Although bullied adolescents experience elevated risk for adverse mental and physical health outcomes, some youth exhibit resilience in the face of peer victimization. Given the developmental importance of peer relationships during adolescence, much of the research examining protective factors that can mitigate bullying-related harm has focused on…

Learners are more disconnected from the natural environment than ever before. Science education occurs predominantly in classrooms and laboratories, settings that rationalize and deconstruct the natural world in a Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm. This often negates humans' relationality and interdependence with other life phenomena and furthermore…

While accumulating literature is demonstrating the role of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in predicting emotional-behavioural difficulties in adults of at risk populations, only few studies have focused on the possible association between the methylation status of the DAT promoter and the psychopathological risk of mothers, fathers and children in…

Acne is a hallmark of adolescence, affecting 85% of youth between the ages of 12 and 25 worldwide. Perhaps because of its ubiquity and minimal impact on physical functioning, acne is often dismissed as a time-delimited cosmetic nuisance and has been summarily neglected by developmental scientists. However, emerging evidence suggests that acne is…

Symptoms aligned with Seasonal Affective Disorder negatively impact the academic productivity and well-being of students. Previous research on college aged students, elementary students, and laborers in the workplace provide evidence that spring time changes and weather contribute to greater feelings of productivity for these groups. Through the…

Individuals often vary in how they display signs and symptoms of personality disturbances and psychopathology. As such, comprehensive assessments of these signs and symptoms ought to capture how they manifest within and across time and contexts (e.g., community, home, work). Contexts may vary in the degree to which they influence personality and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social media on adolescent mental health. The study was intentional in examining the effects of social media usage on depression, self-esteem, and academic achievement. The research was completed during the fall and spring of 2020 and 2021 with 136 ninth grade students within a large…

The attrition rate of early career teachers is high. In fact, the government spends $2 billion annually to replace teachers in the first five years of their tenure (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005). The purpose of this dissertation is two-fold: 1) to test the relationship between purpose, psychological well-being, and affective commitment…

School bullying is a worldwide phenomenon that occurs in both developed and developing nations. The increase in aggressive behaviors in teenagers usually coincides with the beginning of their middle school years as young students enter the developmental phase of identity formation, physical maturation, and attachment separation from parents in.…

Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have high rates of co-occurring mental health needs that necessitate mental health interventions. Given the unique clinical characteristics of youth with ASD, there have been significant efforts to adapt and test mental health interventions for this population. Yet, characterization of the nature and types…

Animal-assisted interventions are increasingly used for children with ASD to promote inclusion and quality of life but are not accessible to many families. Companion animals may provide similar benefit but have not been well-investigated within this population. This scoping review presents the state of research regarding natural-based animal…

Mental health among students on college campuses has been deteriorating for the last two decades. Objective social connection, or the amount of time spent with others, is thought to be related to mental health levels and of critical importance to college students, a group in which establishing relationships and socializing with others is a primary…

English Language Learners are students who speak at least one language other than English. English Language Learners have lower standardized test scores than their native English speaking peers. As a result, ELLs are often put into remedial classes that might not have been necessary if they were native English speakers. Also, there is the threat…

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a public education program designed to improve youth mental health outcomes by training adults to notice mental health problems and help youth in seeking treatment. This study used a pre-post 3-month follow-up design to explore whether mental health literacy (MHL), perceived mental health stigma (MHS), and…

This study examines the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety and depression symptoms among college students, paying special attention to gender-related differences. To do that, we use data from a special survey applied to all students from one of Mexico's largest universities six months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey…