Hanan A. Abusbaitan, PhD, MSN, RN

Assistant Professor
Human Health Building, Room 2036
(248) 364-8850
[email protected]

Biography:

Dr. Abusbaitan’s research focuses on women’s health, with particular emphasis on intimate partner violence (IPV) and its impact on the maternal and mental health of Muslim, Black, and immigrant women. Her work seeks to understand the lived experiences of IPV and the barriers women face in accessing healthcare and support services. Grounded in a community health perspective, Dr. Abusbaitan is committed to advancing health equity through trauma-informed care and culturally sensitive research.

Education:

• PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  Major: Nursing
• MSN, Jordan University of Science and Technology
  Major: Nursing – Community Health Nursing
• BSN, University of Jordan
  Major: Nursing

Research Area Interests:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV)
• The impact of IPV on women’s maternal and mental health
• Help-seeking behaviors
• Barriers to seeking help
• Social support
• Trauma-informed care

Selected Research/Publications:

Abusbaitan, H. A., Al-Natour, A., Cho, C. C., Holt, J. M., Eyadat, A., Abu Zahra, T., Odeh, J., Ali, T., Kako, K. M., Mkandawire-Valhmu, L., Telfah, R., & Lopez, A. A. (in press). A cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of the Arabic version of the Emotional Abuse Questionnaire. Journal of Nursing Measurement.

Abusbaitan, H. A., Lopez, A. A., Eyadat, A., Pirsch, A., Luebke, J., Yip, W., ... & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L. (2025). Mental health of urban Black women experiencing intimate partner violence since the start of the COVID‐19 pandemic. American Journal of Community Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12822

Hearst, M. O., Hoffman, S. J., Gondwe, K., Abusbaitan, H. A., Eyadat, A., Dressel, A., ... & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L. (2025). Food insecurity and dietary diversity among women living in Dzaleka refugee camp, Malawi. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2025.2502534

Abusbaitan, H. A., Eyadat, A. M., Holt, J. M., Telfah, R. K., Abu Zahra, T. F. A., Abu Zahra, T.F.A., … & Lopez, A. A. (2025). Emotional abuse against women in the context of intimate relationships: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 2025(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1155/nuf/6301140

Mkandawire, E., Du Toit, A., Gandidzanwa, C., Mutsvangwa-Sammie, E. P., van der Berg, E., Abusbaitan, H. A., ... & Dressel, A. (2024). Gender and food systems in six African countries: Aligning research, policies and research funding. New Agenda: South African Journal of Social and Economic Policy, 94(1), 35-52.

Olukotun, O., Abusbaitan, H., Hearst, M. O., Pirsch, A., Hoffman, S. J., Martin, L., ... & Mkandawire-Valhmu, L. (2024). Gender-based violence in the lives of Somali women with refugee status: A framework for analysis and action. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 10436596241274121. https://doi.org/10.1177/10436596241274121

Lopez, A. A., Dressel., A., Luebke, J., Williams, J., Miller, J., Kibicho, J. W., Abusbaitan, H., Pirsch., Gondwe, K. W., Ruiz, A., Kako, P., Mkandawire-Valhmu, L., & Egede, L. (2024). Intimate partner violence in the lives of Indigenous and Black women in the upper Midwest of the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods protocol examining help-seeking behaviors and experiences. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.13294

Mkandawire-Valhmu, L., Callari-Robinson, J., Schadewald, D., Abusbaitan, H., Pirsch, A., Luebke, J., Marquardt, L., Schubert, E., Kibicho, J., Lopez, A., Gondwe, K., Rice, E., Bement, K., Morgan, M., McClain, R., Kako, P., Raghe, F., Hunter, C. F., Ayad, C., … Dressel, A. (2023). A protocol for the safe recruitment of Indigenous and Black women experiencing intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic into a large mixed methods study: The sisters by choice study. Global Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2290122

Lopez, A. A., Luebke, J. M., Redner, R., Abusbaitan, H., & Tarima, S. (2023).  Substance use overdose deaths among Black and Indigenous women in Wisconsin: A review of death certificate data from 2018 to 2020. Journal of Addiction Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1097/adm.0000000000001260

Aldrawsheh, A., Rababa, M., Hayajneh, A. A., Abusbaitan, H. A., & Eyadat, A. M. (2023). The association between the emotional closeness, negative and positive affection, and agitation among older adult with dementia: A cross-sectional study. Ageing International, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-023-09535-8

Rababa, M., Al-Sabbah, S., Eyadat, A. M., & Abusbaitan, H. A. (2023). The association between socio-demographic characteristics and using pain assessment tools among critically ill patients. Medicina, 59(4), 759. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59040759

Abu-Baker, N. N., Abusbaitan, H. A., Al-Ashram, S. A., & Alshraifeen, A. (2021). The effect of health education on dietary knowledge and practices of pregnant women in Jordan: A quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Women's Health, 13, 433-443. https://doi.org/10.2147/ijwh.s30356

Book/ Chapter:

Mkandawire-Valhmu, L., Dismuke-Greer, C. E., Gondwe, K., Abusbaitan, H., Eyadat, A., & Schadewald, D. (2025). Structural inequalities and health in special populations: Immigrant, refugee, and asylee women. In Structural Inequalities and Health Outcomes for Chronic Disease (pp. 287-325). Academic Press.