Explore how experiences early in life shape our responses to the world around us.

Our current research investigates how our individual life experiences impact the way that we respond to stress. Specifically, we look at how adolescents cope with stressful experiences and how it affects their mental health. We explore how their emotional responses, efforts to control, their feelings, and ability to adapt to changing situations influence their risk of developing psychopathology. By studying both behavior and brain activity, we hope to shed light on how different ways of handling stress impact mental health. Ultimately, we aim to pinpoint when adolescents are most vulnerable to mental health problems due to stress and find ways to help them cope better.