Silver Stress and Coping Lab

Silver Stress and Coping Lab, UC Irvine

Position: Project Coordinator (October 2025 - Present); Research Assistant (June 2025 - October 2025)

Principal Investigators: E. Alison Holman, Ph.D. & Roxane Cohen Silver, Ph.D.

PI Website: dralisonholman.com

Overview

This lab investigates stress and coping processes in response to collective traumas and life stressors. I coordinate a longitudinal study examining how individuals’ narrative styles about traumatic events relate to their psychological outcomes over time.

Key Projects

Trauma Narratives and Narrative Styles Study

A longitudinal study examining how people narrate their trauma experiences and how narrative patterns (redemption, contamination, agency, integration) relate to mental health outcomes.

My Contributions:

AI/Machine Learning Application:

• Trained Artificial Intelligence model (ZOT GPT) to code participants’ daily narrative responses
• Developed structured coding manual for redemption, contamination, agency, integration, and affective tone
• Validated AI coding against human coding standards

Data Analysis:

• Coded 120 narrative responses from 60 participants in a longitudinal trauma study
• Classified narratives into redemption vs. contamination themes
• Rated degree of affective tone levels in narratives through structured coding manual
• Monitored and quality-checked 10 research assistants’ coding work
• Organized coded data into quantitative datasets for statistical analysis

Statistical Analysis:

• Conducted correlation and multi-linear regression analyses in SPSS
• Visualized findings with multiple linear regression graphs
• Presented and discussed findings with research team

Team Leadership:

• Organized and scheduled weekly meetings with research teams
• Participated in research planning discussions on trauma exposure and narrative styles

Skills Developed

• AI/Machine Learning: Training language models for coding qualitative data
• Qualitative Coding: Narrative analysis, thematic coding, inter-rater reliability
• Quantitative Analysis: SPSS, correlation analysis, multiple regression
• Project Coordination: Team management, meeting facilitation, timeline management
• Data Quality: Systematic quality checks, coding manual development

Research Applications

This work bridges qualitative narrative analysis with quantitative methods and emerging AI technologies. Understanding how people narrate their trauma experiences can inform interventions that help individuals construct more adaptive life stories and improve mental health outcomes following adversity.