Esther Son, MSW, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work. Her primary research interest is the enhancement of the physical and mental health and emotional well-being of children and young adults with disabilities and their families. She has been investigating the health care disparities among people with disabilities, in particular, disparities in health care access, service utilization, and quality of care among minority children with autism and developmental disabilities and women with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and violence against people with disabilities. Her work has been supported by the Deborah Munroe Noonan Memorial Research Fund, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), US Department of Health & Human Services, and the City University of New York among others. She received her Ph.D. in social work from Rutgers University and completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. Her work has appeared in Children and Youth Services Review, Exceptional Children, American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Disability and Health Journal, Families in Society-the Journal of Contemporary Social Services, Journal of Community Practice, and Public Health Reports.
Degrees
PhD, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Social Work, New Brunswick, New Jersey
MA, Major in Social Welfare, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
BA, Major in Social Work, Seoul Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University
- Son. E. & Alford. S. (2024). Piloting a community-based, culturally adapted health promotion program for children with ASD and developmental disabilities in first-generation Korean immigrant families. Health & Social Work, hlae008, https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/hlae008
- Seon, J., Son, E., Cho, H., Lee, O. J., Hong, S., & Yoon. Y. (2023). Racial/ethnic disparities in adverse childhood experiences and childhood neighborhood cohesion and safety. Child Welfare, 101(4), 131-151. https://www.cwla.org/child-welfare-journal/journal-archives/
- An, S., Choi, G., Yun, S. H., Choi, Y. J., Son, E., Cho, H., Gharbi, V., & Hong, S. (2023, Online version). Intimate partner violence among Hispanic/Latinx and White college students. Violence and Victims. https://10.1891/VV-2022-0044
- Cho, H., Seon, J., Lee, O. J., Son, E., Yun, S. H, & Kwon, I. (2022, Online version). Gender differences in cumulative abuse, bystander intervention, and long-term effects on health and intimate partner violence. Child Abuse Review. 1-14.
- Son, E., Lee, H., Cho, H., Choi, Y. J., & Seon, J. (2022, Online version). The effects of disability status and perceived neighborhood cohesion and safety on adverse childhood experiences among college students. Health & Social Care in the Community. 30(5), e2179-e2190.
- Seon, J., Cho, H., Choi, G., Son, E., Allen, J., Nelson, A. & Illan, Kwon (2022). Adverse childhood experiences, intimate partner violence victimization, and survivors’ self-perceived health and depression. Journal of Family Violence, 37(4), 691-706.
- Cho, H., Son, E., Seon, J., Yun, S., Choi, G., & Lee, O. J., (2021). Child maltreatment, peer victimization, bystander intervention outcomes, and survivors’ long-term health. Child Welfare. 99(5).
- Yeo, H., Choi, Y. J., Son, E., Cho, H., Yun, S. H. & Lee, J. O., (2021, Online version). Childhood community risk factors on intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization among college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. 00, 1–25.
- Choi, Y. J., Rai, A., Cho, H., Son, E., An, S., & Yun, S. H. (2021). Help-seeking behaviors for intimate partner violence among college students: Implications for IPV prevention and intervention. Violence and Victims, 36(4), 548-564.
- Son, E., Cho, H., Yun, S. H., Choi, Y. J., An, S., & Hong, S. (2020). Intimate partner violence victimization among college students with disabilities: Prevalence, help-seeking, and the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence victimization. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, 104741.
- Cho, H., Seon, J., Choi, G., An, S., Kwon, I., Choi, Y. J., Hong, S., Lee, J. O., Son, E., & Yun, S. H. (2020). Gender differences in intimate partner violence victimization, help-seeking, and outcomes among college students. Advances in Social Work. 20(1), 22-44.
- Son, E., Magaña, S., Martínez-Pedraza, F.D., & Parish, S.L. (2020). Providers' guidance to parents and service use for Latino children with developmental disabilities. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 125(1), 64-75.
- Son, E., Moring, N.S., Igdalsky, L., & Parish, S.L. (2018). Navigating the health care system in community: Perspectives from Asian immigrant parents of children with special health care needs. Journal of Child Health Care, 22(2), 251–268. doi: 10.1177/1367493517753084
- Parish, S. L., Son, E., Powell, R. M., & Igdalsky, L. (2018). Reproductive cancer treatment hospitalizations of US women with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 56(1), 1-12. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-56.1.1
- Sonik, R.A., Parish, S.L., Akobirshoev, I., Son, E., & Rosenthal, E. (2017). Population estimates, health care characteristics, and material hardship experiences of US children with speech disorders: Evidence from three nationally representative surveys. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools. 48(4), 286-293.
- Son, E., Igdalsky, L., & Parish, S.L. (2017). Disparities in health care quality among Asian children with special health care needs. Health & Social Work, 42(2), 95-102.
- Sannicandro, T., Parish, S.L., & Son, E., & Powell, R. (2017). Health care changes for children with special health care needs, 2005-2011. Maternal and Child Health Journal. 21(3), 524–530.
- Magaña, S., Parish, S.L., & Son, E. (2016). Functional severity and Latino ethnicity in specialty services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 60(5), 424-434.
- Magaña, S., Parish, S.L., & Son, E. (2015). Have racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of health care relationships changed for children with developmental disabilities and ASD? American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 120(6), 504-513.
- Parish, S.L., Mitra M., Son, E., Bonardi, A., Swoboda, P., & Igdalsky, L. (2015). Pregnancy outcomes among US women with intellectual disabilities. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 120(5), 433-443. doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-120.5.433
- Swaine, J.G., Parish, S.L., Luken, K., Son, E., & Dickens, P. (2014). Test of an intervention to improve knowledge of women with intellectual disabilities about cervical and breast cancer screening. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 58(7), 651-663.
- Son, E., Peterson, N.A., Pottick, K. J., Zippay, A., Parish, S.L., & Lohrmann, S. (2014). Peer victimization among young children with disabilities: Early risk and protective factors. Exceptional Children, 80(3), 370-386.
- Son, E. (2013). A qualitative study which asks Korean adults who arrived in the U.S as children to describe how they adjusted to U.S schools: “I’m still lonely”. Journal of International Social Issues,2(1),17-34.
- Parish, S.L., Swaine, J.G., Son, E., & Luken, K. (2013). Determinants of cervical cancer screening among women with intellectual disabilities: Evidence from medical records. Public Health Reports,128(6), 519-526. doi:10.1177/003335491312800611
- Zippay, A., & Son, E. (2013). Community approaches to the siting of psychiatric housing. Journal of Community Practice, 21(1-2), 87-104. doi:10.1080/10705422.2013.788338
- Son, E., Parish, S.L., Swaine, J.G., & Luken, K. (2013). Accuracy of self-reported cervical and breast cancer screening by women with intellectual disabilities. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 118(4), 327-336.doi:10.1352/1944-7558-188.4.327
- Parish, S.L., Swaine, J.G., Son, E., & Luken, K. (2013). Receipt of mammography among women with intellectual disabilities: Medical record data indicate substantial disparities for African American women. Disability and Health Journal, 6, 36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.dhjo.2012.08.004
- Son, E., Parish, S.L., & Peterson, N.A. (2012). National prevalence of peer victimization among young children with disabilities in the United States. Children and Youth Services Review, 34, 1540-1545. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.04.014
- Huang, C., Son, E., & Wang, L.R. (2010). Prevalence and factors of domestic violence among unmarried mothers with a young child. Families in Society-the Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 91, 171-177. doi: 10.1606/1044-3894.3978
Fellowships
Faculty Fellow, CUNY Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies (BRES), 2024-2025
Faculty Fellow, Center for Health Equity Research (CHER) Institute, California State University, Long Beach, Summer 2019
