Research Projects

Ongoing Projects

Community Advisory Boards (CABs)

Dr. Margherio and her collaborators, Dr. Heather Davis and Dr. Rosanna Breaux, have formed 4 CABs in Southwest Virginia, including middle and high school students, caregivers, and educators. CAB members are critical members of the research team. They meet regularly to provide perspectives, feedback, and ideas for research involving adolescent mental health and substance use. Interested in joining our CABs? Apply here.

Just Say Know Substance Use Prevention Program

Just Say KNOW is a 1-hour substance use prevention program that uses neuroscience education to help teens learn to respect their brain and make healthy choices. The three parts of the program are: (1) basic functions of the brain and neural reward systems, (2) drug effects on neurotransmitters and thus behavior (3) specific information about the developing adolescent brain and its vulnerability to substances Students are able to check their knowledge, ask questions, and learn strategies to make healthy decisions about alcohol and other substances. Our evidence suggests this program works for reducing teens’ intentions to use alcohol or substances, and that teens enjoy the program! We are currently working on adapting the program for rural Appalachian schools. Interested in learning more or bringing Just Say Know to your school? Contact our Community Liaison, Michelle Le, at childstudycenter@gmail.com.

Focus Groups with Community Members with Lived Experience in Substance Use

We want to learn from people in our Southwest Virginia community who have lived experience with substance use. We want to learn more about the needs and strengths of the community regarding substance use prevention. To help us learn more, we are inviting individuals aged 18-25 years old who live in Southwest Virginia and are willing to share their ideas to engage in 1.5 hour focus groups. Participants will be compensated with a $75 Amazon gift card. Additionally, participants will have the option to stay after the focus group to receive the REVIVE! Overdose Response Training to learn how to identify an overdose and how to respond, including administration of Narcan. To learn if you are eligible, please follow the following link to express interest: https://redcap.link/t1jea6qz.

Completed Projects

The Bridges to Education Success for Teens (BEST) project recruited 186 teens between 2015 and 2018 to evaluate the Challenging Horizons Program for high school students with ADHD. The BEST project was funded by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) from 2014 to 2019 and by the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) from 2021 to 2022 and was conducted by researchers at Ohio University and Lehigh University. Participants were followed into emerging adulthood to learn more about the development of individuals diagnosed with ADHD to answer questions about the long-term course of ADHD and the long-term effects of school-based treatments. The project has helped us learn about how these youth develop into adults, and how school-based treatments may help prepare these teens for the transition into adulthood.

To learn more about this project, watch the recruitment video from Dr. Margherio below:

Publications

*denotes undergraduate student mentee

1. Owens, J. S., Margherio, S. M., Dillon, C. Rew, H. G., Pickel, C. Hustus, C., & Evans, S. W. (2024). The daily report card and check-in/check-out: A commentary about two siloed interventions. Education and Treatment of Children.

2. Margherio, S. M., Rountree, R., Crooks-Monastra, J., Brazell, B. F., Bellamy, R. & Squeglia, L. M. (2024). Promoting diversity in biomedical fields with the Teen Science Ambassador Program. Journal of STEM Outreach (7), 1. 1-12. doi: 10.15695/jstem/v7i1.07

3. Margherio, S. M., Pedersen, S. L., Wang, F. L., Kennedy, T. M., Walther, C. A. P., Gnagy, E. M. Pelham Jr., W. E., & Molina, B. S. G. (2024). The role of perceived parent drinking motives on alcohol use among adolescents with and without childhood ADHD. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

4. DeFouw, E. R., Owens, J. S., Margherio, S. M., & Evans, S.W. (2024). Supporting teachers’ use of classroom management strategies via different school-based consultation models: Which is more cost-effective for whom? School Psychology Review(53), 2. 151-166. doi:10.1080/2372966X.2022.2087476

5. Margherio, S. M., Evans, S. W., DuPaul, G. J., Allan, D., & Owens, J. S. (2023). Effects of compliance to a training intervention for high school students with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.

6. Margherio, S. M., Boekankamp, D., Espinosa, E., & Schmidt, A. (2023). The interaction of mental health and race and ethnicity in juvenile justice placement decisions. Juvenile & Family Court Journal, 74(3).

7. Evans, S.W., DuPaul, G.J., Benson, K., Owens, J.S., Fu, Q., Cleminshaw, C., Kipperman, K. & Margherio, S. M. (2023). Social functioning outcomes of a high school based treatment program for adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Advance online publication.

8. Margherio, S. M., Evans, S. W., Monopoli, W. J., & Langberg, J. M. (2023). Cost-effectiveness of a training intervention for adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/15374416.2021.1875323

9. Evans, S. W., Allan, D., Xiang, J., Margherio, S. M., Owens, J. S., & Langberg, J. (2021). Organization interventions as a mediator of change for grades in the Challenging Horizons Program. Journal of School Psychology, 87, 18-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp.2021.05.001

10. Margherio, S. M., Capps, R. E., Monopoli, W. J., Evans, S.W., *Hernandez-Rodriguez, M., Owens, J. S., & DuPaul, G. J. (2021). Romantic relationships and sexual behavior among adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 25, 1468-1477. doi: 10.1177/1087054720914371

11. Wymbs, F. A., Wymbs, B., Margherio, S. M., & *Burd, K. (2021). The effects of high intensity versus low intensity exercise on academic productivity, mood, and behavior among youth with and without ADHD. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 30, 460-473. doi:10.1007/s10826-020-01880-5

12. Margherio, S. M. (2021). Ethical dilemmas related to the mentoring triad in psychology. Ethics & Behavior, 31, 102-118. doi: 10.1080/10508422.2019.1707677

13. Owens, J., Margherio, S. M., Lee, M., Evans, S., Coles, E., Mixon, C., & Crowley, M. (2021). Cost-effectiveness of consultation for a daily report card intervention: Comparing online and in-person implementation supports. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 31, 382-409. doi: 10.1080/10474412.2020.1759428

14. Margherio, S. M., *Brickner, M. A., Evans, S. W., Owens, J. S., DuPaul, G. J., & Allan, N. P. (2020). The role of emotion regulation in alcohol use in adolescents with ADHD. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 34, 772–782. doi: 10.1037/adb0000582

15. *Delgadillo, A. Wymbs, F. A., Margherio, S. M., & Egan, T. E. (2020). Using conjoint analysis to predict teachers’ preferences for intervention intensity. School Mental Health, 12, 743-756. doi: 10.1007/s12310-020-09385-8

16. Margherio, S. M., Evans, S. W., & Owens, J. S. (2019). Universal screening in middle and high schools: Who falls through the cracks? School Psychology Quarterly, 34, 591–602. doi:10.1037/spq0000337

17. Monopoli, J. W., Margherio, S. M., Xiang, J., Evans, S. W., *Brickner, M. A., & Langberg, J. M. (2019). Risk and protective factors for peer victimization in adolescents with ADHD. Journal of School Violence, 19, 234-247. doi: 10.1080/15388220.2019.1660181

18. Kempker, S. M., Schmidt, A. T., & Espinosa, E. M. (2017). Understanding the influence of mental health diagnosis and gender on placement decisions for justice-involved youth. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46, 1562-1581. doi: 10.1007/s10964-016-0572-5

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