This past Wednesday, Dr. Booker had the opportunity to share a talk about two promising school-based interventions: the Promote Care and Prevent Harm program for encouraging "upstanding" behaviors away from bullying and toward caring for peers; and Our Minds Matter, with its focus on encouraging a community for greater mental health through extracurricular clubs and school programming. Both programs have shown exciting promise amidst a field of thorough efforts to address and promote teens' functioning at school. This talk was shared with the Michael A. Middleton Center for Race, Citizenship, and Justice. Booker OMM Middleton TalkDownload

A manuscript accepted by the Journal of Adolescence investigates mother-adolescent storytelling dynamics. It reveals adolescents express agency and communion differently than mothers, highlighting gender norms in storytelling. Higher communion correlates with better well-being and family dynamics. The study suggests further research across diverse families to understand developmental and familial nuances.

Multiple undergraduate scholars and Dr. Booker presented research at recent conferences, showcasing projects in developmental science and fostering valuable discussions within the academic community.

Graduate student Chloe Johnson received a research grant to study healthy romantic relationship milestones among young Black women in the U.S. This research aligns with her interests in life transitions during emerging adulthood. The project, integral to her dissertation, is anticipated to make significant progress starting this summer.

We are delighted to announce that Michelle Le, former lab member and upcoming clinical psychology student in the Virginia Tech psychology program, was recently recognized with an Honorable Mention for the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program. This highly competitive program invites upcoming scientists to showcase their scientific thinking and readiness to contribute to a strong career in science.

We're excited to announce a recent lab paper based on our team's interests in the lasting importance of family stories for adult offspring. This paper, titled "Family Stories about Parents as Resources for Young Adults’ Well-Being and Identity" is in press at the Journal for Applied Research on Memory and Cognition and was led by Dr. Booker, former research intern Alexus Morton, and senior honors student Bayliee Kulesa.

A recent paper led by Dr. Booker investigates the relationship between personality traits, character, and narrative identity in young adults. It reveals that various personality measures correlate with identity statuses among college students, emphasizing the importance of exploring and committing to identities during development. Key findings include links between personality traits and identity achievement.

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We're excited to announce a recent team paper, led by former University of Missouri student Megan Edwards--now a postdoctoral fellow at Duke University--and Dr. Laura King at the University of Missouri. This paper, titled "Hope as a Meaningful Emotion: Hope, Positive Affect, and Meaning in Life", is in press at the journal Emotion, and included scholars from the United States and China (Peking University).

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We're excited to announce a recent team paper, based on interests from one of our former undergraduate scholars and other collaborators within and beyond the lab. This paper, titled "Social Support is Fundamentally Important for Mental Health among Adolescents and Emerging Adults: Evidence across Relationships and Phases of the COVID-19 Pandemic", is in press at the Journal for Research on Adolescence…

We're excited to announce a recent publication with Dr. Booker and grad student Chloe Johnson. This paper, titled, "Personal strengths in a jarring time: Self-compassion and hope before and during COVID disruptions" is in press at the journal Emerging Adulthood. This manuscript involves a multi-cohort look at how individual differences in college adults' hopefulness and self-compassion are important for psychological well-being.

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