Sydni Davila

Graduate Student Researcher

About Sydni

I am a second-year doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology program at the University of Pittsburgh. Additionally, I’m pursuing a Global Health certificate from the School of Public Health at Pitt. Before joining the lab, I received my Bachelor's of Science in Health Sciences and Neuroscience as well as my Bachelor's of Arts in Psychology from Cleveland State University. Before joining CREAR Lab, I worked in Clinical and Social Psychology labs examining how childhood adversity manifests in communication and conflict behaviors for young adults in relationships.

I joined the CREAR Lab in 2023 as a Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bacc Fellow where I began studying the link between household stressors, such as financial hardship and family conflict, and mental health outcomes with data collected in rural Mexico. My research has since shifted to focus more generally on traumatic experiences, event centrality, and protective factors for Latin Americans and across the Latinx diaspora.

Additionally, I’m actively involved in mentoring through programs such as Hot Metal Bridge Post-Bacc Fellowship, Psychology Partnership for Undergraduate and Graduate Students (PUGS), and Women in Research.

Outside of academia, I can be found spending time with my dog Murphy or my family. I also love to bake, experiment with new recipes, and watch my favorite shows on repeat.

Presentations and Conferences

Davila, S. A., & Medrano, A. (2025). Identity in the aftermath: Trauma's role in Puerto Rican college students' growth. Poster presented at the Society for the Study of Emerging Adults (SSEA), Charleston, South Carolina.
Martinez, A., Davila, S. A., & Medrano, A. (2025). Examining protective factors in the context of familial and economic stressors in rural Mexican adolescents. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Medina, C., Davila, S. A., & Medrano, A. (2025). Sexual victimization, machismo, and anxiety among rural Mexican adolescents. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Labrousse, D., Montelongo, E. S., Davila, S. A., Williams, E.-D. G., & Medrano, A. (2024). Navigating cultural and identity constructs: Mental health in Latinx communities. National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA), San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Symposium)

Publications

Medrano, A.S., Medina, C. M., Davila, S. A., Adame Montelongo, E. S., Jenkins, A. S., Pina, I. M., Vazquez, Y. N., Leonard, A. F., Dupree, G. E., Martinez, A., Kabir, Z., & Wah Figueroa, F. (in press). Sexual victimization in school, community, and online contexts: A scoping review on the measurement of youth sexual victimization. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251412532in press
Kabir, Z. S., Davila, S. A., & Medrano, A.S.. (2026). Holding Together in Hard Times: Family Cohesion as a Moderator of Mental Health Amidst Community Violence. Journal of Community Psychology, 54(1), e70067 https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.70067
Davila, S. A., Adame Montelongo, E. S., Labrousse, D., & Medrano, A.S. (2025). "Uno no puede solucionarlo por sí mismo": Sociocultural influences on mental health and help-seeking attitudes among rural Mexican adults. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220221251387702
Davila, S. A., Martinez, A., & Medrano, A.S. (2025). Navigating familial and economic stressors: Examining resilience and cohesion as protective factors for rural Mexican adolescents. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000754
Medrano, A.S., Davila, S. A., Labrousse, D., Adame Montelongo, E. S., & Williams, E.-D. G. (2025). Disentangling machismo and caballerismo: Mental health help-seeking in rural Mexico. Journal of Rural Mental Health, 49(3), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000291
Davila, S.. (2022). Adverse Childhood Experiences in Relation to Substance Abuse and the Moderating Role. Dissertation
Ganu, D., Starks, B., Davila, S. A., & Medrano, A.S. (in press). Campus climate and the mental health of college student caregivers: The mediating role of group belonging. Journal of Higher Education.in press

Presentations & Posters

Medrano, A. (chair), Labrousse, D., Adame Montelongo, E. S., Davila, S. A., Williams, E.-D. G., Figuereo, V., Vicente, M. J., Espejo, D., Shannon, L., Flores, A. T., Garcia, Y., Robledo, D., Tandon, D., & Platt, R.. (2024). Navigating Cultural and Identity Constructs: Mental Health in Latinx Communities. National Latinx Psychological Association (NLPA), San Juan, Puerto RicoSymposium

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