Gustavo Carlo

Picture of Gustavo Carlo
Professor
School of Education
Ph.D., Arizona State University, 1994, Developmental Psychology
Phone: (949) 824-5920
Email: gcarlo@uci.edu
University of California, Irvine
3200 Education
School of Edcuation
Irvine, CA 92697
Research Interests
Prosocial and moral development, cultural mechanisms, personality, parenting, child and adolescent development
Short Biography
Dr. Gustavo Carlo is Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. His primary research interest focuses on understanding positive social development and health in culturally-diverse children and adolescents. Many of his projects focus on ethnic/racial groups across the world and in U.S. Latino/a youth and families. He has published over 250 books, chapters, and research papers. He has received funding from various agencies (including NSF, NIH) and has received several awards for his research and mentorship. He currently serves as Associate Editor of Developmental Psychology and co-edited the upcoming Handbook on the Developmental Science of Social Justice.
Publications
Crockett, L. J., Carlo, G., & Schulenberg, J. (Eds.). (2023). The APA handbook of adolescent and young adult development. American Psychological Association.
Https://Psycnet.Apa.Org/Doi/10.1037/0000298-000
Agalar, A., *Laible, D., Im, J., Van Norden, C., *Cruz, A., Carlo, G., & Ispa, J. (in press). Maternal psychological control and child outcomes in European American, African American, and U.S. Mexican families. Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Fraser, A.M. †, Wang, W. †, Spinrad, T.L., Shawcroft, J., Sheppard, J.A., Takamasa, E.J., Eisenberg, N., Carlo, G., & *Laible, D. (in press). Profiles of White parents’ racial attitudes: Family context and children’s racial bias. Family Relations. †Authors contributed equally.

Dozier, M., Smetana, J. G., Allen, J., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M., Benner, A., Burton, L. M., Campione-Barr, N., Carlo, G., Dodge, K. A., Fuligni, A., Galvan, A., Ginsburg, K., Grolnick, W., Murry, M., Simpkins, S., van Ijzendoorn, M., & Zeanah, C. (2025). Consensus statement on developmentally appropriate policy and practice for adolescents in foster care. Children and Youth Services Review. 10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108495

Carlo, G., *Carrizales, A., *Torres, M., Taylor, Z., & Ruiz, Y. (in press). Family ethnic socialization practices longitudinally associated with cultural assets, civic responsibility, and prosocial behaviors in rural U.S. Latino/a youth. Journal of Research on Adolescence. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.70051

*Gulseven, Z., *Kumru, A., Carlo, G., *Maiya, S., Sayil, M., & Selcuk, B. (in press). Longitudinal relations between early prosocial behaviors toward parents and later prosocial and aggressive behaviors in Turkish early adolescents. Developmental Psychology 10.1037/dev0002057

Marin-Morales, A., Amaoui, S., Fernandez-Fillol, C., Carlo, G., & Rivas-Garcia, S. (2025). What factors predict prosocial behaviors during social crisis? A cross-sectional study during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 27, 561-576.https://doi.org/10.32604/ijmhp.2025.058881

van Meegen, M., *Van der Graaff, J., *Padilla-Walker, L., Cheng, T-Y., Spitzer, J., Branje, S., Carlo, G., Berger, C., *Carrizales, A., Caprara, G., Garandeau, C., Gerbino, M., *Gulseven, Z., Hawk, S., Llorca, A., Kanacri, P. L., Kaniusonyyte, G., *Kumru, A., Malonda, E., Mestre, M., Mesurado, B., Pastorelli, C., Richaud, C., Rovella, A., Samper, P., *Shen, Y-L., Taylor, L., Trach, J., van Zalk, M., & Zukauskiene, R. (in press). A cross-national study on prosocial behaviors in emerging adulthood during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging Adulthood, 13, 1047-1064. DOI: doi.org/10.1177/21676968251339685

*Partovi, R., Carlo, G., White, R. M. B., Roche, K., & Little, T. (in press). Longitudinal within- and between-person effects of school discrimination on U.S. Latine adolescents’ prosocial behaviors. Developmental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0001989

Carlo, G., *Davis, A. N., *Torres, M., Sanders, H., & Cruz, L. J. (2025). Economic stress indirectly predicts out-group prosocial behaviors during the Covid-19 pandemic differentially for young adults depending upon ethnic group membership. Discover Psychology, 5, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-025-00347-2

*Carrizales, A., Taylor, Z. E., Carlo, G., Reyes O., Herrera, F., Santiago Burgos, G., Escobedo, J., & Ruiz, Y. (2025). The mediational role of anxiety and familism in the associations between mothers’ and fathers’ parenting behaviors and Latine youth’ aggression. Journal of Latinx Psychology 10.1037/lat0000299

*Torres, M., Carlo, G., & Davis, A. N. (2025). The associations between culture-related stressors and prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latino/a college students: The mediating role of cultural identity. Adolescents, 5, 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents5010004

González-Hernández, J, Gomez-Lopez, M., Carlo, G., & Manzano-Sanchez, D. (2025). Is it possible to talk about violence climate in grassroots sport? A study on the psychosocial adaptations of young athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1426900

Carlo, G., & *Partovi, R. (2025). Varieties of altruistic actions across development and culture / Variedades de acciones altruistas a lo largo del desarrollo y entre culturas. Journal for the Study of Education and Development, 14, 3-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/02103702241304926

Lapsley, D., Carlo, G., *Davis, A., Fabes, R., & *Laible, D. J. (2025). Promoting a kinder and more just world: The development of prosocial, moral, and social justice in adolescence. Frontiers in Developmental Psychology, 2. e1536381. doi: 10.3389/fdpys.2024.1536381

*Carrizales, A., Carlo, G., & Lannegrand, L. (2025). A parallel-process analysis of the longitudinal associations between adolescents’ empathy and prosocial behaviors. Developmental Psychology, 61, 1669-1683. DOI: 10.1037/dev0001937

Jiang, X., Taylor, Z. E., Carlo, G., Suitor, J. J., & Ruiz, Y. (2025). How Latine youth's positive development unfold through farmwork in rural migrant farmworker families in the U.S. Midwest. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 35, e13053. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13053
Carlo, G., Torres, M., Partovi, R., & Cruz, A. (2024). Moral development. In W. Troop- Gordon & E. Neblett (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Adolescence (2nd ed.). New York: Elsevier Press.

Carlo, G., Carlos Chavez, F. L., Lopez-Mora, C. (2023). Prosocial behaviors in adolescence. In T. Malti & M. Davidov (Eds.), Handbook of Prosociality: Development, Mechanisms, Promotion. Cambridge University Press.
Hastings, P. D., Miller, J. G., Weissman, D. G., Hodge, R. T., Robins, R. W., Carlo, G., & Guyer, A. E. (2024). Parasympathetic regulation and support from family and friends predict prosocial development in U.S. Mexican-origin adolescents. Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/dev0001780

López-Mora, C., Carlo, G., Lopez, I. H., Gonzalez-Blazquez, F. J., & Gasch, E. O. (2024). Relationships between experiences of humiliation on social networks, problematic phone use, and aggressive and altruistic behaviors in young adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 15:1368336. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1368336

Carlo, G., White, R. M. B., Curlee, A., Tein, J-Y., Partovi, R., Knight, G. P., & Gonzalez, N. A., (2024). Change in prosocial development following adversity exposure among U.S. Mexican youth. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, https://doi.org/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1393252

Carlos Chavez, F. L., Bariani, A., Carlo, G., & Zapata Shoemaker, S. (2024). Lessons from the Field: Seeking Support and Sharing Wisdom Among Unaccompanied Guatemalan Migrant Youths in US Agriculture. Child & Youth Care Forum, 53, 1399-1428.

Taylor, Z. E., Carrizales, A., Carlo, G., Herrera, F., Reyes, O., Escobedo, J., ... & Ruiz, Y. (2024). The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and well-being of Latine youth from rural and agricultural families in the Midwest. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 34(2), e2788.

Partovi, R., Carlo, G., Torres, M., & Cruz, A. M. (2024). Typologies of cultural stressors and assets: Exploring differential associations with prosocial behaviors and depressive symptoms among Latino/a young adults. Cultural diversity & ethnic minority psychology, 30(4), 763-773.

Xiao, S. X., Gülseven, Z., Clancy, E. T., Liew, J., Carlo, G., Kim, S., & Jiang, S. (2024). Measuring early adolescents' prosocial behavior toward diverse others: Considering multiple social identities. Journal of Adolescence, 96(4), 841-854.

Davis, A. N., Carlo, G., Maiya, S., Streit, C., & Roos, J. (2024). Understanding Links between Pandemic-Related Racial Attitudes and Out-Group Prosocial Behaviors. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 185(4), 272-281.

Xu, X., Spinrad, T. L., Xiao, S. X., Xu, J., Eisenberg, N., Laible, D. J., Berger, R. H., & Carlo, G. (2023). White children's prosocial behavior toward White versus Black peers: The role of children's effortful control and parents' implicit racial attitudes. Child Development, 94, 1581–1594. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13948

Streit, C., Davis, A. N., & Carlo, G. (2024). Gender-specific patterns of relations among acculturative stress, family processes, and prosocial behaviors in Latinx youth. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 185, 50-64.

Gülseven, Z., Pierotti, S. L., Killoren, S. E., Alfaro, E. C., & Carlo, G. (2024). The role of maternal warmth in understanding the relations between cultural orientations and prosocial behaviors in US Mexican college students. Journal of Latinx Psychology, 12(3), 261.

van Meegen, M. M. E., Van der Graaff, J., Carlo, G., Meeus, W., Branje, S. (2024). Longitudinal associations between support and prosocial behavior across adolescence: The roles of fathers, mothers, siblings, and friends. Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

Streit, C., McGinley, M., & Carlo, G. (2023). A systemic, multiple socialization approach to the study of prosocial development. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 40, 27131-2739. doi: 10.1177/02654075231196595

Davis, A. N., Carlo, G., McGinley, M., & Schwartz, S. J. (2022). The enhancing and buffering role of ethnic socialization on the links between discrimination and prosocial behaviors among US Latinx young adults. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 44(4), 247-266.

Carlo, G., McGinley, M. M., Maiya, S., & Ramos, A. K. (2023). Associations of work-related injuries and stress to family and youth wellbeing among U.S. Latino/a immigrant cattle feedyard workers. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 3361. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043361

Xu, J., Spinrad, T. L., Xiao, S. X., Eisenberg, N., Laible, D., Berger, R. H., & Carlo, G. (2023). Parenting and White children’s prosocial behaviors toward Black and White peers: Moderations of children’s targeted moral emotions. Family Relations, 73, 541-560. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12873

Rowland, S. A., Ramos, A. K., Maiya, S., & Carlo, G. (2023). Health status, healthcare access, and health information sources among Latino immigrant cattle feedyard workers in the Midwest. Workplace Health & Safety, 71, 296-303. https://doi.org/10.1177/21650799231163134

Caetano, L. M., Vieira, K. E., da Costa, R. Q. F., Oliviera, B., Dell’Agli, B. A. V., & Carlo, G. (2023). Adaptation and evidence of validity of the Prosocial Tendencies Measure (PTM) to the Brazilian context. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 45, 346-358. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-023-10035-x

Rodríguez-Franco, A., Carlo, G., Valdivia-Moral, P., & González-Hernández, J. (2023). Be prosocial my friend: The social disconnection model of perfectionism in adolescents immersed in competitive sport. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20, 2887. MDPI AG. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042887

Spinrad, T. L., Eisenberg, N., Xiao, S. X., Xu, J., Berger, R. H., Pierotti, S. L., Laible, D J., Carlo, G., Gal-Szabo, D. E., Janssen, J., Fraser, A., Xu, X., Wang, W., & Lopez, J. (2023). White children’s empathy-related responding and prosocial behavior toward White and Black children. Child Development, 94, 93-109. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13841

Maiya, S., Gulseven, Z., Killoren, S., Carlo, G., & Streit, C. (2023). The intervening role of anxiety symptoms in associations between self-regulation and prosocial behaviors in U.S. Latino/a college students. Journal of American College Health, 71, 584-592. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2021.1899187

Hodge, R., Guyer, A., E., Carlo, G., & Hastings, P. D. (2023). Cognitive reappraisal and need to belong predict prosociality in Mexican-origin adolescents. Social Development, 32, 633-650.
Graduate Programs
Psychology
Research Centers
Cultural Resiliency and Learning Center: https://faculty.sites.uci.edu/carlocrlc
Last updated
04/28/2026