My program of research focuses on interpersonal and sociocultural influences on the mental health and wellbeing of adolescents and emerging adults (ages 11–24). One major goal of my work is to identify specific social media experiences that predict adaptive and maladaptive body image, mental health, and identity development. I also aim to understand how gender identities, sexual identities, and racial/ethnic identities affect body image, mental health, and relationships. My work has increasingly focused on LGBTQ+ youth and the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. To learn more about my lab’s work, please see my CV below, visit my lab website, check out my new Psychology Today blog, and follow our lab on Twitter at @TAYA_Lab. 

Representative Publications

*Indicates student/trainee author in Choukas-Bradley lab

Choukas-Bradley, S., *Roberts, S. R., *Maheux, A. J., & Nesi, J. (2022). The perfect storm: A developmental–sociocultural framework for the role of social media in adolescent girls’ body image concerns and mental health. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 25: 681-701. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-022-00404-5

*Ladd, B. A., *Maheux, A. J., *Roberts, S. R., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Black adolescents’ appearance concerns, depressive symptoms, and self-objectification: Exploring the roles of gender and ethnic–racial identity commitment. Body Image, 43: 314-325. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.09.008 

Jardas, E. J., *Ladd, B. A., *Maheux, A. J., Choukas-Bradley, S., Salk, R. H., & Thoma, B. C. (2023). Testing the minority stress model across gender identity, race, and ethnicity among U.S. gender minority adolescents. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000834

Choukas-Bradley, S., *Maheux, A. J., *Roberts, S. R., Hutchinson, E. A., Lu, C., Ladouceur, C. D., & Silk, J. S. (2022). Picture-perfect during a pandemic? Body image concerns and depressive symptoms in U.S. adolescent girls during the COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Children and Media. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2022.2039255

*Roberts, S. R., *Maheux, A. J., Watson, R. J., Puhl, R., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Sexual and gender minority (SGM) adolescents’ disordered eating: Understanding general and SGM-specific risk and protective factors. International Journal of Eating Disorders. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23727

*Maheux, A. J., *Roberts, S. R., Nesi, J., Widman, L., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022).  Longitudinal associations between appearance-related social media consciousness and adolescents’ depressive symptoms. Journal of Adolescence, 1-6. http://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12009

*Carrino, E. A., *Bryen, C. P., *Maheux, A. J., Stewart, J. L., *Roberts, S. R., Widman, L., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Are feminists empowered activists or entitled whiners? An investigation of U.S. adolescents’ definitions of “feminist” in a diverse, mixed-gender sample. Sex Roles, 86, 395-414. http://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-021-01260-3

*Romito, M., Salk, R. H., *Roberts, S. R., Thoma, B. C., Levine, M. D., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2021). Exploring transgender adolescents’ body image concerns and disordered eating: Semi-structured interviews with nine gender minority youth. Body Image, 37, 50-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.01.008

*Maheux, A. J., *Roberts, S. R., Evans, R., Widman, L., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2021). Associations between adolescents' pornography consumption and self-objectification, body comparison, and body shame. Body Image, 37, 89-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.01.014

*Roberts, S. R., *Maheux, A. J., Hunt, R. A., *Ladd, B. A., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Incorporating social media and muscular ideal internalization into the tripartite influence model of body image: Towards a modern understanding of adolescent girls’ body dissatisfaction. Body Image, 41, 239–247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.03.002

Hamilton, J. L., Nesi, J., & Choukas-Bradley, S. (2022). Re-examining adolescent social media and socioemotional well-being through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic: A theoretical review and directions for future research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17: 662-679. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211014189

Choukas-Bradley, S., Nesi, J., Widman, L., & Galla, B. M. (2020). The Appearance-Related Social Media Consciousness Scale: Development and validation with adolescents. Body Image, 33, 164-174. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.017

Fox, K., Choukas-Bradley, S., Salk, R. H., Marshal, M. P., & Thoma, B. C. (2020). Mental health among sexual and gender minority adolescents: Examining interactions with race and ethnicity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88, 402-415. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000486