FIU ReACH Lab | Research on Adolescent and Child Health
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WHO WE ARE

Innovative scholars

The ReACH Lab is committed to understanding how adolescent problem behavior, including substance use, develops and how it can be prevented.

WHAT WE DO

Identify early risk and protective factors

We aim to identify key biological, social, and individual risk and protective factors that contribute to substance use so that adolescents ReACH their full potential.

HOW WE DO IT

Cutting-edge research

The ReACH Lab collaborates with community members in South Florida and recruits diverse scholars who have a passion for learning and critical thinking.

LATEST FINDINGS

Internalizing Pathways to Adolescent Substance Use from Adverse Childhood Experiences

The mediating role of anxious, depressive, and somatic symptoms was examined in the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and adolescent substance use, with attention to the unique effects of each set of symptoms within the same model. Adolescents (n = 701) were assessed over time (ages 3–17) in a majority male (70.5%) and white (89.9%) sample. Findings indicate that depressive symptoms mediated the association between ACEs and adolescent cigarette and marijuana use. Although significant indirect effects remained when accounting for externalizing behavior, a novel protective pathway emerged through parent-reported youth anxiety and alcohol use. Assessing internalizing symptoms as separate facets within the same model is critical if we are to inform prevention programs that are tailored to the individual needs of youth who have experienced ACEs.

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The E-cigarette Assessment for Youth-Revised (EAsY-R) 

This study utilized cognitive interviews with high school and college-age youth who use vaping devices to inform the development of such an assessment. The sample consists of eight students between the ages of 15 and 24 (Mage = 18.75, SD = 2.73, 62.5% female, 75.0% Hispanic/Latino/a/x, 100.0% White). Interviewing and measure refinement were conducted in a two-phase iterative fashion. Suggestions made during cognitive interviews resulted in the refinement of assessed content type, updated categories and pictures of vaping devices, as well as updated and age-relevant terminology. Further, instructions were streamlined, and assessment items and multiple-choice options were refined to maximize clarity and to minimize participant confusion. The result of this study, the E-Cigarette Assessment for Youth Revised, is a unique tool for standardizing examinations of the quantity and frequency of vaping behaviors among high school students and college-age youth.

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Mother-Child Dynamics: Examining Reciprocal Relations between Parental Knowledge, Child Disclosure, Parental Legitimacy Beliefs, and Adolescent Alcohol Use

Early adolescent alcohol use is associated with adverse developmental and health outcomes. Parental knowledge can prevent or delay substance use, while youth behaviors may concurrently influence parenting. More research is needed to examine the role of youth’s perceptions of legitimacy of parental authority. This multi-informant study examined prospective bidirectional effects between parental knowledge and child disclosure alongside youth-reported alcohol use and perceived legitimacy of parental authority. Positive reciprocal associations were found between child disclosure and both parental knowledge and perceived legitimacy of parental authority. Legitimacy of parental authority negatively predicted alcohol use across adolescence. Child alcohol use also negatively predicted parental knowledge. Novel findings demonstrate that the parental legitimacy beliefs predict reduced alcohol use and have a reciprocal association with child disclosure. Clinical implications to mitigate youth alcohol use initiation, by enhancing parental self-efficacy and positive parenting, are discussed.

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Recruiting graduate students for 2025! 2 virtual open houses scheduled.

MEET THE TEAM

The ReACH Lab is comprised of scientists committed to interdisciplinary and innovative research.

Elisa Trucco, Ph.D.

Lab Director

Benjelene Sutherland

Graduate Research Assistant

Nasreen Hidmi

BReATHE Study Program Manager

Bonnie Bringas

Research Assistant

Steven Latimer

Research Assistant

Sarah Hartmann

Graduate Research Assistant

Ella Diab

Graduate Research Assistant

Odette Delamo

BREATHE Study Intake Specialist

Valentina Guillen

BReATHE Study Research Assistant

Isabel Valdes

Research Assistant

Sebastian Ortiz Malaga

Research Assistant

Krystyna Keller

Graduate Research Assistant

Rachael Rich

Graduate Research Assistant

Manuel Bruzos

ReACH Lab Manager and Post-Bac Research Assistant

Sasha Rivera

BReATHE Study Research Assistant

Kamilah Cespedes

Research Assistant

Claudia Echazabal

Research Assistant

ReACH NEWS

  • Congratulations, Dr. Fallah-Sohy!

    Big congratulations to the ReACH Lab’s newest doctor! Dr. Fallah-Sohy successfully defended her dissertation which examines the role of family, neighborhoods, and culture on alcohol use trajectories among Hispanic/Latino adolescents. Great job, Nilo!...

  • ReACH Lab Alumna Receives Best Dissertation Award

    ReACH Lab alumna, Dr. Julie Cristello, was award FIU’s Best Dissertation from the College of Arts, Sciences & Education. Her dissertation employed machine learning as a tool to identify e-cigarette users through adolescents’ Instagram metrics. Way to go Julie!...