Research Interests
- Stress regulation
- Mindfulness
- Depression
- Close relationships
Research Description
What separates people who can thrive in the face of stress from those who succumb to mood disorders? How do early and later relationships buffer or exacerbate stress vulnerabilities, and how can people learn to respond more adaptively to daily stressors? Dr. Laurent’s research focuses on (1) defining what we mean by stress “regulation” by relating multiple biological (i.e., neural, neuroendocrine, autonomic) and behavioral stress response facets to psychological symptoms and well-being; (2) identifying developmental paths shaping stress regulation, including prenatal and postnatal influences of parental depression; and (3) determining how practices such as mindfulness can improve stress regulation, and whom such practices are most likely to benefit. Her work combines stress physiology monitoring, neuroimaging, and/or behavioral observation as people respond to naturalistic stressors that arise within close interpersonal relationships, toward the ultimate goal of interrupting intergenerational cycles of stress dysregulation and depression.
Education
Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Additional Campus Affiliations
Affiliate, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
Associate Professor, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology
Creative/Performing Interests
Stress regulation; Mindfulness; Depression; Close relationships
Recent Publications
Browning, M. H. E. M., Mimnaugh, K. J., van Riper, C. J., Laurent, H. K., & LaValle, S. M. (2020). Can Simulated Nature Support Mental Health? Comparing Short, Single-Doses of 360-Degree Nature Videos in Virtual Reality With the Outdoors. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, [2667]. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02667
Laurent, H. K., Sbrilli, M., Dawson, D., Finnegan, M., & Ramdas-Neal, D. (Accepted/In press). Disentangling levels of mother–infant neuroendocrine attunement and longitudinal relations with maternal risk and protective factors. Developmental psychobiology. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.21997
Nelson, B. W., Wright, D. B., Allen, N. B., & Laurent, H. K. (2020). Maternal stress and social support prospectively predict infant inflammation. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 86, 14-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2019.05.010
Nelson, B. W., Bernstein, R., Allen, N. B., & Laurent, H. K. (2020). The quality of early infant-caregiver relational attachment and longitudinal changes in infant inflammation across 6 months. Developmental psychobiology, 62(5), 674-683. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.21940
Dawson, D. N., Volpe, V. V., & Laurent, H. K. (2019). Synergistic Effects of Psychological Intimate Partner Violence Exposure and Gender Discrimination on Postnatal Mental Health Trajectories. Journal of interpersonal violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519844274
