Eunice Areba, PhD, RN, PHN

Dr. Eunice Areba is a Clinical Associate Professor in the School of Nursing. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Winona State University and her PhD from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Areba teaches introductory public health nursing courses to both undergraduate and graduate students. She conducts adolescent and young adult health research. Her research area of focus is healthy youth development. She is interested in how community and individual level factors influence the health of refugee and immigrant youth and their families.

• Faculty Loan Repayment Program (FLRP) Award, Health Resources & Services Administration: Bureau of Health Workforce, 2021 - 2023
• Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility (CGHSR) Faculty Travel Award, 2019 - 2020
• Teaching for Social Engagement Award, Daisy Faculty Award, The Daisy Foundation, 2018
• People’s Choice Award, Poster Presentation – Nursing Research Day, School of Nursing, 2017

• Minnesota Public Radio Interview with Elizabeth Shcokman on published research: Acculturation and Ethnic Group Differences in Well-being: Somali, Latino and Hmong Adolescents in Minnesota., Minnesota Public Radio, 2021
• States with the Highest Rates of Depression, Newsweek, 2020

• Youth Suicide Research Consortium (YSRC)
• Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA), Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM)
• Society for Prevention Research (SPR)
• American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA)
• Sigma Theta Tau – Zeta Chapter
• Midwest Nursing Research Society (MNRS)
• American Public Health Association (APHA)

PhD, University of Minnesota

BSN, Magna cum laude, Winona State University

Book Chapter

Xavier Hall, C.D., Rider, G.N., Bradford, N., Areba, E.M., Miller, K. (2024). Victimization and Intentional Injury in  Global LGBTQI Populations. In: Hwahng, S.J., Kaufman, M.R. (eds) Global LGBTQ Health. Global LGBTQ  Health. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36204-0_9 

Selected Publications

Forster, M., Grigsby, T. J., Nuñez, V., Guan, S.-S. A., Rogers, C. J., & Areba, E. (2023). Bicultural stress and bullying behaviors among immigrant origin youth: The promise of developmental assets. Youth & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X231180318

Grigsby, T. J., Becerra, L., Areba, E., & Forster, M. (2024). Latent profiles of perceived discrimination, bicultural stress, and negative context of reception and associations with mental health in a sample of Hispanic and Somali adolescents. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000711

Guan, S. A., Nunez, V., Areba, E., & Forster, M. (2023). Negative perceived context of reception and sociocultural resources on mental health among Hispanic and Somali adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 71(3-4), 480-490. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12665

Jewett, P. I., Gangnon, R. E., Hing, A. K., Henning-Smith, C., Chantarat, T., Areba, E. M., & Borowsky, I. W. (2023). Racial arrest disparities in the USA by rural-urban location and region. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-023-01703-5

Jewett, P. I., Taliaferro, L. A., Borowsky, I. W., Mathiason, M. A., & Areba, E. M. (2024). Structural adverse childhood experiences associated with suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and repetitive non-suicidal self-injury among racially and ethnically minoritized youth. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 00, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1111/sltb.13084

Forster, M., Grigsby, T., Rogers, C., Unger, J., Alvarado, S., Rainisch, B., Areba, E. (2021). Perceived discrimination, coping styles, and internalizing symptoms among a community sample of Hispanic and Somali adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. Dec 30:S1054-139X(21)00505-X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.10.012. Epub ahead of print.

Jewett, P. I., Ronald, E., Gangnon, R. E., Kafka, J., Areba, E. M., Malecki, K., Borowsky, I. W. (2021). Weapon-carrying among boys in US schools by race/ethnicity: 1993-2019. Pediatrics, e2020049623. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-049623.

Areba, E. M, Taliaferro, L. A, Forster, M., McMorris, B. J., Mathiason, M. A., Eisenberg, M. E. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences and suicidality: school connectedness as a protective factor for ethnic minority adolescents. Children and Youth Services Review, 120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105637.

Areba, M. E., Watts, A., Eisenberg, M., Larson, N., Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Acculturation and ethnic group differences in well-being among Somali, Latino, and Hmong adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry; 91(1),109-119. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000482

Forster, M., Grigsby, T. J., Areba, E., Unger, J. B., Rogers, C. J, Schwartz, S. J. (2020). Psychometric evaluation of the perceived context of reception scale among Hispanic and Somali adolescents. Journal of Clinical Psychology;1–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23078

Areba, E. M., Peterson, B., & Forster, M. (2020). Centering the margins: Recruiting refugee and immigrant origin youth and parents into a community-based study. SAGE Research Methods Cases. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781529742534.

Eisenberg, M. E., Puhl, R., Areba, E. M., Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2019). Family weight teasing, ethnicity, and acculturation: Associations with well-being among Latinx, Hmong, and Somali Adolescents. Journal of Psychosomatic Research,122, 88-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2019.04.007.

Areba, E. M., Mathiason, M., Jewett, P. I., Taliaferro, L., & Borowsky, I. W. (2023, April 27-May 1). Population-based surveillance of suicidality among adolescents by sex and ethno-racial identity; implications for screening [AAP Presidential Plenary presentation]. Pediatric Academic Societies Meetings, Washington, DC.

Areba, E. M., Mathiason, M., Jewett, P. I., Borowsky, I. W., & Taliaferro, L. (2023, April 13-15). Parent adolescent communication as a correlate for adolescent suicide attempts by race/ethnicity: Findings from the Minnesota student surveys [Conference presentation]. Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA.

Jewett, P. I., Areba, E. M., Mathiason, M., Taliaferro, L., & Borowsky, I. W. (2023, March 7-10). Trends in suicidality and non-suicidal self-injury among students by sex, race, and/or ethnicity 2013-2022 [Conference presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Chicago, IL.

Areba, E. M., McMorris, B. J., Mathiason, M., & Safo, S. (2020, May 26). The potential buffering role of racial/ethnic diversity in schools on relationships between race/ethnicity, school connections, school safety and prejudiced-based peer harassment [Conference presentation]. Society for Prevention Research 28th Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, United States.

Forster, M., Baker, J., Watts, J., Peterson, B., & Areba, E. M. (2019, March 1). Perceived context of reception and mental health among Hispanic and Somali youth [Conference presentation]. Annual Meeting of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, Washington, DC.

Areba, E. M., McMorris, B., Mathiason, M., Sieving, R., & Eisenberg, M. (2018, November 1). Perpetration of peer harassment: Associations with adverse childhood experiences and victimization among ethnic minority adolescents [Conference presentation]. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, San Diego, CA, United States.

Areba, E. M., Forster, M., Lee, J., Morris, B. J., & Eisenberg, M. (2018, April 1). Suicidality: The school context as a protective factor for ethnic minority adolescents [Conference presentation]. Society for Research on Adolescents Biennial Meeting, Minneapolis, MN.

Areba, E. M., Watts, A., Eisenberg, M., Larson, N., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2017, May 30). Differences in acculturation, health and academic achievement: Findings from the Eat 2010 study [Conference presentation]. Society for Prevention Annual Research Conference, Washington, DC.

Areba, E. M. (2017, April 7). Ethnic group differences in adolescent well-being: Results from Project EAT 2010 [Conference presentation]. The 41st Midwest Nursing Research Society Annual Research Conference, Washington, DC.

Areba, E. M. (2016, November 11). Relationships between family structure, adolescent health status and substance use: Does ethnicity matter? [Conference presentation]. Annual University of Minnesota Diversity Breakfast, Gallery of Excellence, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Areba, E. M., Eisenberg, M., & McMorris, B. (2016, May 17). How does family structure relate to family, school and community connectedness to Latino, Hmong and Somali students? [Conference presentation]. Leadership Education in Adolescent Health Meeting, Rockville, MD.

Areba, E. M. (2016, April 15). The role of family structure and ethnicity on youth health outcomes [Conference presentation]. The 30th Annual Pediatric Research Education and Scholarship Symposium, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Award: Centering the Margins; Addressing Suicide Risks among Ethno-Racial Minority Adolescents
Principal Investigator: Areba, Eunice Moraa
Sponsoring Organization: MCHB HRSA R4245811
Award Period: 2022 - 2023

Award: Forced Migration and SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity& expression): An initial field assessment focused on the health experiences of LGBTQ+ urban refugees in Kenya
Principal Investigator: Rider, G. Nic
Sponsoring Organization: Human Rights Center, University of Minnesota Law School
Award Dates: 2019 - 2021

Award: Promoting Effective Coping Among Refugee and Immigrant Adolescents
Principal Investigator: Areba, Eunice Moraa
Sponsoring Organization: Grant-in-Aid Research, Office of the Vice President (OVPR), University of Minnesota
Award Dates: 2017 - 2019

Award: Developing a PHN seminar exposing students to health disparities, advocacy, and policy discourse; the unique health experiences in the LGBTQI community
Principal Investigator: Hoffman, Sarah
Sponsoring Organization: School of Nursing Foundation, University of Minnesota
Award Dates: 2017 - 2018

Award: Safe2Eat Application
Principal Investigator: Hedberg, Craig
Sponsoring Organization: Minnesota’s Discovery Research and InnoVation Economy (MnDRIVE) Institution, University of Minnesota
Award Dates: 2015 - 2016

Award: Religious Coping, Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety and Well-being Among Somali College Students
Principal Investigator: Areba, Eunice Moraa
Sponsoring Organization: Consortium on Law and Values in Health, Environment & the Life Sciences, University of Minnesota
Award Dates: 2013 – 2014