​The IMPACT (Improving Mental-health and Promoting Adjustment through Critical Transitions) lab at Loyola University Chicago is led by Dr. Colleen Conley and includes several graduate students and undergraduate research assistants. We are dedicated to making a real impact on adolescents and young adults with new research and intervention programs.

Our research explores topics related to:

Developmental Patterns of Adjustment
  • Trajectories of risk and resilience across development (e.g., transitions to adolescence, emerging adulthood, and parenthood)
  • College student mental health challenges (e.g., stress and coping, social support, emotion regulation, cognitive styles) and strengths
  • Gender- and sexual- orientation- linked patterns of psychosocial well- versus ill-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, body image and eating disturbances)
  • Social media use as it relates to mental health, physical health, health behaviors, and academic outcomes
Intervention (Prevention and Promotion)
We are developing and evaluating the effectiveness and impact of several wellbeing-promoting interventions for youth:
  • Technology-based interventions:
    • SMiLe: Examining the effectiveness of an online/mobile mindfulness app (Headspace) in improving psychological well-being among college students who are depressed. In addition, examining the impact of two levels of enhancements to self-guided use of Headspace: (1) A one-time small-group orientation, and (2) ongoing peer supportive accountability features both face-to-face and online (Conley et al., 2019; Hugenel dissertation in prep; Hundert dissertation in prep).
    • SAMMY: Examining the feasibility and acceptability of a novel smartphone app (MentorHub) in building youth resilience via supervised skills practice provided by mentors.Brief blurb about SAMMY 
    • SAMMY-A: Examining the impacts of an app-based intervention that leverages college students’ relationship with their academic advisors, who offer supportive accountability for students’ engagement in mental health apps. This intervention is intended to promote well-being and academic success especially for low-income, first-generation, BIPOC and/or academically at-risk college students.
  • Face-to-face interventions:
    • PPW: A class-based psychosocial wellness promoting intervention for first-year college students (Conley/Hareli et al., in prep)
    • STEPS: A class-based social-emotional skill-building intervention, embedded into a career-and life-planning course, for upper-level college students (Shalwani, Hareli et al., 2020)
    • HOP: A peer-led small-group intervention for college students self-identifying as living with mental illness, aimed at reducing self-stigma and improving self-efficacy about disclosure-related decisions (Conley et al., 2019; Hundert et al., in prep)
    • IPT-CS: A group-based interpersonal psychotherapy intervention for college students with mild to moderate depression, aimed at improving symptoms and well-being.
In addition, and as a guide for our own intervention work, we have conducted several narrative, systematic, and meta-analytic reviews of mental-health-promoting interventions including:
  • Social-emotional learning programs in higher education (Conley, 2015)
  • Primary prevention programs for college students (Conley et al., 2015)
  • Technology-delivered preventive interventions for higher-education students (Conley et al., 2016)
  • Indicated mental health prevention programs for at-risk higher education students (Conley et al., 2017)
  • Universal mental health promotion and prevention programs for students across the globe (Conley & Durlak, 2017)
  • Mental health apps for youth (Conley et al., 2022 under review))