Associate Professor · Director, CARE Lab
Dr. Oh's research program investigates the development of social and emotional functioning from early childhood through adolescence. She examines how individual characteristics, social interactions, close relationships, and socio-cultural contexts shape developmental pathways — with particular attention to the mechanisms through which these influences operate.
A central aim of her work is understanding pathways toward adaptive functioning (social competence, self-regulation, positive relationship quality) and maladaptive functioning (social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, aggression, dysregulation, dysfunctional relationships) during major normative transitions: the birth of a child or sibling, entry into kindergarten, and the transitions from elementary to middle school, middle to high school, and into adolescence.
Dr. Wonjung Oh · Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Health & Human Sciences, Texas Tech University
CARE Lab — Child, Adolescent, Resilience, and Ecology Lab · Dr. Wonjung Oh · Texas Tech University
We study social and emotional development from early childhood through adolescence — asking not only how, but why individual characteristics, close relationships, and socio-cultural contexts become sources of risk or resilience across life's major transitions.
The lab integrates biosocial characteristics of children, parents, and parent–child dyads to identify adaptive and maladaptive developmental pathways — and to inform well-timed, targeted interventions that interrupt dysfunctional cascades and promote positive adjustment over time.
Examines how adolescents (ages 10–17) engage with digital technology — including generative AI and chatbot use, media use, online relationships, and social gaming — and how that engagement relates to family and peer relationships, lifestyles, well-being, and mental health.
A companion study extending the Y-DEL project to the whole family, examining how family members' (parents' and youth's) digital engagement relates to family dynamics, parenting practices, and adolescent outcomes.
Families are invited! Parent–youth dyads (one parent/legal guardian and one youth aged 10–17) are invited to participate in a research study about youth daily digital engagement and emotional well-being. Both the parent/legal guardian and youth must provide consent/assent to participate.
Families may receive up to $120 in electronic gift cards to thank them for their time in the full study.
Parent/legal guardian and youth complete an online interview and baseline surveys (about 30–60 minutes). Families receive $50 for completing this part.
Youth complete brief online surveys (about 2–5 minutes each) five times per day over a 7-day period. Families receive $70 for completing this part.
Participation is voluntary, and families may stop at any time for any reason. This study has been approved by the Texas Tech University Human Research Protection Program (Institutional Review Board).
We chart developmental change in social behavior and regulatory functioning from early childhood through adolescence, tracing pathways toward both adjustment and difficulties such as withdrawal, anxiety, depression, and aggression.
Children develop inside a web of close relationships. We study parenting by mothers and fathers, sibling relationships, and peer relationships — including how distinct relationship profiles predict socio-emotional functioning.
From perinatal and postpartum transitions to the birth of a sibling, school readiness, and school transitions, we identify what makes normative change a source of risk — or of resilience — for children and families.
Through cross-cultural collaborations spanning ten countries, we examine race, ethnicity, and cultural context in social-emotional development, testing where mechanisms diverge and where they hold across societies.
The lab applies longitudinal, multi-level, and innovative quantitative approaches — trajectory modeling, multiple-group factor analysis alignment, dynamic dyadic methods — alongside direct observational methods, so the analysis matches the complexity of real developmental change.
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 34(12), 3211–3227
Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 116, 103092
Infant Mental Health Journal, 46(1), 30–45
Journal of Affective Disorders
Development and Psychopathology, 35(3), 1404–1420
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(2), 190–198
Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 58, 220–230
Child Development, 92(6), 1154–1170
Open Access Publication Initiative Award, Office of the Vice President for Research, Texas Tech University
Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 82(3), 106–117
Journal of Affective Disorders, 200, 133–141
Journal of Family Psychology, 29(1), 119–129
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(4), 553–566
Student conference presentations will be listed here.
* denotes student collaborator. For the complete record, see Google Scholar.
Director of CARE Lab
Associate Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences, Texas Tech University
Dr. Oh's research explores how children and adolescents develop socially and emotionally—from early childhood through adolescence. She is particularly interested in how and why individual characteristics, relationships, and broader social and cultural environments shape young people's developmental pathways. Her work examines what helps young people thrive—including social competence, self-regulation, and healthy relationships—as well as what can contribute to challenges, such as social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, aggression, emotion dysregulation, and relationship difficulties. A key focus is understanding how these pathways unfold during important developmental transitions, such as the birth of a child or sibling, becoming a parent, starting kindergarten, transitioning from elementary to middle school and high school, and entering adolescence.
wonjung.oh@ttu.edu
Graduate Lab Coordinator
Carlos A. Silvera is a Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech University and a graduate researcher in the CARE Lab. His research focuses on health, development, and well-being, with particular interests in how social, behavioral, and contextual factors shape health outcomes among historically underserved populations. In the CARE Lab, Carlos supports research coordination, student mentorship, and projects examining youth and family well-being in an increasingly digital world. His long-term goal is to become an independent researcher at an academic medical center, developing research that bridges behavioral science, clinical care, and health equity.
PhD Student
Md Khalid Hasan is a PhD student in Human Development and Family Sciences at Texas Tech University and a Researcher and Mentor in the CARE Lab. His work focuses on children's and adolescents' mental health and well-being, with an emphasis on how disasters and extreme climate shape developmental trajectories. Outside the lab, he enjoys poetry, nature, and the open sky.
Undergraduate Lab Coordinator
Emma Fernandez is a junior psychology major at Texas Tech University and the Undergraduate Lab Coordinator for Dr. Wonjung Oh's Child, Adolescent, Resilience, and Ecology (CARE) Lab. She works on the Youth Digital Engagement and Lifestyle (Y-DEL) Study, helping progress the ongoing efforts to understand youth digital lifestyle. Her work in the CARE Lab involves task delegation and REDCap survey design. Her research interests are veterans and their integration into the civilian world after combat, sexual trauma, and trauma/PTSD, along with adolescents' development with the continuing integration of technology into their lives. She plans to attend graduate school and eventually become a licensed therapist.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Giana Matheny is a senior at Texas Tech University majoring in Psychology. In fall 2026, she is eager to contribute to the CARE Lab as an undergraduate assistant member. Her research interests include understanding how psychological research can support children and adolescents in educational settings. Through her involvement in the lab, Giana hopes to gain valuable research experience and further develop her understanding of child development, mental health, and student well-being. After completing her undergraduate degree, Giana plans to attend graduate school to pursue a career as a school psychologist. She is passionate about working with students and hopes to help promote their academic, social, and emotional development. Giana looks forward to continuing to grow as a researcher and future school psychologist through her experiences at Texas Tech University.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Cailyn is a senior at Texas Tech University pursuing a degree in Human Development and Family Sciences with a minor in Community, Family, and Addiction Sciences. In the CARE Lab, she will primarily assist with participant consent calls and support administrative and research-related tasks. Her interests include research coordination, administrative support, and helping connect individuals and families with resources. She hopes to apply her academic and research experience to a career that combines research, organization, and advocacy.
Profiles updating — check back soon.
Alum
Details forthcoming.
"I have amazing mentors. Kenneth H. Rubin, Natasha Cabrera, and Greg Hancock were exceptional and dedicated graduate mentors at the University of Maryland, College Park. Brenda Volling, Richard Gonzalez, and Maria Muzik were amazing mentors during my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The collaborators listed here continue to help me grow as a scholar." — Dr. Oh
Cathryn Booth-LaForce · Julie Bowker · Xinyin Chen · Robert Coplan · Ebony Dashiell-Aje · Pamela Davis-Kean · Carolyn J. Dayton · Richard Gonzalez · Sybil Hart · Brett Laursen · Kristina McDonald · Maria Muzik · Linda Rose-Krasnor · Kenneth H. Rubin · Prachi Shah · Brenda Volling · Tianyi Yu, and colleagues worldwide
Dr. Oh is currently accepting graduate students through the HDFS doctoral program at Texas Tech University. Prospective students interested in social-emotional development, family transitions, or quantitative methods are encouraged to reach out.
With colleagues at the University of Michigan, the lab examined post-traumatic change and resilience after childhood maltreatment and their impacts on maternal mental health across the postpartum period.
New findings on how children's attachment security to mother and father changes after a sibling's birth, identifying risk and resilience within the family system.
A cross-cultural measurement study spanning 10 countries, published in the International Journal of Behavioral Development using multiple-group factor analysis alignment.
Oh et al. (2021), published in Child Development, received the Open Access Publication Initiative Award from the Office of the Vice President for Research at Texas Tech University.
The lab welcomes curious, rigorous people at every stage — from undergraduates gaining their first research experience to doctoral students building a program of research.
Join through the Human Development & Family Sciences doctoral program. Ideal fits are interested in social-emotional development, family and school transitions, or advanced quantitative methods.
Now accepting students for Fall 2027 →
Gain hands-on experience with research involving children, youth, and families, and the multi-faceted dynamics of daily life and ecology.
Applications open year-round →The lab collaborates across institutions and countries — from cross-cultural measurement studies to longitudinal family research. New partnerships are always welcome.
Start a conversation →
The Child, Adolescent, Resilience, and Ecology (CARE) Lab, directed by Dr. Wonjung Oh, is recruiting undergraduate research assistants to join our ongoing Youth Digital Engagement and Lifestyles (Y-DEL) Study and upcoming Family Digital Engagement and Lifestyle (F-DEL) Study.
These projects focus on adolescents (ages 10–17) and their parents, examining how digital engagement — including generative AI and chatbot use, media use, online relationships, social gaming, and parental digital use — relates to family and peer relationships, lifestyles, well-being, and mental health.
This opportunity is ideal for students interested in human development, psychology, family sciences, or related fields, particularly those considering graduate school or careers in research.
If you have any questions, please contact our Graduate Lab Coordinator Carlos A. Silvera (csilvera@ttu.edu) or Director Dr. Wonjung Oh (wonjung.oh@ttu.edu).
Sincerely,
Dr. Wonjung Oh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences
Director, Child, Adolescent, Resilience, and Ecology (CARE) Lab
College of Health & Human Sciences, Texas Tech University
