Alexandra Main

Dr. Alexandra Main is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of California, Merced. Her lab, the Family Development Lab, focuses on child and adolescent development with particular attention to cultural contexts and family dynamics. She holds an academic appointment in the School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts and is affiliated with UC Merced's broader Psychological Sciences program.

Her research centers on cultural psychology, empathy, emotion regulation, and health disparities in minority populations. Key themes include Latinx development, acculturative stress, intergenerational family communication, and diabetes management in multicultural contexts. She employs ecological momentary assessment techniques and longitudinal studies to examine real-world behaviors.

Dr. Main’s recent work explores emotion brokering in immigrant families, the role of cultural brokering in mental health outcomes, and familial dynamics in managing chronic illnesses like type 1 diabetes. She is actively recruiting graduate students for Fall 2025 and maintains an active lab website at UC Merced Family Development Lab.

Her scholarship bridges developmental psychology with clinical applications, emphasizing culturally tailored interventions and the impact of social environments on psychological well-being. Current projects include studies on bicultural identity formation, stress buffering mechanisms in immigrant families, and the intersection of racial discrimination and mental health during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.