Dr. Ozge Sensoy Bahar’s research focuses on child and family well-being in global contexts affected by poverty and related stressors, with a particular emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. Her work examines the complex, multilevel factors that contribute to social and economic vulnerabilities among children, youth, and families—such as child labor, unaccompanied migration, sexual risk-taking, and mental health challenges. Dr. Sensoy Bahar uses intervention research and qualitative methodologies to develop, adapt, and evaluate contextually and culturally relevant programs that are grounded in the lived experiences of the populations she serves.
She currently leads a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded R01 study (R01HD116780) testing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a combination intervention—integrating family economic empowerment and family strengthening strategies—to reduce unaccompanied migration for child labor among adolescent girls in Northern Ghana. This builds on two earlier NIH-funded studies (R21HD091534; R21HD099508) focused on female adolescent migration and child labor in the same region. Recently, her work has expanded to explore strategies to address mental health stigma among school-going children in sub-Saharan Africa.