Lauren Mitchell

Assistant Professor of Psychology

Contact Information

617-732-1739

mitchelll@emmanuel.edu

Office Hours

Office: Eisner Administration Building 421D

S
tudent Hours: Please feel free to schedule a meeting with me here: drmitchell.youcanbook.me

Education

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Center for Care Delivery & Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA HCS

Ph.D., University of Minnesota

B.A., Psychology, Kalamazoo College

Bio

I am a developmental psychologist, and my research focuses on adaptation to stressful life events across the adult lifespan. I am especially interested in how personality and identity may play a role in promoting healthy adaptation to major life changes.

My previous research has examined the effects of a wide range of stressful life events on older adults' mental and physical health. My recent work, conducted at the Minneapolis VA, examines veterans' psychosocial adaptation following a traumatic spinal cord injury, as well as identity disruption among veterans reintegrating back into civilian life. I am also currently investigating the experiences of family caregivers of older adults with dementia, including their coping with stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. I use both qualitative and quantitative methods, especially longitudinal modeling, to track developmental changes over the course of these types of stressful life experiences.

I teach courses in developmental psychology, including Child Development and Lifespan Development. Working with students is one of the most fun and rewarding parts of my career, and I especially appreciate getting a chance to know my students as individuals and helping them grow over the course of their college career.

What I love About Emmanuel:
I love how enthusiastic the students are, and how supportive and encouraging the other faculty are!

Publications & Presentations

Published Articles

Mitchell, L. L., Albers, E. A., Birkeland, R. W., Peterson, C. M., Stabler, H., Horn, B., Cha, J., Drake, A.*, & Gaugler, J. E. (2022). Caring for a relative with dementia in long-term care during COVID-19. JAMDA, 23(3), 428-433.
Gaugler, J. E., & Mitchell, L. L. (2022). Re-imagining family involvement in residential long-term care. JAMDA, 23(2), 235-240.
Albers, E. Mikal, J., Finlay, J., Jutkowitz, E., Horn, B., Mitchell, L. L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2022). Technology use among persons with memory concerns and their caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study. JMIR Aging, 17(5), e31552.
Baker, Z. G., Gustavson, A. M., Mitchell, L. L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2022). Open science in dementia care embedded pragmatic clinical trials. Psychology and Aging, 37(1), 51-59.
Mitchell, L. L., Adler, J. M., Carlsson, J., Eriksson, P. L., & Syed, M. (2021). A conceptual review of identity integration across adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 57(11), 1981-1990.
Gaugler, J. E., Zmora, R., Mitchell, L. L., Finlay, J., Rosebush, C. E., Nkimbeng, M., Baker, Z. G., Albers, E., & Peterson, C. M. (2021). Remote activity monitoring for family caregivers of persons living with dementia: A mixed methods, randomized controlled evaluation. BMC Geriatrics, 21, 715.
Ajayi, A. A., Mitchell, L. L., Nelson, S. C., Fish, J., Peissig, L. H. M., Causadias, J. M., & Syed, M. (2021). Person-environment fit and retention of racially minoritized college students: Recommendations for faculty, support staff, and administrators. Education Sciences, 11, 271.
Mitchell, L. L., Lodi-Smith, J., Baranski, E., & Whitbourne, S. K. (2021). Implications of identity resolution in emerging adulthood for intimacy, generativity, and integrity across the lifespan. Psychology & Aging, 36(5), 545-556.
Jutkowitz, E., Mitchell, L. L., Bardenheier, B. H., & Gaugler, J. E. (2021). Profiles of family caregiving arrangements of community-dwelling people living with probable dementia: A latent class analysis. Journal of Aging & Social Policy. Advance online publication.
Sayer, N., Orazem, R., Mitchell, L. L., Carlson, K., Schnurr, P., & Litz, B. (2021). What the public should know about veterans returning from combat deployment: A qualitative analysis. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 91(3), 398-406.
Zmora, R., Mitchell, L. L., Bustamante, G., Finlay, J. M., Nkimbeng, M., & Gaugler, J. E. (2021). Dementia caregivers' experiences and reactions to remote activity monitoring system alerts. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 47(1), 13-20.
Mitchell, L. L., Frazier, P. A., & Sayer, N. A. (2020). Identity disruption and its association with mental health among veterans with reintegration difficulty. Developmental Psychology, 56(11), 2152-2166.
Mitchell, L. L., Zmora, R., Finlay, J., Jutkowitz, E., & Gaugler, J. E. (2020). Do Big Five personality traits moderate the effects of stressful life events on health trajectories? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences. Advance online publication.
Peterson, C. M., Mikal, J. P., McCarron, H. R., Finlay, J. M., Mitchell, L. L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2020). An evaluation of a multi-phase personal health record intervention for persons with dementia and their family caregivers. Journal of Medical Internet Research: Aging, 3(1).
Jutkowitz, E., Gaugler, J. E., Trivedi, A., Mitchell, L. L., & Gozalo, P. (2020). Dementia caregiving received from incidence up to 8-years post-incidence. BMC Geriatrics, 20.
Jutkowitz, E., Gozalo, P., Trivedi, A., Mitchell, L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2020). The effect of physical and cognitive impairments on caregiving. Medical Care. Advance online publication.
Mitchell, L.L., Peterson, C. M., Rud, S., Jutkowitz, E., Sarkinen, A.*, Trost, S.*, Porta, C. M., Finlay, J. & Gaugler, J. E. (2020). “It’s like a cyber-security blanket:” The utility of remote activity monitoring in family dementia care. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 39(1), 86-98.
Gaugler, J. E., McCarron, H. M., & Mitchell, L. L. (2019). Perceptions of dementia care technologies among ethnic minority and rural caregivers and health professionals. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 5, 468-474.
Gaugler, J. E., Bain, L. J., Mitchell, L. L., Finlay, J., Fazio, S., Jutkowitz, E., & the Alzheimer’s Association Psychosocial Measurement Workgroup. (2019). Reconsidering frameworks of Alzheimer’s dementia when assessing psychosocial outcomes. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, 5, 388-397.
Gaugler, J. E., Zmora, R., Mitchell, L. L., Finlay, J. M., Peterson, C.M., McCarron, H., & Jutkowitz, E. (2019). Six-month efficacy of remote activity monitoring for persons with dementia and their family caregivers: An experimental mixed methods study. The Gerontologist, 59(1), 78-89.
Mitchell, L. L., Kathawalla, U. K., Ajayi, A. A., Fish, J., Nelson, S. C., Peissig, L. H. M., & Syed, M. (2018). Racial/ethnic typicality and its relation to ethnic identity and psychological functioning. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 24(3), 400-413.
Mitchell, L. L., & Syed, M. (2015). Does college matter for emerging adulthood? Comparing developmental trajectories of educational groups. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44 (11), 2012-2027.
Syed, M., & Mitchell, L. L. (2013). Race, ethnicity, and emerging adulthood: Retrospect and prospects. Emerging Adulthood 1(2), 83-95.

Book Chapters

Mitchell, L. L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2021). Recommendations for the future science of family caregiving services and supports: A synthesis of recent summits and national reports. To appear in J. E. Gaugler (Ed.), Bridging the Family Care Gap. Elsevier.
Gaugler, J. E., Peterson, C. M., Mitchell, L. L., Finlay, J., & Jutkowitz, E. (2018). Mixed methods research in adult development and aging. In B. G. Knight (Ed.), Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Psychology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. doi: 0.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.350.
Syed, M., & Mitchell, L. L. (2015). Temporal identity integration as a core developmental process. In R. Scott & S. Kosslyn (Eds.), Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.
Syed, M., & Mitchell, L. L. (2015). How race and ethnicity shape emerging
adulthood. In J. J. Arnett (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Emerging Adulthood. New York: Oxford University Press. (Reprinted from Syed, M., & Mitchell, L. L. (2013). Race, ethnicity, and emerging adulthood: Retrospect and prospects. Emerging Adulthood 1(2), 83-95.)

Conference Presentations

Mitchell, L. L., Lodi-Smith, J., Baranski, E., & Whitbourne, S. (2022, February). How does emerging adulthood identity affect later Eriksonian development? Poster presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology convention, San Francisco, CA.
Mitchell, L. L. (2021, November). Chair of the symposium, “Coping with COVID-19: Challenges and Resilience.” Symposium presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Mitchell, L. L., Albers, E., Birkeland, R., Peterson, C. M., Drake, A.*, & Gaugler, J. E. (2021, November). Dementia caregivers' trajectories of well-being before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Mitchell, L. L., Albers, E. A., Birkeland, R. W., Peterson, C. M., Stabler, H., Horn, B., Cha, J., Drake, A.*, & Gaugler, J. E. (2021, November). Navigating COVID-19 and long-term care: Dementia caregivers' challenges and strengths. Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Gaugler, J. E., Zmora, R., Mitchell, L. L., Finlay, J., Rosebush, C. E., Nkimbeng, M., Baker, Z. G., Albers, E., & Peterson, C. M. (2021, November). The effects of remote activity monitoring on family caregivers of people living with dementia over an 18-month period. Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Millenbah, A., Albers, E. A., Mikal, J., Finlay, J., Jutkowitz, E., Mitchell, L. L., Horn, B., & Gaugler, J. E. (2021, November). The use and disuse of technology among persons with memory concerns and their caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Gaugler, J. E., Zmora, R., Peterson, C. M., Mitchell, L. L., Birkeland, R., Jutkowitz, E., & Duval, S. (2021, November). What keeps older people out of nursing homes? A meta-analysis. Paper presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Phoenix, AZ.
Mitchell, L. L., Lodi-Smith, J., Baranski, E., & Whitbourne, S. K. (2021, July). Implications of emerging adulthood identity for later Eriksonian stages. Paper presented at the Association for Research in Personality, Virtual Conference.
Mitchell, L. L. (2020, August). Chair of the symposium, “Personality Development Across the Lifespan.” Accepted for presentation at the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Mitchell, L. L., Zmora, R., Finlay, J. M., Jutkowitz, E., & Gaugler, J. E. (2020, August). The role of Big Five traits in predicting health trajectories after stressful events. Paper accepted for presentation at the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Lodi-Smith, J., Mitchell, L. L., Virginia, H.J., Baranski, E., & Whitbourne, S.K. (2020, August). Psychosocial growth and change in well-being in the Rochester Adult Longitudinal Study. Paper accepted for presentation at the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Mitchell, L. L., Zmora, R., Finlay, J. M., Jutkowitz, E., & Gaugler, J. E. (2019, February). The role of Big Five traits in predicting health trajectories after stressful events. Poster presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA.
Mitchell, L. L., Erbes, C. R., & Arbisi, P. A. (2019, November). Incremental validity of optimism and purpose for predicting older adults’ depressive symptoms. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Austin, TX.
Jutkowitz, E., Gaugler, J. E., Trivedi, A., Mitchell, L. L., & Gozalo, P. L. (2019).
Longitudinal characteristics of community-dwelling persons with dementia. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Austin, TX.
Zmora, R., Finlay, J., Bustamante, G., Mitchell, L. L., & Gaugler, J. E. (2019). Caregiver responses to remote activity monitor alerts of persons with dementia. Poster presented at the Gerontological Society of America Conference, Austin, TX.
Mitchell, L. L., Erbes, C. R., & Arbisi, P. A. (2019, October). Testing the incremental validity of resilience over Big Five traits for predicting depressive symptoms. Poster presented at the Society for the Study of Human Development Conference, Portland, OR.
Mitchell, L. L., McCarron, H., & Gaugler, J. E. (2019, August). Perceptions of dementia care technologies among ethnic minority and rural caregivers and health professionals. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association Convention (Div. 20), Chicago, IL.
Mitchell, L. L., McCarron, H., & Gaugler, J. E. (2018, November). Engaging adult day service sites in ADS Plus. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.
Marx, K., Gaugler, J. E., Scerpella, D., Duffort, N., Mitchell, L. L., & Gitlin, L. N. (2018, November). Recruitment and enrollment in a pragmatic trial: ADS Plus. Paper presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.
Zmora, R., Mitchell, L. L., Finlay, J., Peterson, C., McCarron, H., Jutkowitz, E., & Gaugler, J. E. (2018, November). Six-month efficacy of remote activity monitoring for persons with dementia and their family caregivers. Poster presented at the meeting of the Gerontological Society of America, Boston, MA.
Mitchell, L. L. (2018, August) Identity and social support among veterans transitioning to civilian life: A mixed methods study. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention (Div. 20), San Francisco, CA.
Mitchell, L. L. (2018, April) Identity and social support among veterans transitioning to civilian life: A mixed methods study. Poster presented at the meeting of the International Society for Research on Identity, Minneapolis, MN.
Mitchell, L.L., Peterson, C. M., Rud, S. R., Cowl, A., Trost, S., & Gaugler, J.E. (2017, July). “It’s like a cyber security blanket:” The utility of remote monitoring in family dementia care. Poster presented at the meeting of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, San Francisco, CA.
Kathawalla, U., Ajayi, A., Fish, J. Mitchell, L.L., Nelson, S. C., Azlan, N. A., Morton, M., Omar, H., & Syed, M. (2017, November). What’s in a name? How emerging adults' views on their names is associated with ethnic identity development. Poster presented at the meeting of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Washington DC.
Mitchell, L. L., & Aguilera, R. (2016, June). Race in suspect descriptions: Use it or lose it? Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Minneapolis, MN.
Mitchell, L. L., & Syed, M. (2016, January). Effects of research-based metanarratives on attitudes toward emerging adults. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, San Diego, CA.
Mitchell, L. L., & Syed, M. (2015, October). Crime alerts and campus culture: What we can learn from the University of Minnesota. Poster presentation at the meeting of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Miami, FL.
Nelson, Sarah C., Mitchell, L. L., Carlson, M., Syed, M., Frisén, A., Wängqvist, M. Svensson, Y., & Gyberg, F. (2015, October) Multiculturalism and Swedish immigration. Poster presented at the meeting of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Miami, FL.
Mitchell, L. L., Ajayi, A. A., Fish, J., Morrison-Cohen, S., & Walker, L. H. M. (2015, August). How do you know if you’re typical? Exploring ethnic prototypes. Poster presented at the American Psychological Association Convention (Div. 45), Toronto, ON.
Mitchell, L. L., & Syed, M. (2015, February). How special are college students? Comparing educational groups on core life domains. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Long Beach, CA.
Mitchell, L. L., Syed, M., & McLean, K. C. (2014, March). The generalizability of emerging adulthood theory across educational groups. Poster presented at the biannual meeting of the Society for Research on Adolescence, Austin, TX.
Mitchell, L. L., & Syed, M. (2013, May). Temporal continuity in major path decisions. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Identity Formation, St. Paul, MN.
Mitchell, L. L., & Syed, M. (2013, October). Are non-college-goers emerging adults, too? A comparison of developmental trajectories. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood, Chicago, IL.
Mitchell, L. L. (2010, August). Influence of recently heard songs on vocal improvisations. Paper presented at the regional meeting of Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing, Charlottetown, PE, Canada.

Community Presentations

Mitchell, L. L., Erbes, C., & Arbisi, P. (2019, April). Predicting Depressive Symptoms among Older Adults. Minnesota Gerontological Society. Minneapolis, MN.
Mitchell, L. L., & Peterson, C. M. (2017, June). Current Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. FamilyMeans Memory Club. Stillwater, MN.
Mitchell, L. L., & Peterson, C. M. (2017, April). Current Research on Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia. Wilder Foundation Memory Club. St. Paul, MN.

NIH/NIA R01 AG048931-05S1 (PI: Gaugler): The Residential Care Transition Module: Administrative Supplement to Investigate the Effects of COVID-19 on Caregivers and Long-Term Care Residents (Role: Supplement PI). 2020-2021.
NIH/NIA R21 AG067537 (PI: Gaugler): Refining a Driving Cessation Management Intervention for Persons with Dementia and their Family Caregivers: CarFreeMe (Role: Consultant). 2020-2022.
NIH/NIA R44 AG063683 (PI: Havey). A Mobile Informatics Solution to Aid in Memory. (Role: Co-Investigator). 2019-2022.
VA HSR&D Locally Initiated Project 19-001 (PI: Mitchell). Identity Disruption among Veterans and Caregivers. 2019-2020.
APA Early Career Achievement Award, 2019.
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, University of Minnesota, 2017-2018.
Thomas J. Bouchard Fellowship in Psychology, 2015.
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship - Honorable Mention, 2013.