Jungmeen Kim-Spoon

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Faculty, Department of Psychology
Director, Developmental Science
Director, JK Lifespan Development Lab

**Accepting new graduate students for Fall 2025**
EMail
jungmeen@vt.edu
Office Hours
Wed 10-12; Fri 4-5; By Appointment
Office Address
233 Williams Hall
Office Phone
540-231-0951
Research Center/Lab
JK Lifespan Development Lab
Web Link
JK Lifespan Development Lab (VT official)
Web Link 2
JK Lifespan Development Lab (additional detailed website)
Link(s) To Publications
Google Scholar
Short Bio
2023-present Fellow, American Psychological Association
2016-present Professor, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech
2016-present Professor, Health Sciences, Virginia Tech
2014-2016 Associate Professor, Health Sciences, Virginia Tech
2011-2016 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech
2005-2011 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech
2000-2005 Research Assistant Professor, Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester
1998-2000 Postdoctoral Associate, Dept of Human Development, Cornell University
1993-1998 Ph.D. Developmental Psychology, University of Virginia
Interests
  • Developmental Psychopathology
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Risk and resilience in adolescent risk taking and psychopathology
  • Risk and resilience in child maltreatment
  • Adolescent decision making and health risk behaviors
  • Religious and spiritual development during childhood and adolescence
  • Life-span developmental research methodology; quantitative methods for studying variability and change; analyses of developmental processes and life course transitions.
  • See http://www.psyc.vt.edu/labs/jklifespan for further information.

  • Within a developmental psychopathology perspective (Cicchetti, 1993), the development of psychopathology is viewed as unfolding along different developmental pathways among different individuals. Thus, it is expected that relevant causal processes vary among individuals who show the same pattern of disorders (i.e., equifinality), and that there is heterogeneity in the expression of disorders (i.e., multifinality). Therefore, it is important that different psychopathological outcomes are investigated simultaneously.

  • From the developmental psychopathology framework, my research program focuses on developmental processes that mediate and/or moderate the long-term effects of stressful life experiences (such as child maltreatment) on the trajectories of psychopathology and resilient functioning. The research thereby makes important theoretical contributions to the understanding of the heterogeneity (e.g., multifinality) in the developmental outcomes resulting from earlier traumatic experiences and provides implications for prevention and intervention efforts.

  • I have conducted longitudinal studies of risk and protective factors related to young people’s mental health, substance use, and overall well-being. In collaboration with graduate and undergraduate students in my lab, our research has contributed to the theories on “resilience” by elucidating protective factors, such as self-regulation, cognitive control, and religiousness, that promote adaptation despite adversity, such as child maltreatment and poverty.

  • Methodologically, my research program incorporates multiple levels of analysis, from a bio-psycho-socio-spiritual perspective, including behavioral, cognitive, emotional, neurobiological, and spiritual aspects of developmental processes. Statistically, my approach has stressed applying structural equation modeling (SEM) to study developmental changes and stability. My work is based on the premise that studying interindividual differences (differences among different individuals) in intraindividual variability (within-individual changes over time) is critical to obtaining a fuller understanding of human development. Accordingly, most of my research has utilized advanced statistical techniques for longitudinal analysis including SEM, latent growth modeling, growth mixture modeling, latent interaction modeling, and latent difference score modeling.

  • "The more I study science, the more I believe in God." - Albert Einstein
  • "Intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them." - Albert Einstein
Recent Courses Taught
  • PSYC6944 - Risk and Resilience in Developmental Psychopathology
  • PSYC5984 - Adolescent Development: From a Bio-Psycho-Socio-Spiritual Perspective
  • PSYC4364 - Senior Seminar: Family and Peer Relations
  • PSYC4363 - Developmental Psychopathology: Adversity, Risk, and Resilience (Senior Seminar)
  • PSYC4034 - Advanced Developmental Psychology
Select Publications
  • Clinchard, C., Lee, T., Lindenmuth, M., Brieant, A., Deater-Deckard, K., Noble, K., Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (in press). Family economic environment and adolescent substance use: The mediating role of parent-adolescent brain similarity and parental monitoring. Journal of Family Psychology
  • Herd, T., Meyer, C., Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (in press). Longitudinal associations between changes in peer victimization and emotion dysregulation across adolescence. Emotion.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Brieant, A., Folker, A., Lindenmuth, M., Lee, J., Casas, B., & Deater-Deckard, K. (in press). Psychopathology as long-term sequelae of maltreatment and socioeconomic disadvantage: Neurocognitive development perspectives. Development and Psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579424000531
  • Peviani, K., Clinchard, C., Bickel, W., Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (in press). Longitudinal pathways from maltreatment to substance use through delay discounting, during adolescence and young adulthood. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry-Open. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaacop.2024.02.003
  • Lindenmuth, M., Hodes, G., Herd, T., Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2024). Longitudinal associations between dimensions of maltreatment and internalizing symptoms in late adolescence: The role of inflammation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity - Health, 35, 100719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100719
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Lee, T., Clinchard, C., Lindenmuth, M., Brieant, A., Steinberg, L., Deater-Deckard, K., & Casas, B. (2024). Brain similarity as a protective factor in the longitudinal pathway linking household chaos, parenting, and substance use. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 9, 176-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2023.04.008
  • Lauharatanahirun, N., Maciejewski, D., Kim-Spoon, J., & Casas. B. (2023). Risk-related insular cortex activation is linked to longitudinal changes in adolescent health risk behaviors. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 63, 101291. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101291
  • Gamache, J., Clinchard, C., Egan, M., Steinberg, L., Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2023). Associations between peer victimization and positive and negative social risk taking in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52, 1902-1918.
  • Herd, T., Jacques, K., Brieant, A., Noll, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2023). Parenting, emotion regulation, and externalizing symptomatology as adolescent antecedents to young adult health risk behaviors. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 33, 632-640.
  • Brieant, A., Clinchard, C., Deater-Deckard, K., Lee, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2023). Differential associations of adversity profiles with adolescent cognitive control and psychopathology. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51, 1725-1738.
  • Brieant, A., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2022). Transactional relations between developmental trajectories of executive functioning and internalizing and externalizing symptomatology in adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 34, 213-224.
  • Gamache, J., Herd, T., Allen, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2022). Longitudinal associations between social relationships and alcohol use in adolescence into young adulthood: The protective role of religiousness. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 51, 1798-1814.
  • Herd, T., Brieant, A., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2022). Associations between developmental patterns of negative parenting and emotion regulation development across adolescence. Emotion, 22, 270-282.
  • Li, M., Lindenmuth, M., Tarnai, K., Lee, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2022). Development of cognitive control during adolescence: The integrative effects of family socioeconomic status and parenting behaviors. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 57, 101139.
  • Lindenmuth, M., Herd, T., Brieant, A., Lee, J. Deater-Deckard, K., Bickel, W., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2022). Neural cognitive control moderates the link between hedonia and substance use across adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 55, 101111.
  • Brieant, A., Herd, T., Deater-Deckard, K., Lee, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2021). Processes linking socioeconomic disadvantage and neural underpinnings of cognitive control in adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 48, 100935. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100935
  • Brieant, A., Peviani, K., Lee, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2021). Socioeconomic risk for adolescent cognitive control and emerging risk-taking behaviors. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 31, 71-84.
  • Herd, T., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2021). A systematic review of associations between adverse peer experiences and emotion regulation in adolescence. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 24, 141-163.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Herd, T., Brieant, A., Elder, J., Lee, J., Deater-Deckard, K., & King-Casas, B. (2021). Longitudinal neuroimaging study of cognitive control using latent growth modeling: Developmental changes and brain-behavior associations. Neuroimage. 237, 118134. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.118134
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Herd, T., Brieant, A., Peviani, K., Lauharatanahirun, N., Lee, J., Deater-Deckard, K., Bickel, W., & King-Casas, B. (2021). Bidirectional links between adolescent brain function and substance use moderated by cognitive control. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 62, 427-436.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Herd, T., Brieant, A., Peviani, K., Deater-Deckard, K., Lauharatanahirun, N., Lee, J., & King-Casas, B. (2021). Maltreatment and brain Development: The effects of abuse and neglect on longitudinal trajectories of neural activation during risk processing and cognitive control. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 48, 100939. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2021.100939
  • Herd, T., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2020). Developmental changes in emotion regulation during adolescence: Associations with socioeconomic risk and family emotional context. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 49, 1545-1557.
  • Peviani, K., Brieant, A., Holmes, C., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2020). Religious social support protects against social risks for adolescent substance use. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 30, 361-371.
  • Asscheman, J. S., Deater-Deckard, K., Lauharatanahirun, N., van Lier, P. A. C., Koot, S., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2020). Associations between peer attachment and neural correlates of risk processing across adolescence. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 42, 100772.
  • Hardy, S. A., Baldwin, C. R., Herd, T., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2020). Dynamic associations between religiousness and self-regulation across adolescence into young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 56, 180–197.
  • Maciejewski, D., Brieant, A., Lee, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2020). Neural cognitive control buffers the relation between negative life events and depressive symptoms in adolescents. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 49, 118-133.
  • Walters, J. M., Farley, J., Deater-Deckard, K., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2020). Predictors of sibling victimization and associations with self-perception and relationship attachment in adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 40, 305-317.
  • Deater-Deckard, K., Li, M., Lee, J., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2019). Poverty and puberty: A neurocognitive study of inhibitory control in the transition to adolescence. Psychological Science, 30, 1573-1583.
  • Elder, J., Brieant, A., Lauharatanahirun, N., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2019). Insular risk processing predicts alcohol use via externalizing pathway in male adolescents. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 80, 602-613.
  • Holmes, C. H., Brieant, A., King-Casas, & Kim-Spoon, J. (2019). How is religiousness associated with adolescent risk taking? The roles of emotion regulation and executive function. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 29, 334-344.
  • Holmes, C. H., Brieant, A., Kahn, R., Deater-Deckard, K., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2019). Family environment effects on developmental trajectories of self-control and adolescent risk taking. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48, 43-55.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Deater-Deckard, K., Brieant, A., Lauharatanahirun, N., Lee, J., & King-Casas, B. (2019). Brains of a feather flocking together? Peer and individual neurobehavioral risks for substance use across adolescence. Development and Psychopathology, 31, 1661-1674.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Deater-Deckard, K., King-Casas, B., Calkins, S., & Bell, M. A. (2019). Commonality between executive functioning and effortful control related to adjustment. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 60, 47-55.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Lauharatanahirun, N., Peviani, K., Brieant, A., Deater-Deckard, K., Bickel, W. K., & King-Casas, B. (2019). Longitudinal pathways linking family risk, neural risk processing, delay discounting, and adolescent substance use. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 60, 655-664.
  • Li, M., Lauharatanahirun, N., Steinberg, L., King-Casas, B., Kim-Spoon, J., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2019). Longitudinal link between trait motivation and risk-taking behaviors via neural risk processing. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 40, 100725.
  • Peviani, K., Kahn, R., Maciejewski, D., Bickel, W., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2019). Intergenerational transmission of delay discounting: the mediating role of household chaos. Journal of Adolescence, 72, 83-90.
  • Brieant, A., Holmes, C. J., Maciejewski, D., Lee, J., Deater-Deckard, K., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2018). Positive and negative affect and adolescent adjustment: Moderation effects of prefrontal functioning. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 28, 40-55.
  • Herd, T., Li, M., Maciejewski, D., Deater-Deckard, K., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2018). Inhibitory control mediates the association between perceived stress and relationship quality. Frontiers in Psychology: Developmental Psychology, 9, 217.
  • Kahn, R. E., Chiu, P. H., Deater-Deckard, K., Hochgraf, A. K., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2018). The interaction between reward-risk sensitivity and effortful control for emerging adults’ substance use behaviors. Substance Use and Misuse, 53, 1299-1310.
  • Lauharatanahirun, N., Maciejewski, D., Holmes, C., Deater-Deckard, K., Kim-Spoon, J., & King-Casas, B. (2018). Neural correlates of risk processing among adolescents: Influences of parental monitoring and household chaos. Child Development, 89, 784-796.
  • Maciejewski, D., Lauharatanahirun, N., Herd, T., Lee, J., Deater-Deckard, K., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2018). Neural cognitive control moderates the association between insular risk processing and risk-taking behaviors via perceived stress in adolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 30, 150-158.
  • Waldron, J. C., Scarpa, A., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2018). Religiosity and interpersonal problems explain individual differences in self-esteem among young adults with child maltreatment experiences. Child Abuse and Neglect, 80, 271-284.
  • Holmes, C. J., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2017). Adolescents' religiousness and substance use are linked via afterlife beliefs and future orientation. Journal of Early Adolescence, 37, 1054-1077.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Maciejewski, D., Lee, J., Deater-Deckard, K., & King-Casas (2017). Longitudinal associations among family environment, neural cognitive control, and social competence among adolescents. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 26, 69-76.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Kahn, R. E., Lauharatanahirun, N., Deater-Deckard, K., Bickel, W. K., Chiu, P. H., & King-Casas, B. (2017). Executive functioning and substance use in adolescence: Neurobiological and behavioral perspectives. Neuropsychologia, 100, 79-92.
  • Brieant, A., Holmes, C. H., Deater-Deckard, K., King-Casas, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2017). Household chaos as a context for intergenerational transmission of executive functioning. Journal of Adolescence, 58, 40-48.
  • Farley, J. P., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2017). Parenting and adolescent self-regulation mediates between economic hardship and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Early Adolescence, 37, 502-524.
  • Longo, G. S., Bray, B., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2017). Profiles of adolescent religiousness using latent profile analysis: Implications for psychopathology. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 1, 91-105.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Deater-Deckard, K., Lauharatanahirun, N.,Farley, J. P., Chiu, P., Bickel, W. K., & King-Casas, B. (2016). Neural interaction between risk sensitivity and cognitive control predicting health risk behaviors among late adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27, 674-682.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Deater-Deckard, K., Holmes, C. J., Lee, J. I., Chiu, P. H., & King-Casas, B. (2016). Behavioral and neural inhibitory control moderates the effects of reward sensitivity on adolescent substance use. Neuropsychologia, 91, 318-326.
  • Kim-Spoon, J. & Grimm, K. J. (2016). Latent growth modeling and developmental psychopathology. In D. Cicchetti (Ed.), Development and Psychopathology (3rd ed): Volume I Theory and Method. (pp. 986-1041). John Wiley & Sons.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Kahn, R. E., Deater-Deckard, K., Chiu, P. H., Steinberg, L., & King-Casas, B. (2016). Risky decision making in a laboratory driving task is associated with health risk behaviors during late adolescence but not adulthood. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 40, 58-63.
  • Holmes, C. J., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2016). Positive and negative associations between adolescents’ religiousness and health behaviors via self-regulation. Religion, Brain, and Behavior, 6, 188-206.
  • Holmes, C. J., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2016). Why are religiousness and spirituality associated with externalizing psychopathology? A literature review. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 19, 1-20.
  • Holmes, C., Kim-Spoon, J., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2016). Executive function and social interaction: The role of peer stress. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44, 31-42.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Holmes, C., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2015). Attention regulates anger and fear to predict adolescent risk-taking behaviors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 56, 756-765.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., McCullough, M. E., Bickel, W. K., Farley, J. P., & Longo, G. S. (2015). Longitudinal associations among adolescent religiosity, delay discounting, and substance use behaviors. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 25, 36-43.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Longo, G., & Holmes, C. (2015). Bifactor modeling of general vs. specific factors of religiousness predicting adolescent substance use. Journal of Adolescence, 43, 15-19.
  • Kahn, R. E., Holmes, C., Farley, J. P., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2015). Delay discounting mediates parent-adolescent communication and risky sexual behavior for low self-control adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44, 1674-1687.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Farley, J. P., Holmes, C. J., & Longo, G. S. (2014). Religiousness Moderate Links Between Harsh Parenting and Adolescent Substance Use? Journal of Family Psychology, 28, 739-748.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Farley, J. P., Holmes, C. J., Longo, G. S., & McCullough, M. E. (2014). Processes linking parents’ and adolescents’ religiousness and adolescent substance use: Monitoring behaviors and self-regulation. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43, 745-756.
  • Farley, J. P., & Kim-Spoon, J. (2014). The development of adolescent self-regulation: The role of parent, peer, friend, and romantic relationships. Journal of Adolescence, 37, 433-440.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Cicchetti, D., & Rogosch, F. A. (2013). A longitudinal study of emotion regulation, negative emotionality, and internalizing symptomatology in maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Child Development, 84, 512-527.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Longo, G., & McCullough, M. E. (2012). Adolescents who are less religious than their parents are at risk for externalizing and internalizing symptoms: The mediating role for parent-adolescent relationship quality. Journal of Family Psychology, 26, 636-641.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Longo, G., & McCullough, M. E. (2012). Parent-Adolescent Relationship Quality as a Moderator for the Influences of Parents’ Religiousness on Adolescents’ Religiousness and Adjustment. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41, 1576-1587.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Ollendick, T., & Seligman, L. (2012). Perceived competence and depressive symptoms among adolescents: The moderating role of attributional style. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 43, 612-630.
  • Kim-Spoon, J., Haskett, M., Longo, G., & Nice, R. (2012). Longitudinal study of self-regulation, positive parenting, and adjustment problems among physically abused children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 36, 95-107.
  • Kim, J., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2011). Dynamic changes in anger linking to developmental trajectories of internalizing and externalizing problems: The moderating role of attention. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52, 156-166.
  • Kim, J, Mullineaux, P. Y., Allen, B., & Deater-Deckard, K. (2010). Longitudinal studies of stability in attention span and anger: Context and informant effects. Journal of Personality, 2, 419-440.
  • Kim, J. & Cicchetti, D. (2010). Longitudinal pathways linking child abuse and neglect, emotion regulation, peer rejection, and psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 51, 706-716.
  • Kim, J, Deater-Deckard, K., Mullineaux, P. Y., & Beekman, C. R (2010). Testing context specificity and informant variation in longitudinal stability of children’s hyper-impulsivity. European Journal of Personality, 24, 656-674.
  • Kim, J., & Cicchetti, D. (2009). Mean-level change and intraindividual variability in self-esteem and depression among high-risk children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 33, 202-214.
  • Kim, J., McCullough, M. E., & Cicchetti, D. (2009). Parents' and children's religiosity and child psychopathology among maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 18, 594-605.
  • Kim, J., Cicchetti, D., Rogosch, F. A., & Manly, J. T. (2009). Child maltreatment and trajectories of personality and behavioral functioning: Implications for the development of personality disorder. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 889-912.
  • Kim, J. (2008). The protective effects of religiosity on maladjustment among maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32, 711-720.
  • Kim, J., & Cicchetti, D. (2006). Longitudinal trajectories of self-system processes and depressive symptoms among maltreated and nonmaltreated children. Child Development, 77, 624-639.
Degrees

Ph. D. Developmental Psychology. University of Virginia