OUR RESEARCH
Seeking to learn how youths' life experiences shape the course of their mental health and the effectiveness of mental health treatments
Read about our research studies below
LIFE EXPERIENCES IN ADOLESCENTS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SKILLS (LEADS) STUDY
Sponsor: National Institute of Mental Health (K23 MH123876)
The LEADS Study aims to learn how teens' life experiences impact the way they learn coping skills to manage their mood. This study teaches teens a common coping skill to respond to negative thoughts and feelings and looks at the ways their experiences during childhood impact the learning and use of this skill. The LEADS Study is recruiting 12 to 15-year-old teens who are experiencing sad, low, down, or depressed mood.
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STUDY ENROLLMENT IS CLOSED
DETECTING DEPRESSION IN TEENS: THE ROLE OF IDENTITY AND LANGUAGE IN DESCRIBING MOOD AND EMOTIONS
Sponsor: University of Pittsburgh
This study aims to improve our understanding of how teens' diverse life experiences, identities, and backgrounds influence the language they use to describe symptoms of depression and their interpretation of mood disorder symptoms on standardized tools (interviews and surveys) used by doctors and clinicians to diagnose depression. This study involves focus groups with teens ages 13-17 to amplify their perspectives on the assessment tools used in psychology and medicine, and to learn how we can improve the relevance and accuracy of our methods for detecting and diagnosing depression.​​
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STUDY ENROLLMENT OPENS FALL 2025.
MORE ABOUT OUR RESEARCH
COMPLETED PROJECTS
ShARE (Shaping Actions and Responses to Emotions) Study
Sponsor: Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation
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The ShARE Study compared two different types of psychotherapy skills for youth depression. The goal of the study was to learn whether certain therapy skills are more helpful for teens with different types of stressful and adverse life experiences.
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Project CARY
Sponsor: Sackler Foundation Fellowship in Psychobiology
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This project explored how youths' experiences with different types of life stress interacted with their body's physiological regulation when experiencing something stressful. We looked at how these environmental factors and biological responses relate to depression symptom severity in youth during middle school.
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Project conducted at Harvard University
COLLABORATERS
Our team works with many other creative and talented scientists and research labs to better understand and find ways to promote teen mental health. Here are some of our collaborators:
Tina Goldstein, PhD (University of Pittsburgh)
Oliver Lindhiem, PhD (University of Pittsburgh)
John Weisz, PhD (Harvard University)
Jay Huguley, PhD (University of Pittsburgh)
Child and Adolescent Bipolar Spectrum Research Program (University of Pittsburgh)
Jessica Hamilton, PhD (Rutgers University)
Irene Tung, PhD (California State University at Dominguez Hills)
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OUR APPROACH
Our research team uses a variety of methods to study youth mental health
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1. We explore how youths' life experiences (reported through surveys and interviews) relate to the ways they regulate their body's psychophysiological activity. Psychophysiological activity gives us clues about emotion regulation and response to different life experiences.
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2. We explore how both of these factors (life experiences and psychophysiological activity) relate to youths' cognitive functioning. We use computerized activities that help us understand how youth learn and process new information.
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3. We look at the intersection of all of these factors with youths' experiences of depression and other psychological symptoms, and how youth learn to manage these symptoms through psychotherapy skills.