Lecturer

Research and/or Creative Works

In the past, my research adopted a multilevel approach to understanding peer victimization and aggression, including consideration of family context (e.g., parental psychopathology), peer relationships (e.g., low social status), individual behavior, and biobehavioral processes (e.g., psychophysiology). In addition, I conducted research related to effective parenting strategies for caregivers of strong-willed youth. Now, I am primarily focused on program evaluation of child welfare and mental health agencies in addition to developing easy-to-access parenting resources.

Please note that I do not have an active research lab and, therefore, cannot work with students on their theses or research.

Publications

Selected Publications

Breslend, N.L., Shoulberg, E., Wagner, C., Holterman, L.A., & Murray-Close, D. (2018). Biosocial interactions between relational victimization and physiological stress reactivity in relation to anxious/depressive symptoms and cognitive biases in adolescent girls. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 64(1).

Breslend, N.L., Shoulberg, E., Murray-Close, D., & McQuade, J. (2018). The social costs of being a wannabe: Moderating effects of gender and popularity on the association between popularity goals and forms of victimization. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. doi: 10.1007/s10964-018-0810-0

Breslend, N.L., Parent, J., Forehand, R., Peisch, V. & Compas, B.E. (2017). The impact of a family group cognitive-behavioral preventive intervention with families of depressed parents on youth social problems through reductions in child internalizing problems. Development and Psychopathology, 1-13. doi: 10.1017/S0954579417001821

Murray-Close, D., Holterman, L.A., Breslend, N.L., & Sullivan, A.D. (2017). Psychophysiology of proactive and reactive relational aggression. Biological Psychology, 77-85. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.10.005

Breslend, N.L, Parent, J., Forehand, R., Compas, B.E., Thigpen, J.C., & Hardcastle, E. (2016). Parental depressive symptoms and child internalizing and externalizing problems: The moderating role of interparental conflict. Journal of Family Violence, 31(7), 823-831.

Lafko, N., Murray-Close, D., & Shoulberg, E., (2015). Negative peer status and relational victimization: Moderating role of stress physiology. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 44(3), 405-416.

Forehand, R. Lafko, N., Parent, J., & Burt, K. (2014). Is parenting the mediator of change in behavioral parent training for externalizing problems of youth? Clinical Psychology Review, 34(8), 608-619.

Murray-Close, D., Crick, N.R., Tseng, W., Lafko, N., Burrows, C., Pitula, C., & Ralston P. (2014). Autonomic reactivity to stress and physical and relational aggression: The moderating roles of victimization, type of stressor, and child gender.Development and Psychopathology, 3(26), pp 589-603.

Nicole smiling in a soft grey professional setting

Education

  • B.A. University of Vermont, 2012
  • M.A., Developmental Psychology, University of Vermont, 2015
  • Ph.D., Developmental Psychology/Developmental Psychopathology, University of Vermont, 2017

CV

PDF icon Nicole Breslend CV.pdf

Contact

Email:

Nicole.Lafko@uvm.edu

Office Location:

Dewey 230

Office Hours:

By appointment via email

Courses Taught

  •  Introduction to Psychology (PSYS 001)
  • Statistics for Psychological Science (PSYS 054)
  • The Psychology of Harry Potter (PSYS 095)
  •  Developmental Psychology (PSYS 150)
  •  Psychopathology (PSYS 170)
  • Introduction to Clinical Psychology (PSYS 271)
  • History of Psychology (PSYS 300, graduate student standing only)
  • Advanced Statistical Methods I (PSYS 304, graduate student standing only)
  • Advanced Statistical Methods II (PSYS 305, graduate student standing only)
  • Developmental Psychology Seminar (PSYS 350, graduate student standing only)
  •  Child Psychopathology (PSYS 370, graduate student standing only)
  • Child Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (PSYS 371, graduate student standing only)