
Dr. Roche is the Principal Investigator of "Pathways to Health / Caminos al Bienestar" - a five-year study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Among a socioeconomically diverse sample of Latino families living in a new immigrant destination, this study examines the cascading effects of cultural demands and opportunities in neighborhood, school and immigrant contexts on parenting and parent-adolescent relationships and, in turn, adolescent adjustment. Mother-youth dyads will be followed over eight time points during transitions spanning youth's 6th through 11th grades. This research uses multi-level and structural equation modeling techniques to examine direct and indirect pathways linking extrafamilial contexts with Latina/o adolescent outcomes. Findings will inform the development of preventive interventions that can promote school success and healthy development for US Latino adolescents.
Related to this research, Dr. Roche's study examining impacts of recent immigration actions and news on the lives of US Latino parents has been featured in national media including the NBC Nightly News, US News & World Report, Vox.com, and WAMU 88.5. She and her colleagues are currently conducting a follow up study focused on adolescent children of Latino/a immigrant parents. You may follow her on twitter @KRoche_GWU.
Dr. Roche serves on the editorial board of seven family and social science journals and is a Regular Member of the Psychosocial Development, Risk, and Prevention (PDRP) Study Section at the National Institutes of Health.