Projects
Conversations About Resilience and Early-life Stress (CARES Study)
Now recruiting!
Interested in participating? Complete this form to get started!
Youth voices are often not represented in psychology and neuroscience research. The CARES Study was designed in order to hear directly from teens (ages 13-18) about their lived experiences and perceptions of stress, adversity, and resilience in their lives and the lives of their peers. Through semi-structured online focus groups, we will be talking with Vermont youth about sources of stress, peer and family relationships, broader societal challenges (e.g., climate change, discrimination), neighborhood and community influences, access to mental healthcare, school environment, and sources of support and resilience.
The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study®
We work closely with the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, an ongoing longitudinal study of nearly 12,000 families across the United States. Children were enrolled in the study at 9-10 years of age and will ultimately have 10 years of data evaluating home and family environments, brain development, and mental health, among many other things. UVM is one of 21 data collection sites for the ABCD Study.
Neurobiological and Developmental Processes of
Risk and Resilience
Coming in 2025! Despite the prevalence and pervasive effects of adversity, pressing questions remain regarding the specific ways in which adversity affects the developing brain and mental health outcomes. Further studies are needed that account for a greater level of detail of youths' risk and protective factors (e.g., timing of adversity exposure, severity, chronicity, sources of resilience), especially in underserved rural communities. In 2025, we will be starting data collection for a new study that measures these complex processes over time using questionnaires, cognitive and emotional tasks/assessments, and fMRI with youth and their caregivers.
Child Development and the Climate Crisis
The climate crisis demands immediate action, as its impacts threaten not only the environment but also the well-being of youth and families. Climate change encompasses a constellation of risks for development such as increased family stress, displacement, youth anxiety and depression, and economic strain. Through original empirical work, literature reviews, and policy briefs, our lab aims to better understand the impacts of climate adversity on youth brain development and mental health and provide actionable steps to mitigating risk.
Resources and ways to get involved: Developmental Scientists for Climate Action (devSCA).