Chrystyna Kouros Ph.D.

C.V. https://www.smufamilyhealth.com/lab-director

University of Notre Dame, M.A., Ph.D.

University of Chicago, B.A.

Dr. Kouros is the Director of the Family Health & Development Lab at SMU. In Dr. Kouros’ research, she studies the role our close connections, particularly family and couple relationships, play in shaping our mental health and well-being across stages of development. Specifically, her work explores interconnected lines of inquiry, including (1) associations between family relationship quality and children’s mental health in non-autistic and autistic populations; (2) romantic couples’ relationship functioning and depressive symptoms; and (3) social contextual factors that predict the misuse of prescription medications.  

Among family factors, Dr. Kouros studies the overall quality of family relationships, with specific interests in children’s exposure to everyday interparental conflict and parental depression, as well as exposure to helicopter parenting among emerging adults.  The motivation underlying her research is to use the findings to develop a program of family-based preventive interventions to improve and strengthen the lives of couples, families, and children.

Dr. Kouros’ research has been funded by the Administration for Children and Families, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Lewis Foundation, and the Mental Research Institute.

Areas of Research Expertise:

Adolescent Depression

Child Internalizing Symptoms

Family Relationships

Marital Conflict

Maternal Depression

Helicopter Parenting