Christine Sarteschi, Ph.D.

Photo of Christy Sarteschi
Professor of Social Work and Criminology
412-365-2957
Coolidge - 223

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Joined Chatham: August 2010

ACADEMIC AREAS OF INTEREST

Mass and serial murder, homicidal ideation, extremism, mental health courts, schizophrenia, serious mental illness, somatic delusions, mentally ill offenders, women and youth offenders, research synthesis and meta-analysis.

BIOGRAPHY

Dr. Christine M. Sarteschi, LCSW is a Professor of Social Work and Criminology. She researches and teaches courses in behavioral science that cover a wide range of topics including: extremism, human behavior, juvenile justice, mental illness and crime, cold case research, problem solving courts, mass murder, and extreme violent crime. 

EDUCATION

  • Ph.D. Social Work, University of Pittsburgh, 2009
  • BSW (2001) and MSW (2003) University of Pittsburgh

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2023). The social phenomenon of Romana Didulo: “Queen of Canada.” International Journal of Coercion, Abuse and Manipulation.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. “Suicide.” (In Press). In Health and Wellness for People of Color. An Encyclopedia of Issues, Problems, and Solutions, edited by Valire Carr Copeland. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2022). This law doesn’t apply to me: The spread of the sovereign citizen movement around the world. International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2019). The Capital Gazette Shooter- Injustice Collector. Violence and Gender, 6(2).
  • Sarteschi, C. M. (2021). Tracing a killer’s path to mass shooting. MedPageToday.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2018). Mass murder, targeted individuals, and gang-stalking: Exploring the Connection. Violence and Gender, 5(1), 45-54.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2021). Sovereign citizens: More than paper terrorists. Just Security via the Reiss Center on Law and Security NYU School of Law.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2021). Can we stop shooting the mentally ill? MedPage Today.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2017). Jodi Arias: A case of extreme violence. Violence and Gender, 4(3), 109-113.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2016). Mass and Serial Murder in America. Springer International Publishing.
  • Yaksic, E., et al. & Sarteschi, C.M. (2021). A heuristic study of the similarities and differences in offender characteristics across potential and successful serial homicide offenders. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 1-22. doi:10.1002/bsl.2510
  • Introduction to special edition: Extremism. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 10.1016/j.avb.2021.101574
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2016). An examination of thwarted mass homicide plots and threateners. Aggression and Violent Behavior. Advanced online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2016.06.010.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2015). Severe mental illness, somatic delusions and attempted mass murder.The Journal of Forensic Sciences. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.12876.
  • Sovereign citizens: A narrative review with implications of violence towards law enforcement. Aggression and Violent Behavior. doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101509.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. “Hospitals for the Criminally Insane.” (2014). In Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness, edited by Andrew Scull and J. Geoffrey Golson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Sovereign Citizens: A Psychological and Criminological Analysis. Van Hasselt, V.B. (Ed). Springer Briefs in Behavioral Criminology Series. New York: Springer International Publishing.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2014). Randomized controlled trials of psychopharmcological interventions of children and adolescents with conduct disorder: A descriptive analysis. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 11 (4), 350-359. doi: 10.1080/10911359.2014.897105.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2020). Murder Me Not. Critical Quarterly, 62(1), 49-66.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. “Dementia Praecox.” (2014). In Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness, edited by Andrew Scull and J. Geoffrey Golson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. “Commitment Laws.” (2014). In Cultural Sociology of Mental Illness, edited by Andrew Scull and J. Geoffrey Golson. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
  • Sarteschi, C.M., & Vaughn, M.G. (2013). Recent developments in mental health courts: What have we learned? Journal of Forensic Social Work, 3, 34-55. doi: 10.1080/1936928X.2013.837416.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2013). Mentally ill offenders involved in the United States criminal justice system: A synthesis. SAGE Open. doi: 10.1177/2158242013497029.
  • Maynard, B.R., Peters, K. E., Vaughn, M.G. & Sarteschi, C.M. (2013). Fidelity in after-school intervention research: A systematic review. Research on Social Work Practice, 23. doi: 10.1177/1049731513491150.
  • Maynard, B. R., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2012). Social work dissertation research: Contributing to scholarly discourse or the file drawer? The British Journal of Social Work. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcs123.
  • Maynard, B. R., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2012). The Empirical Status of Social Work Dissertation Research: Characteristics, Trends, and Implications for the Field. The British Journal of Social Work. doi: 10.1093/bjsw/BCS123.
  • Sarteschi, C.M., Vaughn, M.G., & Kim, K. (2011). Assessing the effectiveness of mental health courts: A quantitative analysis. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39, 12-20. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.11.003.
  • Bender, K., Tripodi, S., Sarteschi, C.M. & Vaughn, M.G. (2011). A meta-analysis of interventions to reduce adolescent cannabis use. Research on Social Work Practice, 21, 153-164. doi: doi:10.1177/1049731510380226.
  • Sarteschi, C.M., & Vaughn, M.G. (2010). Double jeopardy: A review of mental health and substance abuse characteristics in women offenders. Victims & Offenders, 5, 161-182. doi: 10.1080/15564881003640728.
  • Bender, K., Tripodi, S., Litschge (Sarteschi), C.M. & Vaughn, M.G. (2010). Reducing alcohol use: A meta-analytic review of interventions for adolescent alcohol abusers. The Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 161, 85-91. doi: 10.1001/archpediatrics.2009.235.
  • Litschge, (Sarteschi), C.M., Vaughn, M.G., McCrea, C. (2010). The empirical status of treatment for children and youth with conduct problems: A review of meta-analytic studies. Research on Social Work Practice, 20, 21-35. doi: 10.1177/1049731508331247.
  • Litschge, (Sarteschi), C. M., & Vaughn, M.G. (2009). The mentally ill offender treatment and crime reduction act of 2004: Problems and prospects. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 20, 542-558. doi: 10.1080/14789940802434675.
  • Shook, J. J., Vaughn M.G., Litschge, (Sarteschi), C.; Kolivoski, K., & Schelbe, L. (2009). The importance of friends among foster youth aging out of care: Cluster profiles of deviant peer affiliations. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 284-291. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.07.024.
  • Vaughn, M. G., Litschge, (Sarteschi), C. M., DeLisi, M., Beaver, K. M., & McMillen, J. C. (2008). Psychopathic personality features and risks for criminal justice system involvement among emancipating foster youth. Children and Youth Services Review, 30, 1101-1110. doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.02.001.
  • Vaughn, M.G., Newhill, C.E., & Litschge, (Sarteschi), C.M. (2008). Cluster profiles of residentially incarcerated adolescent females: Violence and clinical mental health characteristics. Residential Treatment for Children and Youth, 24, 35-53. doi: 10.1080/08865710802146770.
  • Rotondi, A.J., Sinkule, J., Haas, G.L. Spring, M.B., (Sarteschi), Litschge, C.M., Newhill, C.E., Ganguli, R., & Anderson, C.A. (2007). Designing websites for persons with cognitive deficits: Design and usability of a psychoeducational intervention for persons with severe mental illness. Psychological Services, 4, 202-224. doi: 10.1037/1541-1559.4.3.202.
  • Litschge, (Sarteschi), C.M., Greeno, C.G., Anderson, C.M., & Newhill, C.E. (2005). Weight gain information on the Internet for people who have schizophrenia. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 28, 387-390. doi: 10.2975/28.2005.387.390.
  • Sarteschi, C.M. (2023). Sovereign citizens and QAnon: The increasing overlaps with a focus on Child Protective Service (CPS) cases. International Journal of Coercion, Abuse and Manipulation

CERTIFICATIONS

  • LCSW Pennsylvania
  • Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL: SV) Certified by Darkstone Research Group, LTD and Global Institute of Forensic Research Dr. Robert Hare and Dr. Reid Meloy, 2019

ORGANIZATIONS

  • The American Investigative Society of Cold Cases (AISOCC)
  • Council on Social Work Education
  • National Association of Social Workers (NASW)
  • Society for Social Work and Research (SSWR)
  • The American Society of Criminology

SELECTED PRESENTATIONS

  • Maynard, B. R., Kremer, K. P., Polanin, J. R., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2015, March). Effects of After-School Programs on Attendance and Externalizing Behaviors with Primary and Secondary School Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Paper presented at the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Washington, D.C.
  • Maynard, B. R., Peters, K. E., Vaughn, M. G., & Sarteschi, C. M. (2014, March). Fidelity in after-school intervention research: A systematic review. Poster, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, Washington, DC.
  • Peters, K.E., Maynard, B.R., Vaughn, M.G., & Sarteschi, C.M. (2014). Are after-school programs effective? A systematic review and meta-analysis of after-school programs. Paper to be presented at the 18th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research. January 2014, San Antonio, TX
  • Tripodi, S. J., Bender, K., Litschge, (Sarteschi) C. M., & Vaughn, M. G. (2010). Reducing alcohol use among adolescent substance abusers: A meta-analytic review. Paper presented at the 14th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, January 13th – 17th, 2010, San Francisco, CA.
  • Bender, K., Tripodi, S. J., Litschge, (Sarteschi) C. M., & Vaughn, M. G. (2010). Reducing Marijuana use among adolescent substance abusers: A meta-analytic review. Paper presented at the 14th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, January 13th – 17th, 2010, San Francisco, CA.
  • Vaughn, M. G., Litschge, (Sarteschi) C. M., & McCrae, C. (2010). The empirical status of interventions for antisocial youth: A review of meta-analyses. Paper presented at the 14th annual conference of the Society for Social Work and Research, January 13th – 17th, 2010, San Francisco, CA.
  • Heo, G., Litschge, (Sarteschi) C.M., & Masalehda, A. (2007). Women in social work academia: History, current status, pro and cons and ways to navigate the tenure process. Paper presented at the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) October 27-30, 2007