Lauren Mitchell

Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience

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!

 

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

Ph.D., University of Minnesota

B.A., Psychology, Kalamazoo College

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.