Faculty » Misaki Natsuaki

Developmental transitions are challenging for some children. The transition to adolescence, in particular, is often characterized by an increase in socioemotional problems and psychopathology for some children. There are two questions that I ask in my research: why do emotional and behavioral problems increase during the transition from childhood to adolescence? Why do some youths experience such difficulties while others do not? In my view, potential answers may be found if we enhance our understanding of how biological (e.g., puberty, genetic/biological vulnerability to psychopathology) and environmental factors operate together to affect the development of socioemotional problems during critical transitions. Through longitudinal studies and a prospective adoption study (the Early Growth and Development Study: https://earlydev.oslc.org/) in collaborations with other scholars, I am interested in examining developmental trajectories of emotions and behaviors in children and adolescents.

Selected Publications

Natsuaki, M. N., Leve, L. D., Neiderhiser, J. M., Shaw, D. S., Scaramella, L. V., Ge, X., & Reiss, D. (in press). Intergenerational transmission of risk for social inhibition: The interplay between parental responsiveness and genetic influences. Development and Psychopathology.

Natsuaki, M. N., Leve, L.D., & Mendle, J. (2011). Going through the rites of passage too early: Timing and transition of menarche, childhood sexual abuse, and anxiety (Special section on pubertal development), Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40, 1357-1370.

Natsuaki, M. N., Ge, X., Leve, L. D., Neiderhiser, J. M., Shaw, D. S., Conger, R.D., et al.. (2010). Genetic liability, environment, and fussiness in toddlers: The roles of maternal depression and parental responsiveness. Developmental Psychology, 46, 1147-1158. NIHMSID: 165798.

Ge, X., & Natsuaki, M. N. (2009). In search of explanations for early pubertal timing effects on developmental psychopathology. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18, 327-331.

Natsuaki, M. N., Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2009). Examining the developmental history of child maltreatment, peer relations, and externalizing problems among adolescents with symptoms of paranoid personality disorder. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 1181-1193.

Natsuaki, M. N., Ge, X., Reiss, D., & Neiderhiser, J. M. (2009). Aggressive behavior between siblings and the development of externalizing problems: Evidence from a genetically sensitive study. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1009-1018.

Natsuaki, M. N., Klimes-Dougan, B., Ge, X., Shirtcliff, E. A., Hastings, P., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (2009). Early pubertal maturation and internalizing problems: Sex differences in the role of cortisol reactivity to social stress. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 38, 1-12.

Natsuaki, M. N., Biehl, M. C., & Ge, X. (2009). Trajectories of depressed mood from early adolescence to young adulthood: The effects of pubertal timing and adolescent dating. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 19, 47-74.

Natsuaki, M. N., Ge, X., & Wenk, E. (2008). Continuity and changes in the developmental trajectories of criminal career: Examining the roles of timing of first arrest and high school graduation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 37, 431-444.

Natsuaki, M. N., Ge., X., Brody, G. H., Simons, R. L., Gibbons, F. X., & Cutrona, C. E. (2007). African American children’s depressive symptoms: The prospective effects of neighborhood disorder, stressful life events, and parenting. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 163-176.

Ge, X., Natsuaki, M. N. & Conger, R. D. (2006). Trajectories of
depressive symptoms and stressful life events among male and female
adolescents in divorced and non-divorced families. Development and
Psychopathology, 18, 253-273.