Racial, ethnic, and cultural influences on youth development and family functioning; Racial socialization processes, racial identity development; Prevention of youth problem behavior and promotion of resilience; Culturally relevant and evidenced-based approaches to parenting; Intervention development and community dissemination in diverse cultural contexts
My lab leverages novel methodologies and modern tools (i.e. Ecological Momentary Assessment via smartphone, text message analysis, social media) to better understand the ways in which young people’s social contexts and relationships impact their mental health and risk taking behaviors. We focus closely on the role of parents and the cultural environments within which families are embedded.
Jennifer aims to conduct interdisciplinary, community-engaged research that supports helping professionals working with trauma; focusing trauma-informed intervention and support to the helping professional and improve client outcomes.
I am interested in the cumulative effects of life course adversity on chronobiology during pregnancy and the stress-buffering effects of social support and physical activity.
Examines the factors that increase risk of engaging in nonsuicidal self-injury or suicidal behaviors. Explores aspects of counseling that are effective in decreasing or preventing NSSI.
My area of research is teacher preparation, professional development and high quality early education settings.
Racial socialization; racial discrimination; racial identity beliefs, academic motivation, psychological well-being; resilience; African American adolescents and emerging adults
children’s social attitudes, their reasoning about social and cultural groups, food preferences and eating behavior, and early health concepts.
origins and outcomes of parenting, particularly in response to child negative emotions; emotional development in the family; inter generational transmission of parenting
I study risk and protective factors for low-income and ethnic minority children including school readiness, family engagement in education and ECE utilization by Hispanic families.
My work on social inequalities looks at race and ethnic inequality and relations in k-12 and higher education educational polices (structural) and interactions