About Us
The Adversities in Childhood and Trauma Studies Lab (ACT Lab) is directed by Dr. Ruby Charak in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The main objective of the ACT Lab is to investigate the cumulative effects of multiple types of childhood adversities, including child abuse and neglect on psychological problems, and assessing the nosology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its comorbidity with other mental disorders. Data collection is achieved through various methods, including behavioral observations, survey questionnaires, and clinical interviews. It is our goal that the research conducted at the ACT Lab will be conducive to the prevention and treatment of individuals experiencing the consequences of childhood adversities.
About Our Research
The main focus of the ACT Lab is on childhood adversities and their effects throughout the lifespan. Our research team investigates different facets of childhood trauma, such as physical and sexual abuse, neglect, and witnessing domestic violence, all for the purposes of prevention, intervention, and treatment. Our research involves the proficient use of several software programs, such as:
- SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Science)
- MPlus (Statistical modeling program)
- Qualtrics (Data collection software)
- Asana (Team management software)
Research Topics
- Exposure to multiple types of childhood adversities or poly-victimization, including child abuse and neglect on short-and long-term psychopathology.
- Intergenerational transmission of violence and victimization.
- Intimate partner aggression in face-to-face and online communications.
- Sibling relationship among Mexican-American adolescents and college students.
- Co-morbidity between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and other mental disorders, such as substance use and sleep disorders.
- Utility and psychometric properties of psychological scales developed in Western nations in other cultures and geographic regions.