Shanting Chen

Integrating the daily diary method in adolescent research

The daily diary approach has gained prominence in recent research due to its ability to capture snapshots of individuals’ day-to-day lives. This method offers several benefits over the traditional retrospective survey approach. First, it can reduce recall biases and generate more reliable reports from participants. Second, it allows researchers to investigate both within-person and between-person associations among focal variables. My research has utilized daily diary methodologies to understand how day-to-day stress experienced by adolescents influences their daily mood, sleep, and overall wellbeing. Through this work, I have gained expertise in collecting and analyzing complex and nested data, as well as becoming well-versed in multilevel analyses. Furthermore, my work has provided theoretical and methodological insights into studying adolescent development using the daily diary approach. 

Publications:

• Chen, S., Benner, A., & Kim, S. Y. (2023). Peer-based discrimination and adolescent emotional and sleep health: A daily examination of direct and buffering associations. Child Development, 2, 574-592. doi: 10.1111/cdev.14025
• Chen, S., Alers‐Rojas, F., Benner, A., & Gleason, M. (2022). Daily experiences of discrimination and ethnic/racial minority adolescents’ sleep: the moderating role of social support. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32, 596-610. doi:10.1111/jora.12693
• Chen, S., Benner, A. D. & Gleason, M. (2020, April). Vicarious discrimination and adolescents’ daily mood: The moderating role of social support. In S. Chen (Chair), Unpacking Adolescents’ Daily Experiences Using a Daily Diary Approach. Paper presentation at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, San Diego, CA. 

Examining the biopsychosocial mechanisms linking stress with mental and physical health

Informed by the biopsychosocial model, my research aims to understand how stress can get “under the skin” to affect the body’s functioning over time. Specifically, I investigate how stress, such as discrimination or language brokering stress, can impact the body’s response system known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which plays a significant role in the body’s stress response. Furthermore, I explore how stress influences the sympathetic nervous system, which I measure through electrodermal activity. My findings suggest that heightened emotional reactivity is associated with increased activation of the sympathetic nervous system during instances of discrimination in daily life. Additionally, I utilize biomarker data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to examine the long-term effects of stress. My research reveals that experiencing unfair treatment from teachers during adolescence is linked to an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in young adulthood. Importantly, I found that this association is mediated by educational attainment. This research provides valuable insights into the physiological and psychological impacts of stress, shedding light on its long-term implications for health and wellbeing. 

Publications:

• Chen, S., Kertes, D., Benner, A. D., & Kim, S. Y. (2023). The biological wear and tear of discrimination on Mexico-origin adolescents’ mental and sleep health. Development and Psychopathology. doi: 10.1017/S0954579423001219
• Kim, S. Y., Wen, W., Chen, S., Yan, J., Song, J., Zhang, M., & Zeiders, K. H. (2022). Mexican‐origin youths’ language brokering for fathers and mothers: daily experiences and youths’ diurnal cortisol slopes. Child development, 93, 1106-1120. doi: 10.1111/cdev.13768
• Chen, S., Cheadle, J., Benner, A., & Goosby, B. (2024). Do emotional reactivity moderate sympathetic arousal to racial discrimination exposure in a natural setting? In Toro, J. (Chair), Daily Diary Approaches Capturing Discrimination Experiences Across the Life Course. Paper presentation at the biennial International Society for the Study of Behavioral Development, Lisbon, Portugal
• Chen, S., Koning, S., & McDade, T. (2024). A prospective study examining teacher unfairness, educational attainment, and mental and cardiometabolic health in adulthood. Poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science, St. Louis, MI. 

Exploring the protective/promotive factors impacting stress-related health among ethnic/racial minority adolescents

I strive to adopt a strengths-based approach rather than a risk-based one in my exploration of the adaptive and protective factors specific to various cultures (e.g., cultural socialization, neighborhood ethnic concentration) as well as those that are more universally applicable (e.g., social support) in promoting the academic outcomes and psycho-social and physical development of racial/ethnic minority adolescents. Regarding cultural-specific factors, my research has identified family and peer cultural socialization, along with neighborhood ethnic concentration, as protective factors that shield ethnic minority adolescents from the negative impacts of discrimination. In terms of cultural-general factors, several of my studies have shown that self-resilience and social support play a buffering role, protecting ethnic minority adolescents from the effects of daily stress. Identifying adaptable promotive and protective factors is crucial for guiding intervention and prevention efforts aimed at enhancing the wellbeing of ethnic minority adolescents. 

Publications:

• Chen, S., Benner, A. D., & Kim, S. Y. (2023). Peer-based discrimination and adolescent emotional and sleep health: A daily examination of direct and buffering associations. Child Development. doi.org/10.1111/cdev.14025
• Chen, S., Wei, W., Witherspoon, D., & Kim, S. Y. (2022) Invisibly oppressed: Individual and ecological correlates of Chinese American adolescents’ perceived discrimination. Journal of Research on Adolescence.
• Chen, S., Alers-Rojas, F., Benner, A. D., & Gleason, M. (2021) Daily experiences of discrimination and ethnic/racial minority adolescents’ sleep: The moderating role of social support. Journal of Research on Adolescence. doi: 10.1111/jora.12693
• Chen, S., Benner, A. & Wang, Y. (2020) Discrimination and adolescents’ academic and socioemotional wellbeing: The role of family and peer cultural socialization. International Journal of Psychology, 55, 702-712. doi: 10.1002/ijop.12637

Social media use among ethnic/racial minority youth 

The purpose of this study is to understand social media use behaviors among racial/ethnic minoritized youth, identify culturally salient challenges and opportunities that are associated with their social media use, and explore how social media use influences their psychological, academic, and sleep experiences. We are currently collecting data for this project.