Culture not only shapes individuals’ experiences in terms of affect, behavioral practices, and beliefs, but also influences the norms in interpersonal relationships. My research interests surround ethnocultural diversity issues in the understanding and assessment of psychopathology. Using a social ecological framework, I study intercultural contact (e.g., acculturation, discrimination), close social relationships (e.g., romantic relationship, intergenerational conflict), and intrapersonal characteristics (e.g., personality, cultural orientations) as determinants of psychopathology, primarily substance (mis)use. Through this program of research, I seek to inform and influence clinical interventions that are most effective in alleviating distress and improving psychological functioning across diverse ethnocultural groups
