In the Health Experiences and Adolescent Relationship Trajectories (HEART) Lab, we focus on understanding the social, contextual, structural, and cultural factors that influence adolescent and young adult development, health, and well-being. We use primarily secondary data analysis from large, national, longitudinal datasets, such as the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study (ABCD), the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) and the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW) to better understand long-term development. In this research we apply innovative statistical approaches, such as time-varying effect modeling (TVEM) and latent class analysis (LCA).
Read below to learn more about our current projects!
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Health
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events in childhood that can have a profound impact on individuals’ later health. However, most research that examines ACEs uses a sum score which treats all adversities as having an equivalent impact. In addition, the originally proposed 10 ACEs focused on middle-class, largely white, participants and may not fully represent the experiences of lower-income or racial/ethnic minority participants. Thus, in this work we are using LCA to uncover profiles of original and expanded ACEs and examine how they are associated with health outcomes like sexual behavior, substance use, and mental health. In addition, we want to better understand the mechanisms that lead to these associations, as well as protective factors that may serve as a buffer against the impact of ACEs.
Click here to learn about our NICHD-funded grant.
Sample papers:
Zhang, X.**, Wang, X., Liu, Q.**, & Vasilenko, S.A. (2023). Unpacking the impact of early adverse childhood experiences on early onset of sexual intercourse among an urban birth cohort of early adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. 73, 6, 1110-1116. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.07.010
Wang, X., Jiang, L**., Barry, L**., Zhang, X.**, Vasilenko, S. A., & Heath, R.D. (2023). A scoping review on adverse childhood experiences studies using latent class analysis: Strengths and challenges. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1177/15248380231192922
Normative Development of Health Behaviors
Adolescence is a key time for development of certain health risks, such as risky sexual behavior and alcohol use. However, while researchers have traditionally examined these behaviors using a health-risk lens, they also may be a part of normative development and potentially associated with positive consequences for adolescents and young adults. Thus, we study these health behaviors in a way that incorporates both health risk and normative developmental perspectives. This includes a) understanding how the prevalence and predictors of health behaviors changes across the lifespan and b) what perceived consequences and physical, mental, and social health outcomes do individuals experience from these behaviors at different ages.
Sample papers:
Vasilenko, S.A. (2022). Sexual behavior and health from adolescence to young adulthood: A review of 25 years of research from Add Health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 71(6), S24-S31. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.08.014
Vasilenko, S. A., Walters, T. L.**, Clark, A. N.**, & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2022). Positive, Negative, or Mixed Feelings? A Person‑Centered Approach to Consequences of First Penile‑Vaginal Intercourse in College Students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(8), 3993-4006 doi:10.1007/s10508-022-02379-4
Vasilenko, S. A., Evans-Polce, R. J.*, & Lanza, S. T. (2017). Age trends in rates of substance use disorders across ages 18–90: Differences by gender and race/ethnicity. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 180, 260-264. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.08.027.
Vasilenko, S. A. (2017). Age-varying associations between non-marital sexual behavior and depressive symptoms across adolescence and young adulthood. Developmental Psychology. 53, 366-378. doi: 10.1037/dev0000229
Sexual Behaviors in Latine Adolescents
In collaboration with Dr. Graciela Espinosa-Hernandez and the University of North Carolina Wilmington we examine how socio-cultural factors shape sexual development in Latine adolescents, particularly Mexican and Mexican-American adolescents. This includes understanding how cultural values like familism, machismo, and marianismo are associated with sexual behaviors, as well as how sexual behaviors are associated with adolescent mental health and well-being in the Mexican context.
Sample papers:
Espinosa-Hernández, G., Vasilenko, S. A., Lombardi, K.***, McCrimmon, J.***, & McPherson, J. L***. (2022). Patterns of Sexual Well-being in Mexican Adolescents and Associations with Psychological adjustment: A Latent Class Approach. Journal of Sex Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2100309
Vasilenko, S. A., Espinosa-Hernández, G., & Halgunseth, L. C. (2015). Positive and negative perceived consequences of first intercourse among middle and high school students in Puebla, Mexico. Culture, Health and Sexuality, 18, 582-596. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2015.1101164
Espinosa-Hernández, G., & Vasilenko, S. A. (2015). Patterns of relationship and sexual behaviors in Mexican adolescents and associations with well-being: A latent class approach. Journal of Adolescence, 44, 280-290. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2015.08.011
Espinosa-Hernández, G., Vasilenko, S. A., & Bamaca-Colbert, M. Y. (2016). Sexual behaviors in Mexico: The role of values and gender across adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence. 26, 603-609. doi: 10.1111/jora.12209
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