Professor Dr. Karen Rudolph

Biography

Dr. Rudolph’s research identifies risk and protective processes that amplify or attenuate vulnerability to psychopathology development, focusing on the developmental stage of adolescence which is particularly sensitive. Her research employs a multi-level, multi-method approach to consider personal attributes of youth, including gender, temperament, emotion regulation, social motivation, coping mechanisms, as well as neuroendocrine profiles and neural processing. Furthermore, the impacts of development factors such as pubertal timing and social transitions, alongside contextual elements like early adversity and peer relationships, are examined as they contribute to the development of psychopathology, especially regarding depression and suicide. The aim is to understand the origins and consequences of individual differences in risk. A variety of methodological approaches are utilized in her work, including longitudinal survey-based research, interviews, behavioral observations, experimental tasks, hormone assessments, and fMRI. Recent efforts also focus on developing prevention programs for adolescent depression.

Research Interests