top of page

Isabella Kahhale, Ph.D. 
Selected Publications and Presentations

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

​

  1. Kahhale, I. & Hanson, J. L. (2026). Prisons as De Facto Mental Health Institutions: Implications for Treatment, Public Safety, and Advocacy. The Pennsylvania Psychologist, Special Issue on Psychological Perspectives on Crime and Punishment.

  2. Hanson, J. L., Adkins, D. J., Kahhale, I., Sen, S. (2026). Positive Affect as a Developmental Mediator of Early Adversity and Internalizing Psychopathology. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.70104 

  3. Kahhale, I., Hackel, L. & Zaki, J., (2025). Balancing Emotional Scales: Empathy and Dehumanization in Legal Contexts. Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001559

  4. Byrd, A. L., Kahhale, I., Vize, C., Griffith, R., Viding, E., Stepp, S. (2025). Expanding contingency learning models of aggression: conceptual and methodological considerations to enhance clinical utility. Aggression and Violent Behavior. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2025.102082 

  5. Reddan, M., Ong, D. C., Wager, T. D., Mattek, S., Kahhale, I., Zaki, J. (2025). Neural signatures of emotional intent and inference align during social consensus. Nature Communications, 16, 6156. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-59931-8

  6. Kahhale, I., Byrd, A. L., Hanson, J. L., (2025). Exploring the Nexus of Early Life Adversity and Empathy: A Comprehensive Review of Past Research and Recommendations for Future Directions. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-025-00516-8  

    1. **Selected as the 2025 Paper of the Year in the Methods/Review Paper category by the Stress Measurement Network.

  7. Kahhale, I., Barry, R. K., Ong, D. C., Zaki, J., Hanson, J. L., (2024). Exploring the Role of Empathy in the Association Between Early Life Adversity and Antisocial Behavior. Affective Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-024-00280-y

  8. Kahhale, I., Puccetti. N. A., Heller, A. S., Hanson, J. L. (2024). Probing connections between social connectedness, mortality risk, and brain age: A preregistered study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000465

  9. Kahhale, I., Farrise, K., Das, A., McPhee, J., Galán, C.A., Scholars for Elevating Equity and Diversity (SEED), and Park, A. (2024). Recognizing the impact of racism-based traumatic stress on youth: Implications for research and clinical practice. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2024.03.022

  10. Hanson, J. L., Kahhale, I., Sen, S. (2024). Integrating Data Science and Neuroscience in Developmental Psychopathology: Formative Examples and Future Directions. Development and Psychopathology. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579424001056

  11. Kahhale, I., Hanson, J.L., Raine, A., Byrd A.L. (2024). Associations Between Subtypes of Empathy and Aggression in High-Risk Adolescents. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-023-10112-1

  12. Kahhale, I., Barry, K., Hanson, J. L. (2023). Positive parenting moderates associations between childhood stress and corticolimbic structure. PNAS Nexus. https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad145

  13. Hanson, J. L., O’Connor, K., Adkins, D. J., & Kahhale, I. (2023). Childhood Adversity and COVID-19 Outcomes: Findings from the UK Biobank. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. https://jech.bmj.com/content/early/2023/11/01/jech-2023-221147?rss=1

  14. Kahhale, I., Buser, Nicholas J., Madan, Christopher R., Hanson, Jamie L. (2023). Quantifying numerical and spatial reliability of amygdala and hippocampal subdivisions in FreeSurfer. Brain Informatics. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40708-023-00189-5

  15. Richie-Halford, A., Cieslak, M., Ai, L., Caffarra, S., Covitz, S., The Fibr Community Science Consortium... & Rokem, A. (2022). An analysis-ready and quality-controlled resource for pediatric brain white-matter research. Scientific Data, 9(1), 1-27.

  16. Bacas, E., Kahhale, I., Raamana P. R., Pablo, J. R., Anand, A. S., Hanson, J. L. (2023). Probing Multiple Algorithms to Calculate Brain Age: Examining Reliability, Relations with Demographics, and Predictive Power. Human Brain Mapping. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.26292. Recognized as top 10 most-cited article for 2023.

  17. Kahhale, I., (2022). The Promise of Prediction: Review of Glenn & Raine, NatRevNeuro, 2014. Invited submission to Nature Reviews Psychology. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s44159-022-00027-1 

  18. Galán, C., Tung, I., Tabachnick, A., Sequeira, S., Novacek, D. M., Kahhale, I., … Bekele, B. (2022). Combatting the conspiracy of silence: Clinician recommendations for talking about racism and racism-related events with youth of color. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychology. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/kuryx. Selected by JAACAP as an “Editor’s Best of 2022” article. 

  19. Ong, D. C., Wu, Z., Zhi-Xuan, T., Reddan, M., Kahhale, I., Mattek, A., & Zaki, J. (2019). Modeling emotion in complex stories: the Stanford Emotional Narratives Dataset. IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/taffc.2019.2955949

  20. Seligowski, A. V., Lebois, L. A. M., Hill, S. B., Kahhale, I., Wolff, J.D., Jovanovic, T., Winternitz, S. R., Kaufman, M. L., & Ressler, K. J., (2019). Autonomic responses to fear conditioning among women with PTSD and dissociation. Depression and Anxiety. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/da.22903

​​

Selected Research Presentations & Workshops (2021-2026)

Trainee authors/presenters are underlined.

​

  1. Kahhale, I., Falls, A., Marquis, S., Tung, E., P., Worden, De Nadai, A., Dickstein, D., & Batejan, K. (accepted). Childhood Threat but Not Deprivation Significantly Predicts Borderline Personality Symptoms in High-Acuity Adolescents. ISITDBT Conference, November 12th, 2026. 

  2. Kahhale I., Sen, S., Byrd, A., & Hanson, J. (2026). Early Life Adversity Predicts Declining Empathy from Childhood to Adolescence. Talk at Society for Affective Science (SAS) conference, March 2026. 

  3. Kahhale, I., Reddan, M. C., Tandon, S., Sun, Z., Ong, D. C., Choi, J. H., Lee, J. S., Wager, T. D., & Zaki, J (2026). Neural processes underlying socioemotional inference: alignment and entropy predict empathic accuracy. Talk at SAS Symposium titled Understanding Other’s Emotions: Neural Mechanisms, Structured Beliefs, and Social Context. 

  4. Kahhale, I., Marquis, S., Tung, E., Batejan, K., Worden, P., De Nadai, A., & Dickstein, D. (2026). Unique Associations between Interpersonal Sensitivity and Externalizing Behavior Subdimensions in High-Risk Adolescents. Poster at Harvard Psychiatry Research Day.  

  5. Marquis, S., Kahhale, I., Falls, A., Tung, E., Batejan, K., & Worden, P. (2026). Suicide-Related Trauma Pathology among Youth in Partial and Residential. Care. Poster at Harvard Psychiatry Research Day.  

  6. Luppino, J., Molthrop, K., Kahhale, I., & Worden, P., Dickstein, D. (2026). Associations between childhood neglect, protective factors, and substance use among adolescents in high levels of care. Poster at Harvard Psychiatry Research Day.

  7. Kahhale, I., Falls, A., Marquis, S., Tung, E., Batejan, K., Worden, P., De Nadai, A., & Dickstein, D. (2026). Childhood threat uniquely predicts symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder in high-risk adolescents. Poster at McLean Hospital Research Day.  

  8. Luppino, J., Molthrop, K., Kahhale, I., & Worden, P. (2026). Associations between childhood trauma, resilience, and substance use in high levels of care. Poster at McLean Hospital Research Day.  

  9. Marquis, S., Kahhale, I., Falls, A., Tung, E., Batejan, K., & Worden, P. (2026). Profiles of Post-Traumatic Stress-Disorder psychopathology among youth with suicide-related trauma. Poster at McLean Hospital Research Day.  

  10. Kahhale, I. (2025). Early life adversity, empathy, & externalizing  psychopathology in a longitudinal study of youth. Dissertation talk presented to the Pitt. Department of Psychology on May 23rd, 2025. 

  11. Kahhale, I. (2025). Latent Growth Curve Modeling: Theoretical Applications and Tutorial in R. A talk presented at the Committee for Advanced Methodological Learning (CAMeL) in fulfillment of the Pitt. Quantitative Minor, March 20, 2025. 

  12. Kahhale, I. (2024). Empathy as a Critical and Underexplored Link between Early Life Adversity and Externalizing Psychopathology. Invited research talk presented to the Princeton University Logic of Emotion (LEMO) Lab, October 4th, 2024. 

  13. Kahhale, I., Hanson, J. L., Raine, Adrian, Byrd, A. L. (2024). Socioemotional brain structure and connections with subtypes of aggression. Poster at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Department of Psychiatry Research Day, June 13, 2024.

  14. Kahhale, I. (2024). Exploring the Nexus of Early Life Adversity and Empathy: A Comprehensive Review of Past Research and Recommendations for Future Directions. Research talk presented to the Department of Psychology Jeremy Johnson Landen Award event, April 2024. 

  15. Kahhale, I., Hanson, J. L. (2024). Probing connections between social connectedness, mortality risk, and brain age: A preregistered study. Poster at the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society (SANS) conference, April 10-13, 2024. 

  16. Kahhale, I., Hanson, J. L., Raine, Adrian, Byrd, A. L. (2023). Emotion regulatory brain structure and normative deviations: connections with subtypes of aggression. Poster at Developmental Affective Neuroscience Symposium Conference, November 9th 2023.

  17. Kahhale, I., Hanson, J. L., Raine, Adrian, Byrd, A. L  (2023). Socioemotional brain structure and normative deviations: Connections with subtypes of empathy and aggression. Invited Flash Talk at Aggression and Violent Behavior Conference, October 2023. 

  18. Byrd, A. L., Kahhale, I., Stepp, S. (2023). Expanding Learning Models of Aggression: Examining Function within the Dyadic Context to Enhance Clinical Utility. Talk at Aggression and Violent Behavior Conference, October 2023. 

  19. Kahhale, I., Barry, K., Hanson, J. L. (2023). Empathic Accuracy Moderates the Association between Early Life Adversity and Adult Antisocial Behavior. Invited Data Blitz Talk at Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy Early Career Event, May 2023. 

  20. Kahhale, I., Barry, K., Hanson, J. L. (2023). Empathic Accuracy Moderates the Association between Early Life Adversity and Adult Antisocial Behavior. Poster at the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy Early Career Event, May 2023. 

  21. Kahhale, I., Barry, R. K., Hanson, J. L., (2023). Empathic Accuracy Moderates the Association between Early Life Adversity and Adult Delinquency. Flash talk presented at Society for Affective Science (SAS) Meeting, April 2023.  

  22. Symposium Chair, Heterogeneity in Externalizing Psychopathology: the Contribution of Multiple Etiological Pathways across Childhood and Adolescence (2023). Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) biennial meeting symposium, March 2023.  

  23. Kahhale, I., Hanson, J. L., Raine, Adrian, Byrd, A. L. (2023). Associations between Empathy and Aggression Subtypes in High-Risk Adolescents. Symposium talk at SRCD biennial meeting, March 2023.  

  24. Kahhale, I., Barry, K., Hanson, J. L. (2023). Positive Parenting Moderates Associations between Childhood Stress and Corticolimbic Structure. Poster at SRCD biennial meeting, March 2023.  

  25. Smith, C., Kahhale, I., Hanson, J.H. (2021). Investigating Associations between Childhood Maltreatment, Cortical Thickness, and Surface Area. University of Pittsburgh Psychology Department Undergraduate Student Research Poster Session, April 14, 2021.

  26. Kahhale, I., (2021). Probing Associations between Childhood Maltreatment, Brain Connectivity, and Later Antisocial Behavior. University of Pittsburgh Clinical Research Seminar, October 29, 2021.

 

Selected Clinical Presentations & Workshops

​

  1. Kahhale, I. (2026). Implementing Trauma-Focused CBT: Cultural Considerations and Challenges. Clinical talk presented to McLean 3East DBT Partial Hospital Program, June 2026. 

  2. Kahhale, I. (2024). Cultural Opportunities and Misses while Treating Trauma in a Minoritized Adolescent. Clinical talk presented to Pitt Clinical Students, June 12th, 2024. 

  3. Kahhale, I. (2024). Treating Trauma and Suicidality in Adolescents: a Cultural Case Conceptualization & Presentation. Clinical talk presented to Pitt Clinical Students, March 20th, 2024.

  4. Galán, C., Boness., C., Sequeira, S., Kahhale, I., Gonzalez, C. J. (2022). Workshop on “Prioritizing Anti-Racism in Our Research and Professional Development.” JCCAP Future Directions Forum, June 2022.

  5. Boness., C., Gonzalez, C. J., Kahhale, I., (2022). Recommendations for Talking about Racism-Related Events. Invited Workshop for Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Students at Palo Alto University. May 2022

 

Science Communication & Media Coverage

​

  1. Kahhale, I. (upcoming). Childhood trauma, poverty, and brain development. Invited talk for the Legal Aid of West Virginia Staff Training. November 16th, 2026. 

  2. Kahhale, I. & Hanson, J. L. (2024). Adolescent Brain Development: Important Factors to Consider in Sentencing Youth. Invited talk by the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, presented at a training for Ohio Public Defenders parole board members. November 15th, 2024. 

  3. Kahhale, I. & Hanson., J. L. (September 10, 2024). “Is social connectedness good for the mind and the brain?” Blog post for SPSP outlet Character & Context. https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/kahhale-hansonis-social-connectedness-mind-brain-benefits

  4. “Childhood trauma could lead to worse COVD-19 outcomes decades later.” PittWire (2023, November 14). Retrieved November 14, 2023 from https://tinyurl.com/3ds695y5  

  5. “Study links childhood trauma to COVID-19 deaths, hospitalizations.” MedicalXpress (2023, November 3). Retrieved November 6, 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-11-links-childhood-trauma-covid-deaths.html

  6. “The Neuroscience of Nurturing: Protecting the brain with positive parenting.” Psychology Today (2023, July 7). Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-gift-of-adhd/202307/the-neuroscience-of-nurturing

  7. “‘Positive parenting can help protect against the effects of stress in childhood and adolescence, new study shows.” Yahoo! News (2023, July 10). Retrieved July 11, 2023 from https://news.yahoo.com/positive-parenting-help-protect-against-123226467.html

  8. Kahhale, I. & Hanson, J.L. (July 10, 2023). “Positive parenting can help protect against the effects of stress in childhood and adolescence, new study shows.” Blog post for the Conversation. https://theconversation.com/positive-parenting-can-help-protect-against-the-effects-of-stress-in-childhood-and-adolescence-new-study-shows-208268 

©2026 by Bonavitacola Psychological Services, LLC

DBA BonaVita Psychology

bottom of page