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Andrea S. Medrano, PhD

My Research

My program of research examines how violence and structural adversity shape academic and psychological functioning across the lifespan, with a particular focus on Latina/o/x youth and families. I explore contextual factors such as exposure to community violence, sexual harassment, and neighborhood disinvestment, and how these intersect with individual and cultural resilience to influence developmental outcomes. Grounded in a resilience framework and strengths-based perspective, my work identifies protective factors at the individual, family, neighborhood, and cultural levels—such as familismo, hope, parent-adolescent relationships, religiosity, and academic engagement—that can buffer youth and adults from negative mental health and educational outcomes. Increasingly, my research also focuses on the intersection of multiple marginalized identities, examining how race/ethnicity, gender, class, and rurality shape experiences of trauma and healing.

Medrano_Headshot.JPG

My studies span developmental stages—from early adolescence to older adulthood (ages 11 to 65)—and are rooted in international, community-engaged work. I lead projects in:

  • Honduras, focusing on gender-based violence and post-traumatic growth (HAVE-HOPE);

  • Mexico, exploring academic socialization, community violence, dating violence, sexual harassment, and rural and urban mental health (Fortaleza Mexicana, MAPI Study, Proyecto VENCER);

  • Puerto Rico, examining emerging adult recovery and identity development in the context of interpersonal and structural violence (STAR*PR, PRIDE);

  • Nicaragua (forthcoming), centering Afro-descendant and Indigenous women’s empowerment in the aftermath of gender-based violence;

  • and urban U.S. settings, where I investigate community violence, sexual harassment, school belonging, and mental health among Latina/o adolescents.

Methodologically, I use diverse and inclusive approaches, including cross-sectional and longitudinal statistical analyses, qualitative interviews and focus groups, and mixed methods designs. This multi-pronged approach ensures my work reflects both the measurable trends and lived realities of those most impacted by violence. At its core, my research is deeply collaborative and trauma-informed, aiming to inform equitable policy and practice while amplifying community strengths. I believe research can—and should—be both rigorous and transformative.

Publications

^Indicates co-first authorship; *Indicates Undergraduate or Post-Bacc student, +Graduate Student Mentee Peer-Reviewed Publications

19. +Ganu, D., Starks, B., +Davila, S. A., & Medrano, A. S. (in press). Campus climate and the mental health of college student caregivers: The mediating role of group belonging. Journal College of Student Development.

 

18. Cross, F. L., Hoffman, A. J., Medrano, A. S., Medina, M. A., Esqueda, A. P., & Rivas-Drake, D. (in press). Fostering futures: Academic socialization and perceived educational utility among Latinx parent-adolescent dyads. Journal of Latinx Psychology.

 

17. Medrano, A. S., Ortega, R., Cordova, D., & Gutierrez, L. (in press). Employing an empowerment approach with Latinx youth engaged in health risk behaviors. In R. Ceballo & D. Rivas-Drake (Eds.), Growing up Latinx in the land of liberty: Drawing on community and culture to face contextual challenges. Oxford.

 

16. *Davila, S. A., *Martinez, A., & Medrano, A. S. (2025). Navigating familial and economic stressors: Examining resilience and cohesion as protective factors for rural Mexican adolescents. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000754

 

15. Medrano, A. S. & Ceballo, R. (2025). Neighborhood violence, parent-child cohesion, and psychological outcomes in Latino adolescents: A longitudinal moderation analysis. Psychology of Violence. Advance online publication.https://doi.org/10.1037/vio0000604

 

14. Sabina, C., Mariscal, S. E., Weber, M., Medrano, A. S., Flores, Y., Agorde, E., Elliot, J. M., Gonzalez, V. V., & Restrepo-Ruiz, M. (2025). Factors enhancing resilience among youth exposed to macro-level violence in Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 26(2), 265–282. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248/1358204283481032049130795375

 

13. Medrano, A. S., +Davila, S. A., +Labrousse, D., *Adame Montelongo, E. S., & Williams, E.-D. G. (2025). Disentangling machismo and caballerismo: Mental health help-seeking in rural Mexico. Journal of Rural Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000291

12. ^Garcia, Y., ^Medrano, A. S., & Woods, V. (2024). Perceived stigma, mental health, and campus support among Latina/o and White college students. Journal of American College Health, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2428408

 

11. Kia-Keating, M., Santacrose, D., Adams, J., Harms, M., Taghavi, I., Liu, S., & Mora, A. (2024). Equitable prevention science and participatory co-design of the HEROES strength-based programs. Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion, 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/26320770241246672

 

10. Mora, A. S., Gutiérrez, L. M., & Ceballo, R. (2024). The role of parent-adolescent communication among youth exposed to neighborhood violence in rural Mexico. Families in Society, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/10443894231222942     ***Article awarded 2024 Best Quantitative Paper

 

9. Krings, A., Mora, A. S., +Bechara, S., Sánchez, C., Gutiérrez, L. M., Hawkins, J., & Austic, E. (2024). How early social work faculty experienced support in their doctoral programs. Journal of Social Work Education, 60(2), 206–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2023.2279789

 

8. Mora, A. S., *LoDuca, K. M., & Ceballo, R. (2023). Adolescents in the community: Extracurricular activities and sexual harassment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52, 1788–1798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01812-8

 

7. Mora, A. S., Muñoz-Velázquez, J., Alers-Rojas, F., Ceballo, R., & Cranford, J. (2023). Understanding Latino adolescents’ experiences with discrimination: An intersectional approach. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 11(4), 306–321. https://doi.org/10.1037/lat0000234

 

6. Mora, A. S., Greer, C. D., *Hunter, J., & Gutierrez, L. (2022). Social work faculty attitudes towards diversity and oppression content in the MSW curricula. Social Work Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2022.2130233

 

5. Ceballo, R., Alers-Rojas, F., Mora, A. S., & Cranford, J. A. (2022). Exposure to community violence: Toward a more expansive definition and approach to research. Child Development Perspectives, 16(2), 96–102. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12448

 

4. Ortega, R. M., Olawale, R. G., & Mora, A. S., (2022). Charles D. Garvin: Social justice and social group work. Social Work with Groups, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1080/01609513.2022.2113247

 

3. Mora, A. S., Ceballo, R., & Cranford, J. (2022). Latino/a adolescents facing neighborhood dangers: An examination of community violence and gender-based harassment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 69(1–2), 18–32.https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12556

 

2. Ceballo, R., Alers-Rojas, F., Montoro, J. P., & Mora, A. S. (2020). Contextual stressors and the role of religion and spirituality in the mental health of Latino/a immigrant parents and youth. In G. C. Nagayama Hall & E. R. Huang (Eds.), Mental and behavioral health of immigrants in the United States. Academic Press, Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816117-3.00007-5

 

1. Gutierrez, L., Rodriguez-Newhall, A., Mora, A. S., Areguin, M. A., & Salazar, M. (2019). “Too many to count”: Experiences of microaggressions for Latinx students at a predominantly white institution in the age of Trump. Currents, 1(1), 50–63. http://dx.doi.org/10.3998/currents.17387731.0001.105

Get in Touch

andrea.mora@pitt.edu

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