Dr. Cook is the principal investigator of the Attachment and Health Disparities Research Lab, where she and her team examine the association between attachment-related functioning and health disparities among racial/ethnic and sexual minority youth. Though current theoretical paradigms of attachment indicate how individuals respond to stress, these theories do not adequately account for the unique impact of social stressors on individual health and well-being, which may be of critical importance in understanding the drivers of health in marginalized populations. The negative social valuation of a marginalized identity — such as a sexual minority identity or a racial minority identity — causes stress in persons with a marginalized social status beyond the level of stress that people generally experience; this excess stress has been named minority stress. However, many theories of minority stress are limited and inadequately delineate the associations between attachment orientation, stress, and subsequent health outcomes. Making these theoretical and empirical linkages is important for understanding how to address health disparities among disadvantaged individuals who are at heightened risk for experiencing minority stress compared to other individuals (e.g., African-American youth, sexual minority men). Therefore, one of the main objectives of Dr. Cook’s research is to understand the pathways and mechanisms located particularly at the intersection of marginalized identities that link attachment, minority stress, and health among disadvantaged individuals. See descriptions below for an overview of Dr. Cook’s active research studies.A. Daily Stressful Experiences and Substance Use among Young Sexual Minority Men: This study utilizes daily diary methods to examine how adult attachment, social support, and experiences with daily racial/ethnic- and/or sexual orientation-related discrimination is associated with substance use and diurnal cortisol among young sexual minority men. The goal of this study is to inform culturally relevant substance use prevention programs for young sexual minority men.B. Ethics and Broad Consent: This study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to explore ethical concerns concerning the collection of biological specimens among a cohort of young sexual minority men. Overall, this study provides an opportunity to increase our understanding of ethical considerations surrounding the collection of blood samples for research from young sexual minority men particularly in the context of HIV.C. Microaggressions and Health Behaviors of Young Black Sexual Minority Men: This study seeks to examine the association between perceived exposure to sexual orientation and race-related microaggressions and biological stress functioning among young Black sexual minority men using a five-day daily diary approach. The goal of this study is to contribute to the creation of comprehensive, culturally-sensitive public health interventions and health policies that impact young Black sexual minority men.D. Stress and Inflammation among Young Sexual Minority Men: This project is examining the association between exposure to minority stress (e.g., stigma and/or discrimination) and chronic inflammation among young sexual minority men. This study aims to shed light upon how minority stressors can “get under the skin” to influence physiological health over time, with the goal of informing culturally appropriate health interventions that reduce health disparities among young sexual minority men.E. Stress and Cardiovascular Health among Young Sexual Minority Men: This study aims to examine the association between attachment, prolonged exposure to stress in the form of minority stressors (i.e., sexual orientation and/or racial/ethnic-related stigma and discrimination), and pre-clinical cardiovascular disease among a cohort of young sexual minority men. Specifically, we seek to examine whether social support buffers the association between negative effects of minority stress and pre-clinical cardiovascular disease. The goal of this study is to inform social support interventions that reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among young sexual minority men.