Jenny Padilla

Jenny Padilla is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame, holding the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Collegiate Chair and serving as a Faculty Fellow of the Institute for Latino Studies. Her research employs developmental, family systems, and cultural-ecological perspectives to study Latinx family relationships, sibling dynamics, cultural values, and psychological adjustment during adolescence and young adulthood.

Education includes:

• Ph.D. and M.A. in Human Development and Family Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
• B.A. in Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

Her work focuses on how sociocultural contexts shape family roles and youth well-being, utilizing advanced quantitative methods like multilevel modeling to analyze longitudinal data on Mexican-origin families.

Publications demonstrate consistent themes in sibling relationships, familism values, and cultural adaptation, with methodologies evolving toward dyadic analyses and latent profile modeling to capture nuanced family dynamics.

Directs the Latino Adolescents, Siblings, and Families Lab (LASF) and has secured funding including a $50,000 NIH/NIMHD pilot grant. Current proposals explore stressors affecting Latino immigrant youth mental health and cultural values in educational success.