Norma Perez-Brena Research Lab
Mission
To highlight the cultural and familial assets that support and promote Latinx and immigrant adolescents’ adjustment
Dr. Perez-Brena's primary interests lie in understanding the combination of social (e.g., family and peers support), cultural (e.g., values, ethnic racial socialization), and personal (e.g., self-esteem, conflict management skills) characteristics that promote Latinx adolescent and young adult adjustment during key developmental and family transitions. Her work is centered on two key areas: the negotiation of family relationships across development (e.g., parent-child, romantic partners), and the impacts of culture across the life-span.
Additionally, Dr. Perez-Brena is passionate about translational research that promotes the development and integration of culturally-relevant programs to represent and empower immigrant and Latinx communities.
Current Projects
Strengthening Relationships/Strengthening Families (Currently collecting data)
This randomized control trial assessed the impacts of a strengths-based culturally responsive intervention serving Latinx pregnant and parenting adolescents. In addition, this longitudinal study assessed the role of culture and family in informing changes in romantic, parenting, and coparenting relationship dynamics during youths' early transition into parenthood.
PI's: Norma Perez-Brena, Michelle Toews, Renee Perez, Co-Is: Mark Feinberg, Jenee’ Duncan.
Funder: DHHS
Status: Data Cleaning and Analysis Phase
TIES Study
Latinx adolescents regularly experience discrimination and face anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies that undermine their academic success, perpetuating racial/ethnic disparities in education. This study moves beyond documenting this adversity longitudinally following 500+ Adolescents from three years to understand how cultural assets and social relationships can protect against the negative effects of discrimination on Latinx adolescents’ academic success. Additionally, a subset of adolescents will complete a 21-day daily diary study to assess how, at the micro-level, do these cultural and social assets support youth’s daily in-person and online experiences of stress.
PI's: Thao Ha, Maciel Hernandez, Olga Kornienko, Co-Is: Norma Perez-Brena, Dalal Safa, Esa Burson, Kristia Wantchekon
Funder: Spencer Foundation
Status: Beginning daily diary and Wave 3 data collection in Fall 2024
Healthy Familias
Family acceptance and support are critical factors that promote resilience and reduce mental health burden among sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents. Though important, little research has showcased the familial experiences of Latinx SGM adolescents. This two-part study aims to collect qualitative data from Latinx SGM adolescents describing how they experience support form parents. Informed by this information, we aim to create a culturally-responsive measure of parents support of SGM youth, and then use this information to assess how parental support moderates the link between minority stress experiences of Latinx SGM adolescents and their parents on their mental health.
PI's: Russel Toomey, Roberto Abreu, Karina Gattamorta, Co-Is: Norma Perez-Brena, Kirsten Gonzalez.
Funder: NIMHD.
Status: Beginning data collection in Fall 2024
The ALCANCE Project
This longitudinal study (a) qualitatively and quantitatively examined how Latinx adolescent students identify with their academics (i.e., academic identity) and (b) examines academic identity as the potential mechanism linking sources of academic support/socialization, school belonging, and academic achievement among Latinx youth during the transition into middle school.
PI: Melissa Delgado, Co-I's: Rajni Nair, Norma Perez-Brena, Lorey Wheeler.
Funder: Greater Texas Foundation
Status: Analysis phase
Juntos (Together): Families Raising Successful Teens Project (In data analysis stage)
This 8-year longitudinal study of mothers, fathers, and adolescent sibling pairs in 246 Mexican-origin families to examined family and cultural socialization processes that support youth during the transitions from early to late adolescence, and from late adolescence into young adulthood.
PI's: Kimberly Updegraff, Adriana Umaña-Taylor, & Susan McHale.
Funder: NICHD
Status: Analysis phase
Publications/Selected Publications
Collaborators
Faculty
Robert Abreu - University of Florida
Esa Burson – Smith College
Kiera Coulter – University of Texas at Austin
Melissa Y. Delgado – University of Arizona
Jenee’ Duncan - University of Florida
Mark Feinberg – Pennsylvania State University
Karina Gattamorta – University of Miami
Kirsten Gonzalez – University of Tennessee - Knoxville
Thao Ha – Arizona State University
Maciel Hernadez – University of California, Davis
Olga Kornienko – George Mason University
Rajni Nair – Arizona State University
Dalal Safa – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Michelle Toews – Kansas State University
Russel Toomey – University of Arizona
Adriana Umaña-Taylor – Harvard University
Kimberly Updegraff – Perdue University
Kristia Wantchekon - Georgetown University
Lorey Wheeler – University of Nebraska
Graduate Research Assistants (GRA) and Undergraduate Research Assistants (UGRA)
Current:
Priscila Gámez Hernández (UA)
Alyssa N. Garcia (UA)
Mayra Peralta (TXST)
David Reyna (TXST)
Liliana Rojo (TXST)
Kealie Walker (UA)
Priscilla Zambrano (UA)
Past:
Elia Bueno (Completed a PhD in HDFS: 2024) – Currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Purdue University
Esteban Guerrero-Ortiz (Completed an M.A.in Counseling: 2024) – Currently working at Thriveworks Counseling
Roxana Perez (Completed an M.S. in HDFS: 2022) – Currently completing Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at Texas State University
Community and National Partners
Strengthening Relationship/Strengthening Families
Pima County Coalition for Immigrant Children & Communities
Mathematica