Middle school matters! We know that positive experiences during middle school are essential for future academic achievement and long-term success, but the initial transition into middle school can be stressful for some children. The goal of our study is to understand which social, academic, and psychological factors are most important for a successful transition into middle school.

The BIRD Study (Biopsychosocial Interactions in Adolescent Relationships and Development) aims to understand the complex relationships between puberty, cognition, social relationships, and health in adolescents. Adolescence represents a critical developmental period marked by rapid biological, psychological, and social changes. A wealth of literature has demonstrated that adolescence is a time of increased vulnerability to the effects of stress (Folib et al., 2011; Holder & Blaustein, 2014) and that puberty, and pubertal timing (i.e., onset compared to same-aged, same-sexed peers) in particular, may contribute to variations in how adolescents perceive and respond to stress (Mendle et al., 2010). For example, early pubertal timing has been linked to heightened physiological stress reactivity during stressful situations, which could predispose individuals to a range of mental health challenges (Stroud et al., 2009). Thus, understanding how pubertal development influences stress reactivity can offer insight into mechanisms underlying heightened risk for stress-related psychopathology, such as anxiety and depression, which often emerge during adolescence.

Research demonstrates that first generation college students experience more alienating experiences on college campuses. Cognitive processes such as inhibitory control may be essential for choosing and employing emotion regulation strategies (e.g., appraisal, suppression) when experiencing discrimination, but little is known about the complex interplay of discriminatory experiences, cognitive control, and subsequent emotion regulation in first generation college students. Thus, the goal of the current study is to test the links between cognition and emotion regulation using a a novel video task.

Adolescence is a time of dramatic biological, cognitive, and social change. Variation in pubertal timing (i.e., when adolescents begin puberty compared to same-aged, same-sexed peers) is associated with a number of mental and social risks, but links to learning and cognition are less understood. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate learning and cognition during the transition to adolescence in a sample of adolescents (10-16 years old).

The Rural Youth’s Sociopolitical Engagement and Wellbeing (RYSE-Well) study highlights rural youth’s civic and political experiences and well-being during the 2024 presidential election season.

This study aims to examine how the 2024 U.S. presidential election impacts individuals’ stress during election week via nightly surveys and physiological measures of cortisol, a stress hormone. Theory and limited empirical work suggest that sociopolitical contexts can influence individuals’ daily lives. For instance, in a study looking at the 2008 election, Republicans and Democrats exhibited different levels of stress hormones before the election and on election day (Trawalter et al., 2011). Although we may understand that political choices and beliefs may impact individuals’ stress response, we know little about how particular issues salient to elections (e.g., immigration, freedom, etc.) may be experienced physiologically. Election-related stress among emerging adults (18-25) remains under-explored despite growing evidence linking stress from political events to adverse health outcomes. Additionally, research shows that emerging adults who experience significant stress during high-stakes political events, such as elections, may exhibit heightened levels of cortisol, a biological marker of stress. Political issues may disproportionality affect certain populations, such as immigration, marriage, and abortion rights among refugees, sexual and gender minority individuals, ethnic and racial diverse groups, and women. As such, this study aims to examine how the U.S. presidential election and the events and topics relevant to the election impact individuals’ cortisol, the principal stress hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The purpose of this study it to examine emerging adults' diurnal stress hormone profiles before, during, and after the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Using online questionnaires and salivary samples, we linked participants’ daily responses to events playing out in the U.S. elections. This study allows for a better understanding of the ways in which individuals’ political knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes related to the political scenario may be associated with physiological responses.

Oral contraceptives (OCs) are associated with mood disturbances such as depression and unfortunately, most knowledge on OCs and depression come from longterm adult users who tolerate OCs well, thus, it is unclear how risk for depression unfolds in the first months of adolescent OC use. This study seeks to fill this knowledge gap by estimating trajectories of depression among adolescent OC users during the first 90-days of use compared to matched non-users; and examining how changes in cognition, emotion regulation, or perceived stress may contribute to risk for depression. The proposed project will inform clinical decision-making and ultimately, contribute to the development of personalized models that address the reproductive and mental health needs of adolescents.