Dr. April G. Thomas
My research addresses the question “Why do adolescents take risks?” Broadly, I study adolescent development, particularly as it pertains to risk-taking and problem behavior. My training in developmental psychology has led me to view the increase in risk taking that occurs during adolescence, as compared to childhood or adulthood, as a normative response to the many changes that occur during this developmental phase. I am also interested in what happens when adolescents engage in risky behavior that is also illegal. As a result, my research is not limited to community samples, but has also included first-time juvenile offenders, as well as more serious, felony-level juvenile offenders. A unifying theme of my work is that it seeks to use developmental science to inform best practices for working with adolescents, particularly within the justice system. My past work has addressed policy issues pertaining to juvenile sexting, age of majority, and juvenile transfer to adult court. More recently, my research has focused on the effects of parental and peer influence on adolescent risk taking and crime. I am currently investigating the effects of juvenile incarceration and probation on adolescent sleep and social development (funded by the National Science Foundation [NSF], the American Psychological Foundation, and the Center for Law and Border Studies), as well as adolescents’ and families’ experiences during COVID-19 (funded by NSF).
UTEP Faculty Profile
Sample Publications:
Drozdova, A., Clough, I., & Thomas, A. G. (2023). Age as a curvilinear moderator for parental solicitation and adolescent risk behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 32, 2737-2747. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-022-02494-9
Lavoie, J., Fine, A. D., Thomas, A. G., Frick, P. J., Steinberg, L., & Cauffman, E. (2023). How important is developmental maturity in assessing whether adolescents will share true or false accounts of a first offense in legal interactions? Journal of Developmental and Life Course Criminology, 9, 648-669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40865-023-00238-x
Thomas, A. G., Drozdova, A., Clough, I., & Fine, A. D. (2023). Adolescents’ and parents’ knowledge of laws pertaining to adolescent sexual behavior: The role of perceived policy fairness on adolescents’ willingness to violate the law. Youth Justice, 23(2),140-160. [Epub ahead of print, 6/23/2022] https://doi.org/10.1177/14732254221104640
Bergquist, B., Schmidt, A., &. Thomas, A. G. (2022). Adverse childhood experiences and negative outcomes among justice-involved youth: The moderating effects of internal and external protective factors. Crime and Delinquency, 70(4).1274-1303. https://doi.org/10.1177/00111287221122756
Barendese, M.E.A., Flannery, J., Cavanagh, C., Aristizabal, M., Becker, S. P., Berger, E., Breaux, R., Campione-Barr, N., Church, J.A., Crone, E. A., Dahl., R. A., Dennis-Tiwary, T. A., Dvorsky, M.R., Dzura, S. L., van de Groep, S., Ho., T. C., Killoren, S. E., Langberg, J. M., Larguinho, T. L., Magis-Weinberg, L., Michalska, K. J., Mullins, J. L., Nadel, H., Porter, B. M., Prinstein, M. J., Redcay, E., Rose, A. J., Rote, W. M., Roy, A. K., Sweijen, S. W., Telzer, E. H., Teresi, G. I., Thomas, A. G., & Pfeifer, J. H. (2022). Longitudinal change in adolescent depression and anxiety symptoms from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 33(1), 74-91. http://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12781
Drozdova, A. D., Thomas, A. G., Volpert-Esmond. H. I., Steinberg, L., Frick, P. J., & Cauffman, E. E. (2022). Drug use homophily in adolescent offenders’ close friendship groups. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51, 2046-3059. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01637-x
Clough, I., Drozdova, A., Cavanagh, C., & Thomas, A. G. (2022). Adolescents’ adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Child: Care, Health & Development, 48(6), 1052-1061. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.13012
Cavanagh, C., Clough, I., & Thomas, A. G. (2021). Concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic among justice-involved and low-income youth. Juvenile and Family Court Journal, 72(4), 5-30. https://doi-org.utep.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/jfcj.12209
Contact Information
Email: athomas5@utep.edu
Phone: 1-915-747-6572
Fax: 1-915-747-6553
Vowell Hall, Room 205
Personal Information
Associate Professor
PhD, University of California, Irvine (2017)
Adolescent Development & Delinquency Laboratory
Courses
PSYC 4311: Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology
PSYC 3315: Psychology & the Law
Other Resources