CREAR LabCREAR LabUniversity of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh

Resilience in Research - Fortaleza en la Comunidad

“Crear” means “to create” in Spanish. At CREAR Lab we study what helps youth and families exposed to violence survive, resist, and thrive — and we put that knowledge back into the hands of the communities it comes from.

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What CREAR stands for

C
Community
R
Research
E
Exploring
A
Adolescent
R
Resilience

About us

We embody our name in action.

Welcome to CREAR Lab, where we embody our name in action: Community Research Exploring Adolescent Resilience. “Crear,” meaning “to create” in Spanish, symbolizes our commitment to fostering positive psychological well-being among youth and families exposed to violence. Through rigorous research and compassionate outreach, we strive to empower young lives — creating pathways to resilience and brighter futures.

Our research identifies factors that contribute to optimal well-being and resilience in the face of contextual risk, with a focus on community settings — across the lifespan, ages 11–65. We study protective factors like the cultural value of familismo and dimensions of parent–adolescent relationships. While our lab has a particular interest in Latino/as in the U.S. and Latin America (Honduras, Puerto Rico, Mexico), we care about adolescents of color more broadly.

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Our values

A strengths-based, familia-first lab.

The CREAR Lab is made up of passionate researchers committed to promoting the well-being of youth and families of color through a strengths-based approach. We value the diversity of lived experiences and work actively to make the lab an inclusive, accessible, and collaborative space.

We foster mutual support, open communication, and respect — training ethical, rigorous researchers who contribute to transformative knowledge through research and mentorship.

Welcome to CREAR

A bilingual poem — donde ciencia meets soul.

Welcome to CREAR, where ciencia meets soul,Where data y corazón make the vision whole.We create with purpose, not just to know,But to plant resilience and help young lives grow.
Aquí, we study struggle, but center the luz,Charting how jóvenes rise, even when they lose.From barrios to schoolyards, from casa to calle,We listen, we honor, we walk in cada valle.
CREAR means more than “to make” or “to build,”It means to nurture, to grow, to help hearts be filled,With fuerza from cultura, with roots deep and wide,With cuidado that surrounds and esperanza as guide.
We ask: ¿Qué protege? ¿Qué sana? ¿Qué da fuerza?What fosters belonging, cuando la vida es adversa?In pláticas de familia and community care,We find las herramientas that help youth repair.
We walk with los jóvenes who have weathered the storm,Turning dolor into purpose and grief into form.With each historia shared and each vida we touch,We remember: resiliencia can mean so much.
So join our misión, grounded and vast,Where ciencia y justicia walk forward at last.Together we crear, with alma and truth,Un mañana más brillante for every youth.

Written by Patrick Tanori Quintero, PhD Student

Across the Américas

Community research in action

See all studies
Mexico

Fortaleza Mexicana

Families Confronting Violence in Rural Mexico

N = 200 parent–adolescent dyadsMexico

MAPI

Linking Neighborhood Violence to Mexican Adolescents' Psychological & Immune Health

N = 346 adolescentsMexico

Proyecto VENCER

Violence Exposure iN College Mexican Emerging Adults & Resilience Study

N = 499 young adults

Gracias for your interest.

Whether you want to participate, collaborate, or join the team — we'd love to hear from you.

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