At the broadest level, our multidisciplinary research is focused on understanding the biological, psychological, social, and developmental factors that contribute to health, adjustment, and well-being across the lifespan, with a particular focus on perfectionism during the developmental period of adolescence. Questions of interest in our lab include: How do trait, cognitive and behavioural elements of perfectionism differentially contribute to health, well-being or adjustment? What processes (e.g., stress, social disconnection) explain the links between perfectionism and adjustment/health/well-being? Within a family systems framework, how is perfectionism related to the quality of the adolescent-parent relationship and does the adolescent-parent relationship affect links between perfectionism and adjustment/health/well-being? From a lifespan perspective, do the associations between perfectionism and health or between perfectionism and well-being vary as a function of the developmental period (e.g., middle childhood, adolescence, emerging adulthood etc.)?

Our lab draws from multiple perspectives such as psychology, sociology, immunology, and psychoneuroendocrinology and uses multiple methods (e.g., biomarkers, physiological assessments, surveys, photo elicitation, interviews, focus groups) to address the complexity of these research questions.