Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center

School-based prevention of mental health problems the focus of Bennett Lecture | Penn State University The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center will welcome its 2025 Bennett Lecturer, Catherine Bradshaw, senior associate dean for research and professor at the University of Virginia., on Nov. ...

The Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center’s 2025 Bennett Lecture takes place November 12, 2025. @prcpennstate.bsky.social
www.psu.edu/news/researc...

Welcome to the PRC, Joe Lancaster! Joe studies recovery from substance use disorders from a chronic care perspective, using intensive longitudinal methods. For more info. on our Prevention and Methodology Training program, visit pamt.psu.edu. We’re glad to have you!

Person with glasses smiling at the camera, wearing a black shirt with white buttons and collar.

Welcome to the PRC, Yuqi Shen! Yuqi studies the day-to-day effects of modifiable behaviors (e.g., sleep, physical activity) on substance use, using innovative quantitative methods. For more info. on our Prevention and Methodology Training program, visit pamt.psu.edu

Welcome to the PRC, Anna Newell! Anna studies drug policy and substance use with a specific focus on unintended crime and health-related consequences of drug policies. For more info. on our Prevention and Methodology Training program, visit http://pamt.psu.edu

We are thrilled to welcome Emma Skogseth as a predoctoral fellow in our Prevention and Methodology Training Program! She examines pathways to treatment and treatment outcomes among women with co-occurring substance use disorder and serious mental illness.
Learn more: http://pamt.psu.edu

Lisa Gatzke-Kopp named head of human development and family studies | Penn State University Lisa Gatzke-Kopp has been named head of the Penn State Department of Human Development and Family Studies. She joined the College of Health and Human Development in 2007 as an assistant professor and ...

Congratulations! Well-deserved! https://www.psu.edu/news/health-and-human-development/story/lisa-gatzke-kopp-named-head-human-development-and-family-studies

A PowerPoint slide titled "Be a Positive Parent & Start the Conversation," featuring a webinar with Dr. Rob Turrisi. The slide lists tips for parents on approaching conversations about drinking with kids and teens, including how to engage them with open-ended questions. Logos of MADD and Operation Parent are displayed at the bottom.

A person giving a presentation on responsible parenting actions, with a slide titled "Rules and Responses." The slide includes do's and don'ts for setting rules and consequences. Do set rules and explain the reasoning behind them. Do impose the estabished consequence, do be consistent, do be very clear on no underage drinkng or other drug ue. Don't base your actions on anger. Don't impoase a consequence in the heat of the moment.

The "Power of Parents" handbooks created by Penn State Professor Rob Turrisi help parents have positive conversations with their children about drinking alcohol -- the risks, consequences, and how to make safer choices.

Download the FREE handbooks here: https://madd.org/power-of-parents/

smiling young woman wearing a blue cardigan sweater

We are excited to welcome @amormino.bsky.social to the Prevention Research Center as a postdoctoral scholar in our Prevention and Methodology Training program! Her PAMT mentors will be @dcameron.bsky.social and Joel Segel. For more about PAMT for pre- and postdoctoral scholars, visit pamt.psu.edu.

First day of fall semester classes at #PennState! Good luck as you embark upon a new semester! 💥

Illustration of a school building above five diverse, colorful human figures holding hands inside a heart-shaped puzzle background.

Join a FREE online course on School Connectedness to discover how fostering a sense of belonging boosts student well-being & academic success.💡 Perfect for educators, youth-serving professionals, and prevention partners.

Enroll here: ow.ly/PYba50WBGor

@sebrinadf.bsky.social

Explore differences in practices, skills, and knowledge taught in 12 school-based mindfulness programs Choosing a school-based mindfulness program can be a daunting task. Programs vary in their content, cost, length and expected outcomes. To help aid in understanding of what these programs offer, Sebri...

Choosing a school-based mindfulness program can be a daunting task. Programs vary in their content, cost, length, and expected outcomes. Check out this helpful analysis conducted by Sebrina Doyle Fosco and Deb Schussler: prevention.psu.edu/news/explori...

New online training to motivate researchers to engage with policymakers Researchers across different disciplines increasingly recognize the importance of communicating their findings beyond academic audiences, especially to policymakers who can act on evidence to improve ...

@Researchers: Want to connect with policymakers to share your findings & inform policy? Check out these free, online training modules, designed to take 10 minutes or less: prevention.psu.edu/news/new-onl...

In the Voices of Adolescents: Co‐Designing Four Curricular Components of Compassion Programs to Align With Developmental Needs Introduction School-based prevention efforts to support social and emotional learning in adolescence frequently struggle to demonstrate sizable impact, and scholars suggest this may be due to a lack...

Penn State researcher Blake Colaianne returned to the high school where he used to teach to ask students to help him make a #mindfulness and #compassion curriculum more engaging and meaningful for them. Here's what he learned: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Early brain and child development study data now available The first wave of data Penn State’s HEALthy Brain and Child [...]

Researchers: The first wave of data Penn State’s HEALthy Brain and Child Development study is now available to researchers interested in addressing a wide-range of questions, including how environments and substances impact infant & child development.

prevention.psu.edu/news/early-b...

Welcome, Paige! 💙

Paige Amormino Hi, I'm Paige Amormino. I am currently in the fifth and final year of my Psychology Ph.D. program working with Dr. Abigail Marsh in the Laboratory on Social...

Excited to announce that @amormino.bsky.social has joined the EMP Lab as a post-doctoral fellow through @prcpennstate.bsky.social Prevention and Methodology Training Program! Excited to work with her on prosociality, moral judgments, & prevention science. Check out her work below, cheers to Paige!

Research or Regress: Community Response Add your name to show your support for life-changing research at Penn State

Please consider signing this petition in support of federally-funded research: pennstate.quorum.us/campaign/126...

headshots of the 3-coauthors on the research paper above the paper's title, Individual variability in adolescent impulsivity, The predictive role of family and peer relationships

A recent study suggests that targeting conflict in close personal relationships -- family and peers -- could reduce adolescent risk for impulsivity. Learn more in this paper by @familypowerlab.bsky.social, Lan Chen & Jessica DeFelice:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Preschool intervention linked to high school performance UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Low-income students who received a preschool intervention focused on social-emotional development continued to benefit from it during their teen years according to a recent stud...

🌟 Exciting research alert! A study involving 356 kids from PA Head Start centers revealed that a social-emotional learning intervention led to better behavioral adjustment and higher GPAs in high school! Learn more: ow.ly/QeRJ50WbCkH

Graduating with an alcohol problem? Associations between drinking, willingness to experience consequences, protective behavioral strategies, and repeated alcohol problems across the senior year of college: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 0, No ja Objective: Research shows a high proportion of college seniors experience alcohol problems repeatedly. The present study examined associations between behavioral willingness to experience alcohol consequences (BW), protective behavioral strategies to reduce harmful drinking (PBS), drinking, and repeated alcohol problems (RAPs) early in the senior year, and how these constructs influenced BW, PBS, drinking, and RAPs later in the senior year. Method: The sample included randomly selected first year students from a large northeastern university that met the inclusion criterion of consuming alcohol prior to enrollment. Students were followed each semester across 4 years. The study (N = 1,753; 58% female) focused on the assessments in the fall (T1) and spring (T2) semesters of their senior year (mean age = 21). A longitudinal path model examined associations among BW, PBS, drinking, and RAPs at both waves. Results: BW, drinking, and PBS had direct, concurrent associations with RAPs at T1 and T2. The nature of the associations was positive for BW and drinking and negative for PBS. Prospective analyses revealed significant independent, positive associations between T1 RAPs and T2 BW, drinking, and RAPs, while a negative independent association between T1 RAPs and PBS was observed at T2. Conclusions: Findings show evidence for a cycle of alcohol use behavior between BW, drinking, and RAPs. Based on the findings, interventions targeting college seniors seem warranted to reduce developing further alcohol problems in adulthood.

Graduating with an alcohol problem? Associations between drinking, willingness to experience consequences, protective behavioral strategies.... (just accepted in @jsadjournal.bsky.social)
@pennstatehhd.bsky.social @prcpennstate.bsky.social @veronicarichards.bsky.social
www.jsad.com/doi/abs/10.1...

BIG10 Neuroscience Student Art Competition Unleash your creativity and explore the intersection of art and science in our inaugural Big Ten Neuroscience Annual Meeting Art Competition, Connecting Minds: Art, Neuroscience, and Community.

Prizes up to $750! 💰Submit your original artwork reflecting the theme, “bringing the mysteries of mind to life." Entries are due July 10.

Info.: prevention.psu.edu/big10-neuros...

Mental Health Modulates Associations Between Institutional Belonging and Substance Use Risk: Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs: Vol 86, No 3 Objective: The present study aimed to characterize profiles of mental health, incorporating indicators of both psychopathology and well-being, among college students and determine whether institutional belonging differentially relates to past-month substance use by mental health profile. Method: Students (N = 4,018; 59.5% female, 74.7% White) completed a survey regarding mental health (i.e., anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, stress, flourishing, academic confidence), institutional belonging, and whether they had engaged in any binge drinking of alcohol and use of cannabis and nicotine products, including nicotine vaping, over the past month. Results: Latent profile analyses indicated five profiles of mental health with differing levels of psychopathology and well-being. Greater institutional belonging was only related to higher odds of binge drinking among students in profiles characterized by average or high well-being, irrespective of psychopathology. Among students with overall poor mental health, higher institutional belonging was related to higher odds of nicotine use. Results were generally invariant to campus and year in college. Conclusions: Our findings highlight that both positive and negative aspects of mental health should be considered when assessing college students' substance use. Greater institutional belonging may incur risk for substance use differentially by mental health, with respect to binge drinking for those with high levels of positive well-being and nonvaping nicotine use for those with overall poor mental health. Because associations emerged between belonging and substance use risk, institutions could consider implementing or raising awareness of alcohol-free, inclusive activities to ensure that students can feel a sense of belonging while abstaining from drinking.

Mental Health Modulates Associations Between Institutional Belonging and Substance Use Risk (new in @jsadjournal.bsky.social 86/3)
@stlanza.bsky.social @ucscscience.bsky.social @prcpennstate.bsky.social @ucsantacruz.bsky.social @pennstatehhd.bsky.social
www.jsad.com/doi/full/10....

AI image of a teen wearing sunglasses

Research on our PROSPER program has connected school belonging with reduced suicide risk among adolescents. Tune into the Adolescence Deep Dive podcast to learn more about the research published by Sunhye Bai, Greg Fosco, Mark Feinberg and Dick Spoth: ow.ly/GfE050VSzJt

Meet Sebrina Doyle Fosco (@sebrinadf.bsky.social) & get a meaningful glimpse into the heart and mind of a mindfulness and compassion researcher/practitioner. She is working with educational leaders, helping them to support their well-being, which in turn, helps them support teachers and students. 💙

Mental health counseling can boost resilience after military sexual trauma UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Mental health counseling (MHC) may help U.S. veterans recover and build resilience after experiencing military sexual trauma (MST), according to a new study from researchers at ...

“This study underscores how crucial it is to support veterans with accessible, trauma-informed mental health care. No one should have to carry the weight of military sexual trauma alone, especially when the evidence shows that counseling can make a difference.” prevention.psu.edu/news/mental-...

“When you can do a little bit at a critical development period, then that pushes a person onto a better path – that’s a pretty powerful thing.” Learn about our work in Pennsylvania middle schools to help prevent youth substance use in this video and at prosper.psu.edu

Did you know? PRC-supported programs have reached more than 1 million people around the globe! 🌎 This is the power of Penn State Research to help children and families!

PRC Seminar: "Empathy and Engaged Youth Citizenship: What it Means and Why it Matters" While the relationship between proven models of youth engaged empathy [...]

Monday afternoon, check out the talk (hybrid format) by Pat Dolan, who is visiting from Galway to talk about intergroup empathy in the real world. Plus, we're working toward an international empathy observatory...
@prcpennstate.bsky.social
@psuliberalarts.bsky.social @ssripennstate.bsky.social

URGENT ACTION FOR NSF GRANTEES.

For current & recent (since 2020) awards, archive your award history this afternoon/tonight. Screenshot/download/print your work in research.gov & alert your partners.

We have credible threats to integrity of awards tracking systems (via @jeremymberg.bsky.social)