My research explores a range of social and personality phenomena, with a primary focus on risk-taking, body image, gender identity/expression, and sexual orientation. My current projects include:

1. Risk-Taking Measurement and Sociodemographic Variation
   Utilizing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) data and the MAIHDA approach, this study examines:

   • The associations between multidimensional risk-taking indices.
   • How these associations vary across sociodemographic factors (gender, age, race, religion, family income, parental education).
   • The relationship between risk-taking measures (self-reports, behavioral tests) and adolescents’ psychological flourishing and distress, both at the population level and across sociodemographic subgroups.

2. Gender Nonconformity and Risk-Taking in Adolescents
   This study investigates the genetic and environmental components underlying both gender nonconformity and risk-taking behaviors. Using causal models, we aim to determine the directional relationship between these traits. Findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the developmental and social mechanisms linking gender expression and risk behaviors.

3. Measurement Invariance in Body Image Disturbance
   This project assesses the measurement properties of body image disturbance symptoms in ABCD youth across gender, sexual orientation, age, BMI, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and rater type. By identifying sources of differential item functioning, we reveal how different social groups interpret and weigh disordered eating symptoms differently. Adjusting for measurement bias, we observed reduced effect sizes in group mean differences.

4. Body Image Across Gender and Sexual Orientation Groups
   This ongoing study conceptualizes body image as a psychological perception of one’s physical self, incorporating both negative (e.g., body dissatisfaction, self-objectification) and positive/neutral dimensions (e.g., body appreciation, body-related self-esteem, drive for thinness/muscularity). After ensuring measurement invariance, we aim to explore group differences based on unique sociocultural experiences and contribute to theoretical frameworks explaining these disparities.

Additionally, I am exploring a potential research trajectory on gender identity and equity in education and organizational settings, which is in the early stages of development.