage. Poster presented at the SRCD Conference, Montreal, Quebec.
  • Mitchell, D. B., & Hauser-Cram, P. (2010). Early family environment and the social competence of adolescent children with disabilities. Poster presented at the ECIDD Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

Education

  • Ph.D., Developmental Psychology, Lynch School of Education, Boston College
  • M.A., Early Childhood, Lynch School of Education, Boston College
  • B.S., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute