Director
Overview
The STRESS Lab is directed by Dr. Nicole Weiss in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island. Research in the STRESS Lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health and examines the co-occurrence between traumatic stress and substance use. Our basic research studies seek to explain why individuals with a history of traumatic exposure—and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular—experience greater substance-related harm. Specifically, we utilize cutting-edge methods (e.g., ecological momentary assessment, wearable biosensors) and data analytic strategies (e.g., dynamic structural equation modeling, mixture models) to examine transdiagnostic emotional processes—most notably emotion dysregulation—underlying the relation between PTSD symptoms and substance use. Further, our basic research studies aim to better understand traumatic experiences among systemically excluded and marginalized groups, including stressors (e.g., historical trauma, racial microaggressions) and risk/protective factors (e.g., acculturation, racial-ethnic identity) unique to these populations. Our treatment studies develop, implement, and evaluate culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches for substance use disorder. For instance, Native HEALTH is a collaborative partnership with one First Nations group to develop from the ground-up and evaluate through randomized controlled trial a culturally-grounded alcohol treatment that targets historical trauma.
The STRESS Lab is located on the 5th floor of the Shepherd Building at the URI’s Providence Campus
For more information about the STRESS Lab, please e-mail stresslab@etal.uri.edu