Michele Lease

My research examines the impact of children’s peer interactions within their school-based social networks on their mental health, particularly the role of (a) children with high social status and their influence on peers, (b) individual differences influencing conformity, including rejection sensitivity and relational aggression experienced in the peer group, and (c) the importance of person-group fit on the peer interactions of children experiencing social-emotional and behavioral difficulties. With my research group, I have recently begun to examine the role of new network formation on college students’ well-being and their transition to university life.