Research Projects

This project investigates how emotional processes shape substance use risk in the daily lives of trauma-exposed individuals. Our primary goal is to understand how moment-to-moment emotional experiences influence the likelihood of substance use in real- time, particularly among individuals living with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Through innovative use of mobile and wearable technology, we aim to identify how real-time emotional states act as immediate predictors of substance use. By combining subjective self-reports through experience sampling methods (ESM) with objective physiological data collected via biosensors, this study captures emotional processes as they unfold in participants’ natural environments.

This integration of real-time emotion tracking with physiological data is at the forefront of substance use research and has the potential to improve early detection and intervention efforts.