LillyBelle Deer, PH.D.

Research Interests

Dr. Deer’s research examines risk and resilience processes in the prenatal and postnatal periods that influence biology, behavior, and health across development. Her research focuses on big picture questions such as: 1) how early experiences influence health across the lifespan; 2) whether there are sensitive periods during which experiences have the largest influences; and 3) how multilevel factors (e.g., sociocultural environment, biology; individual skills) interact to influence development. To address these questions, her research falls into two main areas: 1) understanding prenatal and early postnatal contributions to biological systems like the HPA axis and other systems that impact health across the lifespan; and 2) examining cognitive and behavioral mediators of the impacts of stress on development. In pursuing these lines of research, she integrates methodology across multiple levels of analysis, including endocrine biomarkers (e.g., salivary and hair cortisol, and corticotropin releasing hormone in plasma), serum cytokines, electrocardiogram data, acute stress paradigms, health measures (e.g., body composition, blood pressure), health behaviors (e.g., sleep, diet), developmental behavioral tasks, as well as survey interview methods.

Opportunities for Students

I will be accepting graduate student applications for the 2024-2025 cycle (i.e., to begin the fall of 2025).

Education

B.A., Claremont McKenna College (Psychology)
M.A., University of California, Davis (Developmental Psychology)
Ph.D., University of California, Davis (Developmental Psychology)

Selected Publications

Deer, L. K., Han, D., Maher, M., Scott, S. R., Rivera, K. M., Melnick, E. M., Dieujuste, N., & Doom, J. R. (accepted). Positive childhood experiences and adult cardiovascular health. Health Psychology.

Deer, L. K., Demers, C. D., Hankin, B. L., Doom, J. R., Shields, G., S., Hoffman, M. C., & Davis, E. P. (accepted). Neonatal hair cortisol and birth outcomes: An empirical study and meta-analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine.

Deer*, L. K., Harrall*, K. K., Glueck, D. H., Davis, E. P., Muller, K. E., Dabalea, D., & Doom, J. R. (accepted). Sensitive periods and other timing hypotheses in developmental psychopathology: a tutorial. Development and Psychopathology.

Deer, L. K., Hennessey, E. P., Doom, J. R., Gallop, R. J., Hoffman, M. C., Demers, C. H., Hankin, B. L., & Davis, E. P. (2024). Higher prenatal anxiety predicts lower neonatal hair cortisol. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 165, 107044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107044

Davis, E. P., Demers, C. D., Deer, L. K., Gallop, R. J., Hoffman, M. C., Grote, N., & Hankin, B. L. (2024). Impact of prenatal maternal depression on gestational length: Post hoc analysis of a randomized clinical trial. eClinicalMedicine, 72, 102601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102601

Doom, J. R., Deer, L. K., Dabelea, D., LeBourgeois, M. K., Lumeng, M., Martin, C., Hankin, B. L., & Davis, E. P. (in press). Biological and behavioral pathways from prenatal depression to offspring cardiometabolic risk: Testing the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis. Developmental Psychology.https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001704

Doom, J. R., Deer, L. K., Mickel, T., Infante, A., & Rivera, K. M. (2024). Eating behaviors as pathways from early childhood adversity to adolescent cardiometabolic risk. Health Psychology, 43(6), 448-461. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001340

Deer, L. K., Harrall, K. K., Doom, J. R., Glueck, D. H., Glynn, L. M., Sandman, C. A., & Davis, E. P. (2023). The association between effortful control in infancy and BMI trajectories over childhood. Pediatric Obesity, e13059. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.13059

Doom, J. R., Deer, L. K., Dieujuste, N., Han, D., Rivera, K., & Scott, S. R. (2023). Youth psychosocial resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Current Opinion in Psychology, 53, 101656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2023.101656

Deer, L. K., Su, C., Thwaites, N. A., Davis, E. P., & Doom, J. R. (2023). A framework for testing pathways from prenatal stress-responsive hormones to cardiovascular disease risk. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 14, 1111474. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1111474

Choe, D. E., Deer, L. K., & Hastings, P. D. (2023). Latent class analysis of maternal depression from pregnancy through early childhood: Differences in children’s executive functions. Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/1037/dev0001540

Alen, N. V., Deer, L. K., & Hostinar, C. E. (2022). Respiratory sinus arrhythmia as a physiological resilience marker for children’s health. Psychosomatic Medicine, 84(3), 374-382.https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001057

Deer, L. K., Shields, G. S., Alen, N. V., & Hostinar, C. E. (2021). Curvilinear associations between family income in early childhood and the cortisol awakening response in adolescence. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 129, 105237. https://doi.org/10.1016.jpsyneuen2021.105237

Alen, N. V., Deer, L. K., Karimi, M., Feyzieva, E., Hastings, P. D., & Hostinar, C. E. (2021). Children’s altruism following acute stress: The role of autonomic nervous system activity and social support. Developmental Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.13099

Shields, G. S., Deer, L.K., Hastings, P. D., & Hostinar, C. E. (2021). Adiposity, inflammation, and working memory: Longitudinal evidence for a vicious cycle. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity – Health, 13, 100202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbih.2021.100202

Parenteau, A. M., Alen, N. V., Deer, L. K., Nissen, A. T., Luck, A. T., & Hostinar, C. E. (2021). Parenting matters: Parents can reduce or amplify children’s anxiety and cortisol responses to acute stress. Development and Psychopathology, 32, 1799-1809. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579200001285

Deer, L. K., Hastings, P. D., & Hostinar, C. E. (2020). The role of childhood executive function in explaining income disparities in long-term academic achievement. Child Development, 91(5), e1046-e1063.https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13383

Alen, N. V., Deer, L. K., & Hostinar, C. E. (2020). Autonomic nervous system activity predicts increasing serum inflammatory cytokines in children. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 119, 104745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2020.104745