Adolescence and young adulthood are characterized by significant biological, cognitive, psychological, and social changes, rendering these developmental periods particularly vulnerable to risk-taking behaviors and mental health problems. Such behaviors often occur within specific contexts, underscoring the need for assessment tools that are sensitive to both developmental stage and contextual factors. This study aims to develop improved measurement scales for impulsivity, sensation seeking, and emotion regulation that capture how these traits fluctuate and change over time, their developmental trajectories over multiple timescales, as well as their predictability of long-term risky behaviors and mental health problems.
With the support from Mitacs and in collaboration with community partner AMA Insurance, we have recruited over 500 youth aged 16–21 from Alberta over three consecutive years to participate in a 3-week daily diary study. Every six months for the next three years, these participants will be invited to complete additional 3-week survey waves, with a total of six time points planned. We are NOT recruiting any new participants for this study anymore. Instead, our team is currently following these already enrolled participants longitudinally as planned. We are excited to start our analysis soon and to share our findings with the scientific field and the general community.
We are recruiting doctoral students who are interested in joining in this project. Please see Opportunities for specific instructions on application.