About

Aprile D. Benner is a professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on child and adolescent development, with particular interest in issues related to marginalization and discrimination, schools, and stratification systems. She is engaged in studying how these factors influence developmental outcomes and educational experiences.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Medicine
• Developmental psychology
• Political Science
• Sociology
• Social psychology
• Clinical psychology
• Data Mining
• Demography
• Computer Science
• Psychiatry
• Cartography
• Gerontology
• Virology
• Geography
• Public relations

Selected publications

• An asset-based approach to Latinx youth health: Internal assets and the role of social support

  Child Development · 2026-02-04

  articleSenior author

  Using a strength-based lens, this registered report examined how internal assets support positive health and health behaviors among Latinx adolescents and whether positive social relationships further strengthened these associations. Using survey data from a longitudinal study (N = 299; 55% female; 67% monoracial Mexican/Mexican American, 20% monoracial Latinx from other countries of origin, 13% biracial/multiracial Latinx), path analyses revealed that higher self-efficacy was associated with fewer subsequent sleep disturbances, while greater shift-and-persist strategies were related to lower stress. Peer support moderated the link between resilience and stress, and sensitivity analyses revealed that the moderating effects of parental support varied by gender, socioeconomic status, and immigration status. Findings from the current study highlight potential targets to promote healthy development in Latinx youth.

  PublisherDOI

• Accumulating disadvantage: Mechanisms linking discrimination histories and adolescent health.

  Developmental Psychology · 2026-04-13

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Research has documented the pervasive impact of discrimination on adolescents' mental health, but its impact on physical health at this time in the life course is less understood. The present study fills this gap by investigating how accumulating experiences of peer-perpetrated discrimination across adolescence impact general health and whether unhealthy behaviors (i.e., substance use, poor sleep, lack of exercise) serve as an explanatory mediating pathway. In this study, we used longitudinal data from a racially/ethnically and socioeconomically diverse community sample in the Southern United States (45% White, 30% Latina/o/x, 8% Asian, 5% Black, and 13% biracial, multiracial, or another race/ethnicity; 58% female; 34% economically disadvantaged), following young people as they moved through adolescence and into young adulthood. We observed that experiences of peer-perpetrated discrimination tied to multiple social identities accumulated across time. Complementary person-centered analyses suggested that the majority of youth in our sample experienced low levels of peer-perpetrated discrimination with attenuated declines across time, with smaller proportions reporting either high and stable or moderate but increasing discrimination across time. Greater cumulative discrimination, as well as trajectory profiles characterized by high or increasing peer-perpetrated discrimination, were linked to poorer self-rated health, and sleep served as a central mechanism by which accumulating discrimination exacted its toll. Findings highlight that persistent or growing exposure to peer-perpetrated discrimination may set the stage for longer term health consequences, and, as such, adolescence represents a critical window for intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• From status and rank to report card: Examining the influence of social class on adolescent academic achievement

  Journal of Research on Adolescence · 2026-01-14

  article

  To advance understanding of the relations between social class and adolescent development, the current study examined the extent to which both objective SES (i.e., parental education level, qualified for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch; FRPL) and adolescents' perceptions of their subjective SES (i.e., subjective social status (SSS), social class identity) influenced educational outcomes via social interactions with peers and psychological well-being across the first 2 years of high school. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of adolescents in the Southwest U.S. and included 724 adolescents who completed annual surveys in 9th and 10th grade. In total, 40% were White, 33% Latino/a/x, 9% Asian, 6% Black, and 12% biracial/multiracial. Slightly more than half (54%) of participants were female, and 39% were from families deemed economically disadvantaged based on student eligibility for FRPL. Results of structural equation modeling analyses indicated evidence of multi-mediation, such that higher SSS and social class identity in the 9th grade were associated with fewer social struggles, which in turn were linked to better psychological well-being and higher school engagement, which was associated with higher grades at the end of 10th grade. Sensitivity analyses confirmed evidence of mediation, controlling for course grades in 9th grade. The study findings highlight adolescents' subjective perceptions of SES as meaningful, distinct forces in their social and academic lives, positioning this dimension of identity as a critical lens for understanding how inequality shapes youth development.

  PublisherDOI

• Promoting Cross-Racial and Ethnic Friendships in Schools: Roles of School Diversity and Interracial Climate and Intersections with Immigrant Status

  Journal of Youth and Adolescence · 2025-04-03 · 2 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Cross-racial/ethnic friendships are associated with positive outcomes related to social cohesion; however, attention to the specific school contextual factors that promote these friendships during adolescence and how such factors vary by adolescents' social positions is lacking. This study examined how school diversity and interracial climate were related to students' friendship diversity and whether these associations differed by immigrant status. The participants were from a diverse sample of 591 U.S. 9th graders who were approximately 14- to 15-year-old across 29 schools (10% Asian American, 4% Black, 34% Latino/a/x, 40% White, and 12% other or multiple races/ethnicities; 53% female). The results indicated that higher school racial/ethnic diversity was linked to greater friendship diversity. However, this relation diminished as school diversity increased and was less pronounced among adolescents from immigrant families. Youth from immigrant families who perceived a more positive interracial climate among peers reported having more diverse friendships compared to their counterparts from immigrant families in the same schools. The findings highlight the facilitating roles of school diversity and peer interracial climate in positive interracial interactions and the varying influences of adolescents' immigrant status.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The co‐development of ethnic identity and future orientation among ethnically/racially minoritized adolescents: A parallel process model

  Journal of Research on Adolescence · 2025-01-21

  articleOpen access

  This brief report examined the co-development of ethnic/racial identity (ERI) and future orientation among ethnically/racially minoritized adolescents. The current study used three waves of longitudinal data (N = 619) spanning 8th to 10th grades from a diverse sample (55.9% Latino/a/x, 21.2% biracial/multiethnic/other, 13.2% Asian, 9.7% Black; 54.1% female; 57.4% economically disadvantaged). We investigated the developmental trajectories of future orientation and ethnic identity and determined if these trajectories were interrelated. The results of the single and parallel process latent growth curve models showed that mean levels of ERI increased while future orientation decreased over time. Initial levels of ERI were significantly related to accelerated declines in future orientation. Exploratory analyses, which tested distinct forms of ethnic/racial discrimination as moderators, revealed that the negative association between ERI in 8th grade and the rate of change in future orientation was significant only at average and high levels of educator-perpetrated discrimination. These results point to complex interrelations between ERI formation and experiences of ethnic/racial discrimination and their influence on trajectories of future orientation during early to middle adolescence.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Consensus statement on developmentally appropriate policy and practice for adolescents in foster care

  Children and Youth Services Review · 2025-07-26 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Through their eyes: Understanding the immediate and cumulative impact of vicarious discrimination on adolescents’ socioemotional and cognitive-affective reactions.

  Developmental Psychology · 2025-05-05 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  = 145) included 10th- and 11th-grade students in the southern United States from a larger longitudinal study (13% Asian American, 9% bi/multiracial, 10% other races/ethnicities, 9% Black, 31% Latino/a/x, and 28% White adolescents; 58% female). Results showed that repeated exposure to vicarious discrimination targeting parents, friends, and via media was associated with individual differences in increased negative mood and cognitive-affective reactions. Although parent and friend support were observed to buffer the adverse influences of vicarious discrimination on daily responses, an exacerbating effect of parent and friend support was also observed. Specifically, daily vicarious discrimination directed at parents was associated with increased same-day negative mood and social misfit, but only when adolescents perceived high levels of parent support. Similarly, vicarious discrimination targeting friends was linked to heightened same-day anxiety when friend support was perceived as high. These findings highlight the nuanced role of social support in coping with vicarious discrimination and the need to support adolescents in managing vicarious discrimination and inform theoretical understanding of how vicarious discrimination affects adolescents' daily lives. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Latent Profile Analysis of Fatigue Subtypes in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes

  Nursing Research · 2025-01-29 · 2 citations

  article

  BACKGROUND: People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) commonly report a higher fatigue intensity than the general population. However, effective fatigue management is lacking because little is known about other fatigue characteristics, including timing, distress, and quality, as well as the potential fatigue subtypes experienced in people with T2DM. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe fatigue intensity, timing, distress, and quality and to identify fatigue subtypes in people with T2DM. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study included a sample of 150 participants with T2DM recruited from two diabetes outpatient clinics in Taiwan. Fatigue intensity, timing, and distress were measured using the Fatigue Symptom Inventory. Fatigue quality was measured using the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Fatigue subtypes were identified using a latent profile analysis. RESULTS: Participants reported a mild fatigue intensity, experiencing fatigue for about 22% of the day with worse fatigue in the afternoon and evening and having mild disturbances. Three fatigue subtypes were identified. The "high/persistent fatigue with mild distress" subtype was characterized by high fatigue intensity and duration with severe general, physical, and mental fatigue that mildly interfered with functioning. The "moderate/frequent fatigue with minimal distress" group showed moderate levels of fatigue intensity and duration levels with intermediate of general, physical, and mental fatigue and minimal fatigue disturbances. The "no fatigue and distress" subtype was characterized by overall low fatigue scores. DISCUSSION: We identified fatigue characteristics and subtypes in people with T2DM, providing insights into better fatigue management. People with T2DM reported having mild but persistent fatigue. The latent profile analysis revealed that fatigue is likely composed of a mixture of physical and mental components. Nurses should assess both the physical and the mental aspects of fatigue while addressing features of the fatigue characteristics in tailored management strategies to alleviate all aspects of fatigue in people with T2DM.

  PublisherDOI

• Adolescence Amid a Pandemic: Short‐ and Long‐Term Implications

  UNC Libraries · 2025-06-10

  articleOpen access

  Members of the Society for Research on Adolescents COVID-19 Response Team offer this commentary to accompany this special issue of the Journal of Research on Adolescence regarding the impact of the pandemic on adolescents' social, emotional, and academic functioning. In addition to outlining the critical need for scholarly collaboration to address the global impact of this crisis on adolescent development, we argue that a broad investigative lens is needed to guide research and recovery efforts targeting youth development. We then use this broad lens to consider dimensions of the pandemic impact relative to developmental implications within community and policy contexts, educational contexts, social contexts, and family contexts. Finally, we describe guideposts for setting a global, shared research agenda that can hasten research to recovery efforts surrounding the pandemic and youth development.

  PublisherDOI

• Challenges in the transition to kindergarten and children's well-being through elementary school: Do school transition supports matter?

  Early Childhood Research Quarterly · 2025-01-01 · 5 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NIH Grant R03DA032018

  NIH · $154k · 2014

• NIH Grant F32HD056732

  NIH · $149k · 2011

• Biopsychosocial Pathways Linking Discrimination and Adolescent Health

  NIH · $787k · 2017–2023

• Training Program in Population Studies

  NIH · $7.5M · 1977–2029

Frequent coauthors

• Martica Bacallao

  20 shared

• N. Tatiana Masters

  University of Washington

  20 shared

• Patrizia Steca

  University of Milano-Bicocca

  20 shared

• Su Yeong Kim

  The University of Texas at Austin

  19 shared

• Antonella Delle Fave

  16 shared

• Eric R. Buhi

  Indiana University Bloomington

  16 shared

• Patricia Goodson

  16 shared

• Roger J. R. Levesque

  16 shared