INQUIRY | SCHOLARSHIP, RESEARCH, AND CREATIVE WORK | REVIEW 2025 5 (CONTINUED ON PAGE 7) One such behavior, co-rumination, is a central focus of Borowski’s work. Co-rumination involves repetitive, negative discussions of problems, and while it fosters a sense of closeness, it also intensifies emotional distress. Notably, findings from Borowski’s lab and other research labs reveal that this behavior not only intensifies individual depressive symptoms but can also facilitate contagious depression. “If you have a friend who has higher levels of depressive symptoms, over time, you look more like your friend in terms of their depressive symptoms,” says Borowski, assistant professor of psychology. As director of Lehigh’s Peer Relations Lab, Borowski and her team examine how these behavioral, physiological, and emotional mechanisms affect adolescents’ development and well-being. Her longitudinal study, Teens Talking, follows friend pairs over time, allowing for the identification of behavioral and physiological patterns predictive of future emotional health. Adolescents initially come into the lab with their friends and answer a battery of questions about their friendship and how they’ve been feeling, how they manage emotions on their own, and different stressors that they’re currently experiencing. Borowski’s team applies three heart rate sensors, a respiration belt, and skin conductance sensors to measure participants’ physiological responses. Then they sit in a room with their friend for 16 minutes while researchers record their physiological responses, as well as video and audio record their conversations while they talk about the problem. Researchers study their “micro-social” behaviors — how friends respond to each other’s emotional disclosures — and how their physiological responses are linked during supportive interactions. Participants return after a year for follow-up assessments. Adolescent friendships are seen as crucial because they are voluntary, foster conflict resolution skills, support intimacy and emotional disclosure, and are deeply rewarding neurologically, laying the foundation for future relationships. Preliminary findings from this research suggest that individual differences in emotional regulation moderate the effects of co-rumination. Adolescents who exhibit adaptive physiological regulations in response to stress appear protected against the depressive consequences of co-rumination. By identifying the conditions under which friendships promote resilience versus risk, Borowski’s work holds important implications for interventions aimed at fostering healthier peer relationships during this formative period. Chemistry PhD Candidate Domenica Fertal Earns ACS WCC Merck Award Domenica Fertal, a PhD candidate in Lehigh University’s Department of Chemistry, has been named a recipient of the 2025 ACS Women Chemists Committee (WCC) Merck Research Award, presented by Merck Pharmaceuticals. The WCC Merck Research Award honors eight outstanding young chemists who will present their research at a special awards symposium during the Fall American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting. “I am so proud of Domenica for her hard work over the years that has led to her recognition as a WCC Merck Research Award recipient,” said Elizabeth Young, associate professor of chemistry and Fertal’s advisor. “It has been a joy to watch her research skills and confidence grow the past couple of years as she has developed into an independent researcher here at Lehigh. I have been incredibly impressed with Domenica’s maturity, and the awareness and empathy she demonstrates on a daily basis. Congratulations to Domenica for this wonderful recognition!” Fertal, a fourth-year graduate student in the Young Lab, conducts research on the photodegradation of azo dyes— pollutants commonly produced by the Sarah Browski (right) and undergraduate researcher Ariana Arken (left) observe the placement of a heart rate sensor. Christine Kreschollek
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