Mayra Bámaca

Dr. Mayra Bámaca is an Associate Professor of Developmental Psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the University of California, Merced.

Dr. Bámaca's research focuses on developmental, ecological, and culturally informed frameworks examining how individual, cultural, and contextual factors influence behavioral outcomes of ethnic-racial minoritized youth and families, with emphasis on Latine/x populations. Her work investigates adolescent experiences within family ecologies, examining how family processes like parenting and parent-child relationships are embedded in cultural and contextual realities. Recent work expands to include peer and neighborhood contexts in understanding Latinx youth development. At UC Merced, she focuses on Latine young adulthood, examining how college students navigate college, family, and work demands simultaneously.

Dr. Bámaca maintains the IMPACT Lab at UC Merced, which can be accessed at https://impactlabucm.wixsite.com/impactlab.

Dr. Bámaca is accepting PhD students for Fall 2024. Current graduate student research topics include intergenerational relationships (particularly grandparent-grandchild relationships) and the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) on family dynamics and psychological wellbeing.