College of Education and Human Development

Institute of Child Development

Canan Karatekin

  • Associate Professor

Areas of interest

Social  and structural determinants of health and health inequities in children

Degrees

PhD, 1996, UCLA

Biography

Canan Karatekin is an associate professor at the Institute of Child Development. She has a BA in Psychology from Harvard College, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. After studying cognitive impairments in children with youth-onset psychosis or ADHD for many years, she shifted her research in 5/2011 to the child welfare system. She then extended her focus to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). More recently, she has broadened her interests even more, to social agents that influence social and structural determinants of health and health inequities affecting children and how these agents wield power to shape these determinants.

Lab

Child Wellbeing Research Group

Research

Our research group focuses on social and structural determinants of health and health inequities in children. After years of studying adversities faced by children and the health consequences of these adversities, Dr. Karatekin has decided to focus her attention on upstream factors that prevent or exacerbate these adversities. These factors include societal agents (e.g., governmental agencies, corporations, labor unions, media, etc.), structural determinants of health and health inequities (ideologies; broad political and socioeconomic systems; governance; institutional practices; laws and policies and their implementation, interpretation, and enforcement; elections), and how agent use different kinds of power (e.g., economic, hegemonic, moral, physical) to shape these determinants. Moving forward, the research in this lab will focus on these upstream factors, not on how to help individuals or families cope with adversities after they occur.

Advising expectations and availability

If you are a prospective graduate student who is interested in working with Dr. Karatekin, click here to review her advising expectations. The document outlines what you can expect from Dr. Karatekin as an advisor/mentor and provides an overview of Dr. Karatekin's expectations of students in the developmental psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Minnesota.

Please note that for the Fall 2025 admissions cycle I am looking to take on new Ph.D. students as their primary advisor. Please reach out to me via email if you are interested in learning more.

Publications

Please see this up-to-date site for more publications: https://innovation.umn.edu/karatekin-lab/publications/

Note: * graduate student. ** undergraduate student

Social determinants of adverse childhood experiences, health, and health inequities

Karatekin, C., *Gresham, B., Barnes, A., *Corcoran, F., *Kritzik, R., & Mason, S. M. (in press). Re-politicizing the WHO’s Framework on Structural and Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequities. Health Promotion International.

Karatekin, C., Mason, S. M., Latner, M., *Gresham, B., *Corcoran, F., Hong, A., Barnes, A. (2023). Is fair representation good for children? Effects of electoral partisan bias in state legislatures on policies affecting children’s health and well-being.  Social Science and Medicine, 339, 116344.

Karatekin, C., Mason, S. M., Riegelman, A., Bakker, C., Hunt, S., *Gresham, B., *Corcoran, F., & Barnes, A. (2023).  Adverse childhood experiences: An overview of definitions, measures, and methods. In “Handbook of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): A framework for collaborative health promotion” (Eds., Sharon G. Portwood, Michael J. Lawler, & Michael J. Roberts), pp. 31-45. Springer Nature Switzerland.

Karatekin, C., Mason, S. M., Riegelman, A., Bakker, C., Hunt, S., *Gresham, B., *Corcoran, F., & Barnes, A. (2022).  Adverse childhood experiences: A scoping review of measures and methods.  Children and Youth Services Review, 136, 106425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106425

Systems serving maltreated children

Karatekin, C., Barnes, A., Borowski, I., Mason, S., & *Almy, B. (2018).  Mental and physical health profiles of maltreated youth. Child Abuse & Neglect, 84, 23-33.

Karatekin, C., *Almy, B., Mason, S., Borowski, I., & Barnes, A. (2018).  Health care utilization patterns of maltreated youth. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 43, 654-665.  doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsy004

Karatekin, C., *Almy, B., Mason, S., Borowski, I. & Barnes, A. (2018).  Documentation of child maltreatment in electronic health records. Clinical Pediatrics, 57, 1041-1052.

*Lawler, J., Karatekin, C., & Gehrman, R. (2016). A study of maltreated children and their families in juvenile court. II.  Maltreatment recidivism. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 10, 215-236.

Pinna, K., **Hirillal, A., & Karatekin, C. (2015). Evidence based parenting programs for maltreating parents: Views of Child Protective Services caseworkers. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 9, 362-381.

Karatekin, C., Gehrman, R. & *Lawler, J. (2014). A study of maltreated children and their families in juvenile court. III.  Case plans.  Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 65, 47-67. DOI: 10.1111/jfcj.12022

Karatekin, C., Gehrman, R. & *Lawler, J. (2014). A study of maltreated children and their families in juvenile court. I.  Court performance measures. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 62-74.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.010

Karatekin, C., Hong, S., Piescher, K., Uecker, J., & McDonald, J. (2014).  An evaluation of the effects of an integrated services program for multi-service use families on child welfare and educational outcomes of children. Children and Youth Services Review, 41, 16-26. 10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.03.008

Karatekin, C.  (2013). A survey of organizations serving child welfare-involved families and children in Hennepin County, MN. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 31, 197-235. DOI 10.1007/s10560-013-0317-1

Cognitive impairments in youth-onset psychosis and ADHD 

White, T., Mous, S., Karatekin, C. (2014). Memory-guided saccades in youth-onset psychosis and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).Early intervention in psychiatry, 8(3), 229-39 .DOI: 10.1111/eip.12038

White, T., Schmidt, M., & Karatekin, C. (2010). Verbal and visuospatial working memory development and deficits in children and adolescents with schizophrenia. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 4, 305-313.

Karatekin, C., White, T. J., & Bingham, C. (2010). Shared and nonshared symptoms in youth-onset psychosis and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Journal of Attention Disorders, 14, 121-131.

Karatekin, C., Bingham, C., & White, T. (2010). Oculomotor and pupillometric indices of pro- and antisaccade performance in youth-onset psychosis and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).  Schizophrenia Bulletin, 36, 1167-1186.

Karatekin, C., White, T., & Bingham, C. (2009). Incidental and intentional sequence learning in youth-onset psychosis and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Neuropsychology, 23, 445-459.

Karatekin, C., Bingham, C., & White, T. (2009). Regulation of cognitive resources during an n-back task in youth-onset psychosis and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  International Journal of Psychophysiology, 73, 294-307.

Karatekin, C., White, T. J., & Bingham, C. (2008). Divided attention in youth-onset psychosis and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 117, 881-895.

Karatekin, C. (2006). Improving antisaccade performance in adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Experimental Brain Research, 174, 324-341.

Karatekin, C. (2005). A comprehensive and developmental theory of ADHD is tantalizing, but premature. Open peer commentary on “A dynamic developmental theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly hyperactive/impulsive and combined subtypes” by Sagvolden, Johansen, Aase, & Russell. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28, 430-431.

Karatekin, C. (2004). A test of the integrity of the components of Baddeley’s model of working memory in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 912-926

Karatekin, C., **Markiewicz, S. W., & **Siegel, M. A. (2003). A preliminary study of motor problems in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Perceptual and Motor Skills, 97, 1267-1280.

Karatekin, C. (2001). Developmental disorders of attention. In C. A. Nelson & M. Luciana (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (pp. 561-576). Cambridge, MA:  MIT Press.

Asarnow, R. F., & Karatekin, C. (2000). Children with schizophrenia:  A neurobehavioral approach. In H. E. Remschmidt (Ed.), Schizophrenia in Children and Adolescents (pp. 135-167). Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press.

Karatekin, C., & Asarnow, R. F. (1999). Exploratory eye movements to pictures in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 35-49.

Karatekin, C., & Asarnow, R. F. (1998). Components of visual search in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 26, 367-380.

Karatekin, C., & Asarnow, R. F. (1998). Working memory in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Psychiatry Research, 80, 165-176.

Asarnow, R. F., & Karatekin, C. (1998). Childhood-onset schizophrenia. In C. E. Coffey & R. A. Brumback (Eds.), Textbook of Pediatric Neuropsychiatry (pp. 617-646). Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press.

Cognitive processes in typically developing individuals 

Karatekin, C., *Couperus, J. W., *Marcus, D. J., & White, T. J. (2008).  Effects of delay and retrieval mode on memory-guided saccades in 10-year-olds and adults.  In N. B. Johansen (Ed.), New Research on Short-Term Memory.  Happauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

Karatekin, C., *Marcus, D. J., & White, T. J. (2007). Oculomotor and manual indices of incidental and intentional spatial sequence learning in middle childhood and adolescence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 96, 107-130.

Karatekin, C., *Marcus, D. J., & *Couperus, J.W. (2007). Regulation of cognitive resources during sustained attention and working memory in 10-year-olds and adults. Psychophysiology, 44, 128-144.

*Marcus, D. J., Karatekin, C., & **Markiewicz, S. W. (2006). Oculomotor evidence of sequence learning on the Serial Reaction Time (SRT) Task. Memory and Cognition, 34, 420-432.

Karatekin, C., *Couperus, J. W., & *Marcus, D. J. (2004). Attention allocation on the dual task paradigm as measured through behavioral and psychophysiological responses. Psychophysiology, 41, 175-185.

Karatekin, C. (2004). Development of attentional allocation on the dual task paradigm. International Journal of Psychophysiology 52, 7-22.

Neurobiological substrates of youth-onset psychosis and ADHD

Mous, S., Karatekin, C., Kao, C-Y., Gottesman, I., Posthuma, D., & White, T. (2014). Gyrification differences in children and adolescents with velocardiofacial syndrome and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A pilot study. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 221, 169-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2013.12.002

*Davenport, N. D., Karatekin, C., White, T., & Lim, K. O. (2010). Differential fractional anisotropy abnormalities across adolescents with ADHD or schizophrenia. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 181, 193-198.

White, T., Schmidt, M., & Karatekin, C. (2009). White matter “potholes” in early-onset schizophrenia: A new approach to evaluate white matter microstructure using diffusion tensor imaging.  Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 174, 110-115.

White, T., Cullen, K., *Rohrer, L. M., Karatekin, C., Luciana, M., Schmidt, M., *Hongwanishkul, D., Kumra, S., Schulz, S. C., & Lim, K. O.  (2008).  Limbic structures and networks in children and adolescents with schizophrenia.  Schizophrenia Bulletin, 34, 18-29.

White, T., Kendi, A. T. K., Lehericy, S., Kendi, M., Karatekin, C., Guimaraes, A., *Davenport, N., Schulz, S. C., & Lim, K. O. (2007). Disruption of hippocampal connectivity in children and adolescents with schizophrenia—a voxel-based diffusion tensor imaging study. Schizophrenia Research, 90, 302-307.

Reviews of eye tracking studies of typical and atypical development 

Karatekin, C. (2008). Eye tracking studies of normative and atypical development. In C. A. Nelson & M. Luciana (Eds.), Handbook of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience (2nd ed.), pp. 263-300. Cambridge, MA:  MIT Press.

Karatekin, C. (2007). Eye tracking studies of normative and atypical development. Developmental Review, 27, 283-348.

Cognitive impairments in youth with brain tumors or cysts 

Karatekin, C., Lazareff, J., & Asarnow, R. F. (2000). The relevance of the cerebellar hemispheres for executive functions. Pediatric Neurology, 22, 106-112.

Karatekin, C., Lazareff, J., & Asarnow, R. F. (1999). Parallel and serial search in two teenagers with lesions of the mesial parietal cortex. Neuropsychologia, 37, 1461-1468.