VIDA on the International Stage: Highlights from EARA Conference 2026
We are delighted to share highlights from our lab’s participation in the 20th Conference of the European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA), held at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
Mrs. Omer Levy-Kardash, PhD Candidate, organized and chaired a session entitled “Identity Formation and Mental Health: Resilience, Narratives, and Personality.” The session explored the links between identity development and mental health during adolescence and brought together three complementary perspectives. Dr. Majse Lind from Aalborg University in Denmark presented research on personality, narrative identity, and mental health among adolescents; Omer presented her research on the association between social anxiety and identity development, and on the roles of social participation and self-esteem as resilience resources; and Genki Yasui from Hiroshima University in Japan presented research on identity development and narratives among young people experiencing social withdrawal in Japan. The session concluded with Prof. Elisabetta Crocetti from the University of Bologna in Italy, one of the leading researchers in the field of identity development, who served as discussant and offered an integrative perspective on the studies and the connections between them.
Dr. Hanit Ohana, A postdoctoral fellow, presented the study she led on “Parent–Adolescent Value Discrepancies and Psychological Adjustment among Immigrant Adolescents.” The findings suggest that, in the context of immigration, not every intergenerational difference is necessarily a gap that needs to be reduced. We found that when adolescents placed greater importance than their parents on achievement, independence, and openness to change, and when parents placed greater importance on caring for others, these differences were associated with better psychological adjustment among adolescents. Sometimes, it is precisely these differences that allow each generation to fulfill a different role: enabling adolescents to move toward the new, grow, and integrate, while allowing parents to remain an anchor of continuity, connection, and care.
Dr. Atheer Massarwe, A postdoctoral fellow affiliated with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Utrecht University, organized and chaired a session entitled “Adolescence as a Turning Point for Environmental Engagement: Values and Education.” The session brought together researchers from Utrecht University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, including Prof. Maya Benish-Weisman, Prof. Sander Thomas, and Dr. Stathis Grapsas. The session featured research on value development, pro-environmental behaviors, and perceptions related to climate change during adolescence. As part of the session, Dr. Massarwe presented her research on pro-environmental behavior and value development during adolescence, examining how early pro-environmental behaviors may predict changes in values over time.
Prof. Maya Benish-Weisman, Head of our Lab, contributed to the session with a broader perspective in her talk, “Adolescence as a Critical Period for Value-Based Pro-Environmental Behavior.” Her talk addressed developmental processes during adolescence and the relationship between pro-environmental behaviors and the development and consolidation of values over time.
We are incredibly proud of our lab members for their active participation in the conference, for presenting our research on the international stage, and for organizing and leading sessions addressing key questions in adolescent development: identity, mental health, values, resilience, and social and environmental engagement.
For us, conferences like EARA are an opportunity not only to share our research but also to connect with researchers from around the world, exchange ideas, and contribute to ongoing conversations about adolescence and human development.
