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Dr. Nikko Da Paz holds a BA from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the University of California, Merced. Dr. Da Paz’s research investigates the science of stress, which includes stress effects on mental health and physiology, and psychological resources that protect from stress (stress resilience). She has conducted studies of interventions to promote resilience to stress in parental caregivers. She is focusing on chronic caregiving stress and resilience interventions in families parenting a child on the Autism Spectrum, a growing population of highly distressed individuals who are at risk of major depression and stress-related comorbidity.
Publications
Acceptance or Despair? Maternal Adjustment to Having a Child Diagnosed with Autism.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders
Interventions that target improvements in mental health for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: A narrative review.
Clinical psychology review
A randomized controlled trial of culturally tailored dance and reducing screen time to prevent weight gain in low-income African American girls: Stanford GEMS.
Archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine
Stanford GEMS phase 2 obesity prevention trial for low-income African-American girls: design and sample baseline characteristics.
Contemporary clinical trials
Parental cultural perspectives in relation to weight-related behaviors and concerns of African-American girls.
Obesity research