Dr. Mercado's research seeks to better understand how close relationships buffer or increase risk for mental health outcomes in ethnic minority populations, with an emphasis on families of Latin American backgrounds. Her current work focuses on ways exposure to stress (e.g., discrimination) may impact the parent-adolescent relationship and youth adjustment through the application of a biopsychosocial lens. She is particularly interested in how interpersonal emotion dynamics such shared physiology and affect, may serve as a protective or risk factor for psychological adjustment. Her research employs both naturalistic (e.g., daily diary studies) and experimental methods in combination with self-report, observational, and psychophysiological measures (e.g., cortisol). 

If you are interested in joining the lab please contact our lab email famlab@umass.edu and/or reach out to the lab coordinator, Aylin Fernandez, aylinfernand@umass.edu.