CORE Research Areas
The CORE Lab’s research program falls under two main lines of work:
How does poverty and inequality shape child and adolescent development? We are especially interested in the effects of neighborhood and housing disparities on child and adolescent mental and behavioral health and social cognition.
Select Publications:
Gaveras, E., Leer, J., Romero, R., & Rhoades, H. (2026). Housing insecurity over time and mental health among sexual and gender minority youth: chronicity and evidence of a ninefold increase in suicide attempts. Child & Youth Services Review.
Leer, J., Lanteri, L., Teixeira, S., & Coley, R.L. (2025). Neighborhood social environments and mental health among adults and youth in public housing. American Journal of Community Psychology.
Leer, J., Hoyle, R., & Odgers, C. (2024) Direct and indirect pathways linking gentrification to adolescent reading and math achievement via educational aspirations and psychological distress. Developmental Psychology 10.1037/dev0001812
Leer, J., Gaither, S., & Gassman-Pines, A. (2024). It’s not what you say it’s what you do: School diversity ideologies and adolescent mental health and academic engagement. Journal of Research on Adolescence, Special Issue: Advancing Studies of Adolescent Development from Bench Science to Preventive Interventions and Policy Through Interdisciplinary Research. doi.org/10.1111/jora.12998
How can policies and interventions promote positive development among those with limited economic resources? We are especially interested in policies and interventions that aim to reduce neighborhood and household poverty.
Select Publications:
Leer, J., Smith, I.Z., Hill, Z., & Gennetian, L.G. (2025). Social contexts & Black families’ engagement in early childhood programs. PLOS ONE. 20(1), e0316680.
Leer, J., Lopez Boo, F., & Norman, S. (2023). Supporting child & family resilience in the face of political violence: Evidence from a home visit parenting program. Child Development. Special Issue: Registered Reports. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13991
Leer, J., Gassman-Pines, A., Dje Ble, E., Kainessie, J., Kennedy, C., Press, S., & Schubert, H. (2022). Young adolescents' endorsement of restrictive gender norms: Evidence from a community-based intervention in Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone. Journal of Early Adolescence. 42(4), 453–481. https://doi.org/10.1177/02724316211036742
Leer, J., Gaither, S., & Gassman-Pines, A. (2021). Behavioral science interventions: Integrating the decision task, context, and individual differences to inform policy. Translational Issues in Psychological Science. Special Issue: Psychological Science and Public Policy. 7(1), 46–54. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000243
Our research has been generously funded by internal SDSU funding and external awards from the National Institutes of Health, including
Strengthening Economic Opportunity to Prevent Adolescent Substance UseNIH (NIDA/NIMHD) Administrative Supplement
2026-2028.
Supporting Addiction Science and Related Neuroscience Pilot Research Projects at NIMHD-Funded Research Centers in Minority Institutions.
Parent grant: SDSU Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (5U54MD012397), PIs: Ayala & Wells.
View HealthLINK Pilot Project
Harnessing School, Neighborhood, and Policy Factors to Support Psychological Functioning Among Adolescents Experiencing Homelessness
San Diego State University HealthLINK Center Pilot Project
2025-2027
Parent grant: SDSU Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (5U54MD012397), PIs: Ayala & Wells
View HealthLINK Administrative Supplement
