Primary Research and Clinical Interests

Dr. Leve’s research is focused on the translation of basic research to inform preventive interventions. She leads research grants from NIDA, NIMH, and NICHD that focus on developmental pathways and intervention outcomes for at-risk youth and families. This includes preventive intervention studies with youth in foster care and with adolescents in the juvenile justice system aimed at preventing risk behaviors and improving public health outcomes, as well as adoption studies that examine the interplay between biological (genetic, hormonal), psychological, and social influences on development. Her published work in the area of gene-environment interplay emphasizes the translation of basic research findings to help refine the selection of malleable environmental targets in the context of prevention and intervention studies. She is also interested in issues specific to adjustment and outcomes for girls and women. Dr. Leve is a Professor of Counseling Psychology and Human Services in the College of Education and a Research Scientist at the Prevention Science Institute at the University of Oregon. She is the recipient of the 2011 Society for Prevention Research Prevention Science Award and is a member of the Society for Prevention Research Board of Directors. She obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1995.

Selected Publications

  • Leve, L. D., Chamberlain, P., & Reid, J. B. (2005). Intervention outcomes for girls referred from juvenile justice: Effects on delinquency. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 1181-1185.

  • Leve, L. D., Kim, H. K., & Pears, K. C. (2005). Childhood temperament and family environment as predictors of internalizing and externalizing trajectories from ages 5 to 17. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 505-520.

  • Leve, L. D., & Chamberlain, P. (2007). A randomized evaluation of Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care: Effects on school attendance and homework completion in juvenile justice girls. Research on Social Work Practice, 17, 657-663.

  • Leve, L. D., Neiderhiser, J. M., Ge, X., Scaramella, L. V., Conger, R. D., Reid, J. B., Shaw, D. S., & Reiss, D. (2007). The Early Growth and Development Study: A prospective adoption design. Twin Research and Human Genetics, 10, 84-95.

  • Reiss, D., & Leve, L. D. (2007). Genetic expression outside the skin: Clues to mechanisms of Genotype x Environment interaction. Development and Psychopathology, 19, 1005-1027

  • Leve, L. D., Fisher, P. A., & Chamberlain, P. (2009). Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care as a preventive intervention to promote resiliency among youth in the child welfare system. Journal of Personality, 77, 1869-1902.

  • Leve, L. D., Harold, G. T., Ge, X., Neiderhiser, J. M., Shaw, D., Scaramella, L. V., & Reiss, D. (2009). Structured parenting of toddlers at high versus low genetic risk: Two pathways to child problems. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48, 1102–1109.

  • Leve, L. D., Kerr, D., Shaw, D., Ge, X., Neiderhiser, J. M., Reid, J. B., Scaramella, L., Conger, R., & Reiss, D. (2010). Infant pathways to externalizing behavior: Evidence of Genotype x Environment interaction. Child Development, 81, 340-356.

  • Leve, L. D., Harold, G. T., Ge, X., Neiderhiser, J. M., & Patterson, G. R. (2010). Refining intervention targets in Family-Based Research: Lessons from quantitative behavioral genetics. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5, 516-526.

  • Leve, L. D., Kerr, D. C. R., & Harold, G. T. (2013). Young adult outcomes associated with teen pregnancy among high-risk girls in an RCT of multidimensional treatment foster care. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 22, 421-434.