Kate Guastaferro

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Assistant Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Co-Director of the Center for the Advancement and Dissemination of Intervention Optimization

Director of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program

Kate Guastaferro, PhD is an intervention scientist by training, her work is devoted to the development, optimization, implementation and evaluation of effective, efficient, affordable and scalable interventions with high public health impact. She is an expert in the multiphase optimization (MOST) strategy and her expertise is in parent-focused, multicomponent behavioral interventions to prevent child maltreatment. Dr. Guastaferro co-led a statewide trial focused on the coordinated implementation of three evidence-base child sexual abuse prevention programs; included in this trial was the parent-focused child sexual abuse program that she developed, piloted and evaluated. Her current work is focused on the integration of intervention optimization into the prevention of child maltreatment.

Prior to joining NYU, Dr. Guastaferro was an assistant research professor in human development and family studies at the Pennsylvania State University, and an affiliate of its Prevention Research Center and Child Maltreatment Solutions Network. In 2020, she was awarded the Victoria S. Levin Award for Early Career Success in Young Children’s Mental Health Research from the Society for Research in Child Development. She has been published in Child Maltreatment, Translational Behavioral Medicine, and the American Journal of Public Health.

Dr. Guastaferro received her PhD and MPH from Georgia State University’s School of Public Health, and her BA in anthropology from Boston University. She also completed a year of postdoctoral training at the Pennsylvania State University.

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow, Prevention and Methodology Training Program (T32 DA017629), The Pennsylvania State University

PhD Public Health, Georgia State University

MPH Health Promotion, Georgia State University

BA Anthropology, Boston University

Honors and awards

Victoria S. Levin Award, Society for Research on Child Development (2020)

NIH Loan Repayment Program Award: Toward the Optimization of Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment (201820192020)

Public Health Achievement Award, Georgia State University (2016)

Scarlet Key Honor Society, Boston University (2008)

Publications

Innovative Methods in Home Visiting: The Multiphase Optimization Strategy.

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Abstract

Abstract

Innovative Methods: The Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST).

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2017

Abstract

Abstract

Intersections between the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) and implementation science.

Wasser, H., Guastaferro, K., Estabrooks, P., Collins, L., Bennett, G., & Broder-Fingert, S. (n.d.).

Publication year

2021

Abstract

Abstract

Intervention Optimization : A Paradigm Shift and Its Potential Implications for Clinical Psychology

Collins, L., Nahum-Shani, I., Guastaferro, K., Strayhorn, J. C., Vanness, D. J., & Murphy, S. A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Journal title

Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

Volume

Issue

Page(s)

21-47

10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-080822-051119

Abstract

Abstract

To build a coherent knowledge base about what psychological intervention strategies work, develop interventions that have positive societal impact, and maintain and increase this impact over time, it is necessary to replace the classical treatment package research paradigm. The multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) is an alternative paradigm that integrates ideas from behavioral science, engineering, implementation science, economics, and decision science. MOST enables optimization of interventions to strategically balance effectiveness, affordability, scalability, and efficiency. In this review we provide an overview of MOST, discuss several experimental designs that can be used in intervention optimization, consider how the investigator can use experimental results to select components for inclusion in the optimized intervention, discuss the application of MOST in implementation science, and list future issues in this rapidly evolving field. We highlight the feasibility of adopting this new research paradigm as well as its potential to hasten the progress of psychological intervention science.

Intervention optimization: A paradigm shift and its potential implications for clinical psychology

Collins, L. M., Nahum-Shani, I., Guastaferro, K., Strayhorn, J. C., Vanness, D., & Murphy, S. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Journal title

Annual Review of Clinical Psychology

Volume

Page(s)

10.1-10.27

Abstract

Abstract

Intervention Optimization: Introduction to the MOST Mindset.

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2023

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction to MOST: An Approach for Building more Effective and Implementable Behavioral Interventions.

Guastaferro, K., & Pfammatter, A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2023

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction to the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) for building more effective, efficient, economical, and scalable behavioral and biobehavioral interventions.

Collins, L., & Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2017

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction to the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) for building more effective, efficient, economical, and scalable behavioral and biobehavioral interventions.

Collins, L., & Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2019

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction to the Multiphase Optimization Strategy for Behavioral Intervention Research.

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2020

Abstract

Abstract

Is sexual abuse a unique predictor of sexual risk behaviors, pregnancy, and motherhood in adolescence?

Noll, J. G., Guastaferro, K., Beal, S. J., Schreier, H. M., Barnes, J., Reader, J. M., & Font, S. A. (n.d.).

Publication year

2019

Journal title

Journal of Research on Adolescence

Volume

Issue

Page(s)

967-983

10.1111/jora.12436

Abstract

Abstract

This study tested sexual abuse as a unique predictor of subsequent adolescent sexual behaviors, pregnancy, and motherhood when in company with other types of maltreatment (physical abuse, neglect) and alternative behavioral, family, and contextual risk factors in a prospective, longitudinal study of maltreated (n = 275) and comparison (n = 239) nulliparous females aged 14–19 years old assessed annually through 19 years old. Hierarchical regression was used to disentangle risk factors that account for the associations of maltreatment type on risky sexual behaviors at 19 years old, adolescent pregnancy, and adolescent motherhood. Findings indicate that sexual and physical abuse remain significant predictors of risky sexual behaviors, and that sexual abuse remains a significant predictor of adolescent motherhood when alternative explanatory variables are controlled.

Iterative optimization and decision-making using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST) to optimize an online behavioral intervention.

Guastaferro, K., Wyrick, D. L., Tanner, A. E., Milroy, J. J., & Collins, L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2020

Abstract

Abstract

ItMatters: An empirical and iterative optimization of an online STI preventive intervention.

Tanner, A. E., Milroy, J., Guastaferro, K., Wyrick, D. L., Thorpe, S., Ware, S., & Collins, L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2019

Abstract

Abstract

itMatters: Optimization of an online intervention to prevent sexually transmitted infections in college students

Wyrick, D. L., Tanner, A. E., Milroy, J. J., Guastaferro, K., Bhandari, S., Kugler, K. C., Thorpe, S., Ware, S., Miller, A. M., & Collins, L. M. (n.d.).

Publication year

2020

Journal title

Journal of American College Health

Volume

Issue

Page(s)

1-11

10.1080/07448481.2020.1790571

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: To describe an iterative approach to developing an online intervention targeting the intersection of alcohol use and sexual behaviors among first year college students. Methods and Participants: Using the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), we conducted two iterative optimization trials to: (1) identify candidate intervention components (i.e., descriptive norms, injunctive norms, outcome expectancies, perceived benefits of protective behavioral strategies, and self-efficacy to use strategies); (2) revise components; and (3) identify the optimized intervention. Participants were first year college students at six geographically diverse universities (optimization trial 1 N = 5,880; optimization trial 2 N = 3,551) Results: For both optimization trials, the results indicated that only descriptive and injunctive norms produced a significant effect (p

Knowledge gains from the implementation of a child sexual abuse prevention program and the future of school-based prevention education

Guastaferro, K., Shipe, S. L., Connell, C. M., Holloway, J. L., Pulido, M. L., & Noll, J. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2023

Journal title

Journal of Child Sexual Abuse

Volume

Issue

Page(s)

845-859

10.1080/10538712.2023.2268618

Abstract

Abstract

School-based child sexual abuse (CSA) programs effectively increase students’ CSA-related knowledge. This study focuses on an implementation trial of Safe Touches, an empirically supported, school-based CSA prevention program, that was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to demonstrate gains in CSA-related knowledge following Safe Touches but were limited to a pre-post design. A total of 2,210 students across five counties in a Mid-Atlantic state received the Safe Touches workshop between September 2019 and March 2020. McNemar’s chi-square test was used to assess changes in the proportion of correct responses pre-workshop (Time 1) and one-week post-workshop (Time 2). Students’ CSA-related knowledge increased significantly based on changes in mean CSA knowledge scores and the number of correct item-level responses assessed at Time 1 and Time 2 (p

Lessons learned recruiting and retaining first-year college students in an evaluation of an online STI prevention intervention.

Miller, A. M., Ware, S., Thorpe, S., Tanner, A. E., Milroy, J. J., Guastaferro, K., Wyrick, D. L., Bhandari, S., & Collins, L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2020

Abstract

Abstract

Linking patterns of substance use with sexual risk-taking among female adolescents with and without histories of maltreatment

Rivera, P. M., Bray, B. C., Guastaferro, K., Kugler, K., & Noll, J. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Journal title

Journal of Adolescent Health

Volume

Issue

Page(s)

556-562

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2017.11.293

Abstract

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the associations between patterns of substance use and sexual risk-taking among female adolescents with and without histories of maltreatment. Methods: Data are from a prospective cohort study examining the impact of maltreatment on subsequent female adolescent sexual health (N = 504). Participants averaged 18.24 years in age (SD = 1.12), and approximately 63% had substantiated incidences of maltreatment filed with Child Protective Services prior to age 18. The present study used latent class analysis to examine patterns in adolescent substance use, and negative binomial regression models to examine the links between patterns of substance use and sexual risk-taking and to determine whether these associations were moderated by adolescents' maltreatment status. Results: Six classes emerged from latent class analysis labeled as follows: abstainers (25% of sample); polysubstance users—early initiators (13%); polysubstance users—late initiators (23%); alcohol and cannabis users—late initiators (9%); alcohol users—late initiators (18%); and tobacco users (12%). Patterns of adolescent polysubstance use were associated with the highest levels of sexual risk-taking, and patterns of late-initiated polysubstance use, late-initiated alcohol use, and tobacco use were more strongly related to sexual risk-taking for female adolescents with histories of maltreatment. Conclusions: This study is the first to determine the specific patterns of substance use that are more strongly related to sexual risk-taking for maltreated female adolescents. By doing so, this study demonstrates how a person-centered approach can facilitate our understanding of how to best leverage sexual risk-taking prevention efforts.

Linking patterns of substance use with sexual risk-taking among female adolescents with and without histories of maltreatment.

Rivera, P. M., Bray, B. C., Kugler, K. C., Guastaferro, K., & Noll, J. G. (n.d.).

Publication year

2018

Abstract

Abstract

Making the #MOST of Implementation Science.

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Abstract

Abstract

Maltreatment of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities across the lifespan

Lutzker, J. R., Guastaferro, K., & Benka-Coker, M. L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2016

Abstract

Abstract

Maltreatment of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities presents research and evidence-based strategies to prevent and address the maltreatment of people with IDD across the lifespan.With a life-course perspective and emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, this volume uses a public health framework of surveillance, screening, and intervention. The work also explores the policy implications of strategies to prevent and address the maltreatment of people with IDD. Chapters address: Childhood maltreatment Sexual abuse Bullying Social vulnerability Reproductive, sexual, and child-rearing rights Parenting with a disability Adult Maltreatment Older adult victimization Abusive head trauma Murder and execution Designed for students, clinicians, policymakers, and researchers, this resource provides an in-depth look at the knowledge base in addressing the maltreatment of vulnerable populations.

Maltreatment of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Story of Mothers with IDD – Relationships and Social Networks.

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2017

Abstract

Abstract

Mandated Reporting in New York State: A Policy Note

Melchior, M. S., & Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Journal title

Children & Youth Services Review

Abstract

Abstract

Mandated Reporting in New York State: A Policy Note

Melchior, M., & Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2025

Abstract

Abstract

Maximizing Impact: Expanding the Reach of Child Maltreatment Prevention Interventions

Guastaferro, K. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Abstract

Abstract

Maximizing the reach of universal child sexual abuse prevention : Protocol for an equivalence trial

Guastaferro, K., Melchior, M. S., Heng, S., Trudeau, J., & Holloway, J. L. (n.d.).

Publication year

2024

Journal title

Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications

Volume

10.1016/j.conctc.2024.101345

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Child sexual abuse (CSA) affects 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 12 boys before age 18. Universal school-based prevention programs are an effective and cost-efficient method of teaching students an array of personal safety skills. However, the programmatic reach of universal school-based programs is limited by the inherent reliance on the school infrastructure and a dearth of available alternative delivery modalities. Methods: The design for this study will use a rigorous cluster randomized design (N = 180 classrooms) to determine the equivalence of two delivery modalities of Safe Touches: as usual vs. modified. The as usual workshop will be delivered by two facilitators with live puppet skits (n = 90). Whereas, the modified workshop will be delivered by one facilitator using prerecorded skit videos (n = 90). We will determine the equivalence by measuring concept learning acquisition preworkshop to immediate postworkshop (Aim 1) and retention at 3-months postworkshop (Aim 2) among students in classrooms that receive the as usual or modified workshops. To conclude equivalence, it is imperative to also examine factors that may impact future dissemination and implementation, specifically program adoption among school personnel and implementation fidelity between the two modalities (Aim 3). Conclusion: Study findings will inform the ongoing development of effective CSA prevention programs and policy decisions regarding the sustainable integration of such programs within schools. Clinical trial registration: NCT06195852.

Kate Guastaferro