Research Outputs

Dr. Alex Gardner

Senior Clinical Psychologist and Board-Approved Supervisor

B.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc. (with Distinction), Ph.D. (Clinical Psychology)

Aside from Dr. Gardner’s areas of clinical interest, he has an emerging research track record of peer-reviewed publications within several regional and international psychology journal outlets. His areas of research spread across two broad areas: (1) exploring areas of stress, coping and self-regulation among adolescents and young adults; and (2) examining the varying social determinants (e.g., peer relationships, parent-child relationships, and close friendships), and personal emotional sensitivities (e.g., rejection sensitivity and attachment anxieties) that contribute to mental health risk and resilience from childhood to adolescence. Though Dr. Gardner has shifted his professional priorities to focus on refining the principles and frameworks of his clinical practice in the last few years, it is relevant to note that he has received several awards for his research; including but not limited to, an Award of Excellence for his Research Thesis in 2019, the Chancellor’s Medal for Excellence in the PhD thesis in 2020, and a research award from the Society for Research on Adolescence (SRA) for one of his publications ranking within the top 10% of most-viewed papers published in 2023 in the Journal of Adolescence.

Please see below a list of Dr. Gardner’s published peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. Feel free to email dralexpsychologyservices.com.au if you are interested in further discussions about his research profile or outputs.

Scott, R. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Gardner, A. A., Hawes, T., Modecki, K. L., Duffy, A. L., Farrell, L. J., &.Waters, A. M. (2024). Daily use of digital technologies to feel better: Adolescents’ digital emotion regulation, emotions, loneliness, and recovery, considering prior emotional problems. Journal of Adolescence’s special issue: ‘Adolescents’ Digital Life’, 96(3),539-550. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12259.
O’Donnell, A. W., Redmond, G., Gardner, A. A., Wang, J., & Mooney, A. (2024). Extracurricular activity participation, school belonging, and depressed mood: A test of the compensation hypothesis during adolescence. Applied Developmental Science, 28(4), 596-611. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2023.2260745.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Skinner, E. A., Scott, R. A., Ryan, K. M., Hawes, T., Gardner, A. A., & Duffy, A. (2023). Parental support and adolescents’ coping with academic stressors: A longitudinal study of parents’ influence beyond academic pressure and achievement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 52(12), 2464-2479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-023-01864-w.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Modecki, K., Duffy, A. L., Hawes, T., Farrell, L. J., Waters, A. M., Gardner, A. A., Shum, D., & Skinner, E. A. (2023). A pattern-centered analysis of adolescents’ concerns and hopes about future crises: Differences in ways of coping and personal adjustment. Journal of Adolescence, 93, 1195-1204. https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12194.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Rudolph, J. I., & Gardner, A. A. (2022). Are you looking at me? A longitudinal vignette study of adolescent appearance rejection sensitivity and coping with peer evaluation. Body Image, 43, 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.09.002.
Duncan, N^**., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Gardner, A. A., & Modecki, K. L. (2021). The measurement and benefit of decentering for coping self-efficacy, flexibility, and ways of coping with interpersonal stress. Personality and Individual Differences, 179, 110932. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110932.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Gardner, A. A., Hawes, T., Masters, M. R., Waters, A. M., & Farrell, L. J. (2021). Rejection sensitivity and the development of social anxiety symptoms during adolescence: A five-year longitudinal study. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 45(3), 204-215. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025421995921.
Gardner, A. A., Hawes, T., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Waters, A. M., & Nesdale, D. (2021). Emotion regulation and support from others: Buffering of body dysmorphic symptoms in adolescent and young adult men but not women. Journal of Adolescence, 86, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2020.11.008.
Gardner, A. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Modecki, K. L. (2020). A longitudinal model of rejection sensitivity and internalizing symptoms: Testing emotion regulation deficits as a mechanism and outcome of symptoms. Journal of Personality, 88, 1045-1057. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12549.
Gardner, A. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Campbell, S. M. (2020). Attachment and emotion regulation: A person-centered examination and relations with coping with rejection, friendship closeness, and emotional adjustment. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 38, 125-143. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12310.
Clear, S. J., Gardner, A. A., Webb, H. J., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2020). Common and distinct correlates of depression, anxiety, and aggression: Attachment and emotion regulation of sadness and anger. Journal of Adult Development, 27, 181-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-019-09333-0.
Gardner, A. A., & Webb, H. J. (2019). A contextual examination of the associations between social support, self-esteem, and psychological well-being among Jamaican adolescents. Youth and Society, 51(5), 707-730. https://doi.org/10.1177/0044118X17707450.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Kerin, J. L., Webb, H. J., Gardner, A. A., Campbell, S. M., Swan, K., & Timmer, S. G. (2019). Improved perceptions of emotion regulation and reflective functioning in parents: Two additional positive outcomes of parent-child interaction therapy. Behavior Therapy, 50(2), 340-352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2018.07.002.
Gardner, A. A., & Lambert, C. A. (2019). Examining the interplay of self-esteem, trait-emotional intelligence, and age with depression across adolescence. Journal of Adolescence, 71, 162-166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.01.008.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Skinner, E. A., Modecki, K. L., Webb, H. J., Gardner, A. A., Hawes, T., & Rapee, R. M. (2018). The self-perception of flexible coping with stress: A new measure and relations with emotional adjustment. Cogent Psychology, 5, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080233311908.2018.1537908.
Gardner, A. A., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2018). Rejection sensitivity and responses to rejection: Serial mediators linking parenting to adolescents’ and young adults’ depression and trait anxiety. Journal of Relationships Research, 9, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1017/jrr.2018.8. (41 citations).

Scholarly Book Chapters:

Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Gardner, A. A., & Kindermann, T. A., (2023). Peer stressors and peer relationship dynamics in the development of coping. In E. A. Skinner & M. J. Zimmer-Gembeck (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of the development of coping (Chapter 22) (pp.538-559). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.10179781108917230.028.
Gardner, A. A., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., & Skinner, E. A. (2023). Coping Skills. In B. Halpern-Felsher (Eds). Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Health. 2, pp. 257-267. Oxford: Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818872-9.00029-7.
Duffy, A. L., Gardner, A. A., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2020). Peer rejection and dislike. In M. J. Zimmer-Gembeck & A. M. Waters (Volume Editors), S. Hupp & J. D. Jewel (Series Eds.). The Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Development: Emotion in Childhood (pp. 1-13). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi:10.1002/9781119171492.wecad191.
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Duffy, A. L., Ferguson, S., & Gardner, A. A. (2018). Relational aggression in dating and romantic relationships. In S. M. Coyne & J. M. Ostrov (Eds.), The development of relational aggression (pp 248-264). New York: Oxford University Press.