Youth-Nex is focusing on how peer relationships and parents influence at-risk youth and how these youth influence social norms and groups. For example, while the negative affects of peer influence is well-recognized, there is much less acknowledgement of the positive role that others can play in the lives of youth. The center also focuses on the affects and uses of social media with an emphasis on positive influences for youth. This program of research will build upon Drs. Allen and Tolan’s work on how peer and parent influences occur and are interrelated during adolescence to identify how peer networks and parental engagement about managing peer relations can optimize development and reduce risk for antisocial behavior.
Program Leader: Joseph P. Allen
Psychology Professor, and Claudia Worrell Allen, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Director of Behavioral Science, U.Va. Health System
