Recruitment information below - Please read!

Intergenerational Trauma and Attachment Lab

Elena Padrón, Ph.D.

I am a clinical and developmental psychologist with specializations in early childhood and developmental

psychopathology. I have clinical experience with children and families, and populations exposed to trauma. My research

centers on the intersection of early childhood mental health, parent-child attachment relationships, and trauma,

specifically in minoritized populations.

The project the team has been working on most closely aims to closely examine the childhood experiences, attachment

patterns, trauma exposure, psychopathology and caregiving qualities of former foster youth who became parents, and to

further explore the impact of these maternal attachment and trauma experiences on their attachment relationship with their

young children and on their children’s development.

Sample presentations:

1. McCoy, J.J.* &; Padrón, E. (April, 2014). Former foster youth with sexual abuse histories: Pregnancy experiences and

maternal perceptions of their child. Poster presented at the California Psychological Association Convention, Monterey, CA. 

Public Full Text .

2. Smith, S. &; Padrón, E. (November, 2014). Childhood placement history factors as predictors of trauma-related

symptoms and diagnoses. Poster presented at the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS) 30th Annual Meeting, Miami, FL.

3. Stuart, B.* &; Padrón, E. (August, 2018). Utility of an Attachment Interview for Assessing Abuse History in Female

Former Foster Youth. Poster Presented at the American Psychological Association (APA). Annual Convention, San Francisco, CA.

* above indicate lab student participation.

Joining the ITA Lab

Undergraduate and graduate students can join the lab. Students receive training in attachment and trauma research and

theory. Our current project is completing qualitative data analysis of attachment interviews, targeting resilience in our

sample.

We seek students who can commit to at least two semesters to work in the lab. Our meeting times are Thursdays 4-5pm.

Weekly meetings are required and they are in-person. Unfortunately, we cannot accept students who can only meet

remotely.

You might be a good match for ITA Lab if you:

•  Want to learn more about clinically-relevant research and work as part of a team.

•  Are intrinsically motivated and can commit to working at least 4 hours per week.

•  Work well in collaboration with others, and do well with specific and constructive feedback.

•  Have prior research experience and/or have a solid understanding of research methods.

•  Have taken Human Development, Abnormal Psychology, Personality or Interviewing and Counseling courses, and received a strong grade.

•  Have both knowledge of and interest in attachment and trauma research.

•  Have knowledge or experience in early childhood mental health.

•  Have experience working with African American families, or have taken courses centered on this population.

If you are interested in applying, the first step is to take the recruitment survey. If we are accepting students and you seem like a good match, we will reach out to you to schedule an interview with Dr. Padrón.

Contact us:  
Elena Padrón, principal investigator -  ep173@humboldt.edu

For applicants, please submit interest form before contacting Dr. Padrón.

Interested in hearing a student's perspective? If you have any questions regarding the lab, please our website managers at:

Kayt Morrison - kjm193@humboldt.edu

Keith Flores - lif8@humboldt.edu