Frances Griffith | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

Frances Griffith

Assistant Professor

PALETTE Lab: Participatory Arts, Lived Experience, + Technology Toward Equity

My work focuses on advancing mental health equity and substance use prevention for socially and economically marginalized adults and youth. Despite rapid progress in intervention development, policy and practice change often lag, leaving those with the greatest need last to benefit. I work to reduce care access barriers through digital, peer-led, and arts-based interventions that expand access and foster empowerment.

I will be reviewing applications for new PhD students for the 2026/2027 academic year.

Contact Information

frances.griffith@uky.edu

105 Kastle Hall

859-257-6841

Education

Pre-Doctoral Internship in Clinical & Community Psychology, Yale, 2022-2023
PhD, Clinical (Community) Psychology, BGSU, 2023
MS, Art Therapy, FSU, 2013
BA, Art, Vassar, 2010

Research Interests

Context-aware digital health
Substance use prevention
Mental health equity
Peer leadership
Arts-based approaches

Affiliations

Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Yale School of Medicine

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Google Scholar
NIH
ORCiD
Protocol: Peer-Led Digital Review
Preprint: Oura for Alcohol Reduction

Research

My research draws on arts-based, participatory, and mixed methods to center lived experiences of substance use and mental health challenges. I also use geospatial analysis, ecological momentary assessment/intervention (EMA/EMI), and AI-driven natural language processing for user-centered, personalized interventions.

Current projects include:

meta-analyses of peer-led digital mental health and substance use interventions and
exploratory studies of online peer recovery communities.

Planned projects for 2025–26 include:

developing CAPTURE, a youth-partnered photo-based EMI for alcohol risk reduction
piloting a digital financial management navigation tool for adults with chronic mental health conditions and
co-designing a mental health and wellness chatbot with peer mentors.

Selected Publications

Selected Publications:

† Denotes undergraduate, postgraduate, or graduate student co-author/research mentee

Griffith, F.J., & Simmons, S.C. (2025). Affinity and advocacy: Online communities for people experiencing mental health conditions. In M. Yzer and J. Siegel (Eds.), The Handbook of Mental Health Communication: Volume 1. Wiley. ISBN: 978-1-394-17989-3
Griffith, F.J., ^†Kirklewski, S., ^†Takenaka, B.P., Nicholson, E., Lauckner, C.K., Gibbs, J., Hansen, N.B., & Kershaw, T. (2025). ‘This is fine’: Using social media imagery to understand the experiences, stress, and resilience of sexual minority men and non-binary individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. American Journal of Community Psychology. http://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12801
Griffith, F.J., Ash, G.I., ^†Augustine, M., ^†Latimer, L., Verne, N., Redeker, N.S., O’Malley, S.S., DeMartini, K.S., & Fucito, L.M. (2024). Natural language processing in convergent mixed-methods evaluation of a digital sleep-alcohol intervention for young adults. Nature Portfolio Journal: Digital Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-024-01321-3
Griffith, F.J., & Stein, C.H. (2024). Online arts-based interventions from peer influencers to reduce mental health stigma: A randomized-controlled trial. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2024.2403171
Griffith, F.J., Simmons, S., Schrader, S., Miller-Roenigk, B.D., Crouch, M., & Gordon, D.M. (2024). Crisis, conserving resources, and confidence: Examining how adult education students navigate stressors and marginalization. Adult Learning. https://doi.org/10.1177/10451595241291888
^†Takenaka, B.P., Kirklewski, S.J., Griffith, F.J., Gibbs, J.J., Lauckner, C.K., Nicholson, E., Tengatenga, C., Hansen, N.B., & Kershaw, T. (2024). “It’s another gay disease”: An intersectional qualitative approach contextualizing the lived experiences of young gay, bisexual, and other sexual minoritized men in the United States during the mpox outbreak. BMC Public Health, 24, 1574. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-19062-z
Stein, C.H., Griffith, F.J., Rudd, M.F., & Kalantzis, M.A. (2023). What should I say? Online dating and disclosure experiences of adults with mental illness in long-term romantic relationships. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 33(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2739
Crouch, M.C., Miller-Roenigk, B.D., Schrader, S.W., Griffith, F.J., Simmons, S., & Gordon, D.M. (2023). Potentially traumatic events of women of color in an urban adult basic education
program. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 1-19. http://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2023.2231384
Griffith, F.J., Redondo, R.A., & Diggins, E. (2022). Size, food, and sensuality: Predictors of network engagement in weight-inclusive Instagram communities. The Journal of Social Media and Society, 11(2).
Griffith, F.J., ^†Dietrich, K. M., Wong, S., Exline, J.J., & Pargament, K. I. (2022). ‘The music was speaking to me’: Using narrative inquiry to describe sacred moments with music. The Arts in Psychotherapy 79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2022.101911
Russin, S., Tilstra-Ferrell, E., & Griffith, F.J. (2022). Dating in the wake of trauma and abuse: Relationship experiences of individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2022.2112338
Griffith, F.J., ^†Hoag, J., ^†Gay, K., & Stein, C.H. (2021). #MentalHealthArt: How Instagram artists promote mental health awareness online. Public Health, 194, 67-74.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2021.02.006
Griffith, F.J., & Stein, C.H. (2021). Behind the hashtag: Online self-identification of mental illness and community response on Tumblr. American Journal of Community Psychology, 67(3-4), 419-432. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12483
Dulek, E.B., Russin, S., Rudd, M.F., Griffith, F.J., & Stein, C.H. (2021). Personal loss, parental relationships, and caregiving intentions among adult siblings of individuals with mental illness. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 30, 1607–1618. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-01960-0
Griffith, F. J., & Bingman, V.E. (2020). Drawing on the brain: An activation likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analysis of functional neural activation while drawing. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 71, 101690. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2020.101690
Griffith, F.J. & Bauer-Leffler, S. (2018). What is a healthy mind? Art informs recovery at a state psychiatric hospital. Art Therapy 35(1), 42-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2018.1459117
Griffith, F.J., Seymour, L., &. Goldberg, M. (2015). Reframing art therapy to meet psychosocial and financial needs in homelessness. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 46, 33-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2015.09.007
Morris (Griffith), F.J. (2014a). Considerations in art e-therapy for anxiety disorders. Journal of Depression and Anxiety, 4(170), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.4172/2167-1044.1000170
Morris (Griffith), F.J. (2014b). Should art be integrated into cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders? The Arts in Psychotherapy, 41, 343-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2014.07.002
Morris (Griffith), F.J., & Willis-Rauch, M. (2014). Join the art club: Exploring social empowerment in art therapy. Art Therapy, 31(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2014.873694