Targeted Intervention for Insufficient Sleep among Typically-Developing Adolescents (TAPAS)

Supervising Faculty: Jessica C Levenson, PhD

Contact: Jessica C Levenson, levensonjc@upmc.edu

Area of Research: Sleep, intervention, adolescence

Description of Research: Our research is focused on improving adolescent health and functioning by promoting sleep health. We are most interested in the factors that contribute to poor sleep among adolescents, and identifying strategies for improving their sleep and mental health in various settings (e.g., clinic, school). We have several ongoing studies that focus on understanding disturbed sleep during adolescence, and in developing and testing sleep promotion interventions for adolescents in various settings.

Duties of Students: Students may be involved in literature searches; literature review; reviewing drafts of grants and manuscripts; participating in participant recruitment activities as appropriate; observing consent procedures and study interviews/visits; data collection; updating study SOPs; data entry; data coding and cleaning; and other activities as appropriate. Students are welcome and expected to attend weekly lab meetings. Students will meet with the PI individually every other week. Students are also welcome and encouraged to attend various didactic opportunities. Students will read one article/chapter per month, which we will discuss in our individual meetings. These will focus on an introduction to the research process, research ethics, research with adolescents, the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other topics of interest to the student.

Requirements:

  • Overall GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • 12 credits of Psychology (including current term)
  • STAT 0200/1000/1100 Statistics
  • PSY 0036 Research Methods Lecture
  • PSY 0037 Research Methods Lab
  • Must be available to attend our weekly lab meeting

Recruitment Process: 

We are looking for motivated, interested, and committed students who want to learn about research in general and about research with adolescents (and about sleep) specifically. We seek to include a diverse group of students from various backgrounds as this diversity enriches the experience for all. We will ask students to complete a brief (1-page) form that asks about their goals for the directed study experience, specific areas of scientific/research interest, previous experience in research or other work that might speak to their working style and commitment, and personal traits that they believe make them a good fit for this experience. We will provide information about our research and our directed research experience through our meeting. Students must be available to attend our weekly lab meeting.

Terms offered: Fall, Spring

Number of Students: 2