Research Projects

Upcoming Projects

Community Needs Assessment

A primary aim in the Teen Lab's inaugral years will be to better understand the resources and needs of the New River Valley community as they relate to adolescent mental health and substance use. This program of community-centered research will use mixed-method data (focus groups, surveys) with community stakeholders (e.g., teens, parents, mental health providers, teachers, school counselors, school administrators) to better understand community cultural and structural resources, as well as current gaps between existing and ideal programming for adolescents.

Interpersonal Relationships and Adolescent Substance Use

The relationships among adolescent social skills, peer dynamics, and substance use behaviors are complex and intertwined. This study will be an observational, longitudinal investigation utilizing surveys, behavioral coding, and physiological indicators to better understand these associations. The overarching goal of this study will be to identify interpersonal processes that may be targeted in interventions to reduce adverse substance use outcomes, as well as to identify which processes could lead to worse outcomes. 

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. 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). 

2. 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.

3. DeFouw, E. R., Owens, J. S., Margherio, S. M., & Evans, S.W. (2022). Supporting teachers’ 

use of classroom management strategies via different school-based consultation models: Which 

is more cost-effective for whom? School Psychology Review. Advance online publication. 

doi:10.1080/2372966X.2022.2087476

4. 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

5. Margherio, S. M., Evans, S. W., Monopoli, W. J., & Langberg, J. M. (2021). 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. Margherio, S. M. (2021). Ethical dilemmas related to the mentoring triad in psychology. Ethics 

& Behavior, 31, 102-118. doi: 10.1080/10508422.2019.1707677

9. 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-

Margherio Curriculum Vitae Updated 8/24/23

person implementation supports. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 31,

382-409. doi: 10.1080/10474412.2020.1759428

10. 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

11. *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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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