Michael Staunton is a research assistant at the Carsey Institute and a second-year master’s student in Sociology. Michael joined Carsey in 2011 as part of the Community and Environment in Rural America (CERA) research team, and currently works as part of the Coos Youth Study.

Michael earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from St. Michael’s College. Prior to returning to academia, he spent 9 years working with troubled youth in residential treatment facilities. His experience working in the mental health field informs his interest in medical sociology, social psychology, and the stress-process. Michael’s current research focuses on the stress-process among rural youth, specifically how psycho-social resources intervene in the relationship between social status and goal-striving stress.