Dr. Flores earned his BA in Psychology at the University of California Berkeley and PhD in Clinical/Community Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He completed his predoctoral clinical psychology internship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) and a postdoctoral fellowship at VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh. He was an assistant professor at Queen’s University in Canada prior to joining the Department of Psychology at Rutgers.
Close relationships can have an immense impact—both positive and negative—on depression. However, how close relationships affect depression—particularly in a positive manner—remains insufficiently understood. Our lab takes an affective and clinical (neuro)science approach to investigate the contribution of interpersonal processes in emotion and the clinical course of depression. We particularly focus on emerging adulthood (ages 18-29), as it is a developmental period involving high depression risk, sensitivity to social relationships, and continued social and affective development.
Our research, thus far, has centered (1) the role of interpersonal processes in depression and typical challenges faced by emerging adults (e.g., transition to university); (2) the cognitive-affective benefits of the social regulation of emotion; and (3) the social- and reward-related neural circuits involved in prosocial experiences. Developing an intricate understanding of these topics is essential to enhance the protection relationships can provide among people with or at risk for depression.
Our work has been supported by external funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
Visit our lab website to learn more about ongoing projects and opportunities to get involved!