Contexts Of Adolescent
Stress and Thriving

Adolescence is a time of change, challenge, stress and thriving. Navigating academic and social pressures while adjusting to biological changes in their bodies and brains, adolescents are especially vulnerable to stress. At the COAST lab, led by Principal Investigator, Dr. Emma Adam, we strive to understand how the everyday experiences of adolescents influence their stress, and to identify the contexts that create stress or promote wellbeing for youth.

An acronym for Contexts of Adolescent Stress and Thriving, the COAST lab name encapsulates our dual focus on stress and thriving, and evokes the ever-changing daily experiences of adolescent lives — like waves on the water. We study adolescents’ changing lives through momentary and daily diaries paired with measures of biological stress such as stress hormones and sleep processes. We focus on what makes the waters of adolescence rough and how to make them easier to navigate.

COAST lab researchers also investigate how adolescent stress experiences contribute to their mental and physical health and to their socio-emotional, cognitive, and academic development. More recently, we have been testing strategies and formal interventions designed to increase positive youth outcomes.

To learn more about our work, visit the Current Studies (BIO Study, YMAP) and Past Studies tabs.

ABOUT DR. EMMA ADAM

Edwina S Tarry Professor of Human Development and Social Policy

We are led by Dr. Emma Adam. A developmental psychologist, Dr. Adam has been with Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy since 2000. Dr. Adam has a PhD in Child Psychology and a MA degree in Public Policy. Dr. Adam is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Research in Child Development, the Society for the Study of Human Development, the Society of Research on Adolescence, the American Psychosomatic Society, and the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology.

In addition to conducting multiple research projects supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Adam is the recipient of a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship (2003–04), a five-year William T. Grant Scholars Award (2004–09), and the Curt Richter Award from the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology in 2013 for her research.