Faizun N. Bakth
Ph.D Candidate
5057 Woodward Ave, Room 7051
Detroit, MI 48202
Department
Psychology, Developmental Science
Faizun N. Bakth
Faizun is a fifth-year Ph.D. graduate student at Wayne State University. Her research focuses on how adolescents' positive (e.g., friendships) and negative (e.g., victimization, discrimination) peer relationships shape their health, identity, emotional well-being, and academic performance via short and long-term longitudinal methods. As a Muslim woman of color and a first-generation college student from a low-income background, Faizun's intersecting identities have profoundly shaped her commitment to understanding the experiences of marginalized youth and identifying protective factors that address their unique needs, particularly in educational settings. Therefore, guided by her personal and professional experiences, Faizun's research has two central aims: 1) Investigate the influence of bioregulatory factors, such as sleep, in the association between peer relationships and adolescents' academic and socioemotional adjustment; 2) Examine how different proximal social and macro-level contextual factors influence adolescent identity development and health outcomes.
In her free time, Faizun likes to read non-fiction books, watch horror movies, and spend time with her family and friends. However, for stress management, Faizun loves to watch cat videos.
Research interest(s)/area of expertise
- Peer Relationships
- Peer Victimization
- Friendships
- Ethnic-racial Identity
- Sleep
- Academic outcomes
- Psychosocial Wellbeing
- Affects/Mood
- Daily-Diary Research
Education
- B.A., John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- M.A., Wayne State University
Awards and grants
- Rumble Fellowships (2024-2025)
- Ross & Margaret Stagner Award for Research and Teaching (Winter, 2024)
- Graduate Poster Day Presentation Award (Fall, 2023)
- Steven A. Lewis Memorial Award (Winter, 2023)
- Betty J. Neitzel Psychology Graduate Students Summer Research Award (Summer, 2023)
- Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute Predoctoral Fellowship (2022-Present)
- Dean’s Diversity Fellowship (2020–2023)
Selected publications
Bakth, F. N., Chen, M., & Wang, Y. (2023). Adolescents’ experiences of peer ethnic/racial victimization and school engagement in everyday life: sleep as a moderator. Sleep Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2023.01.006
Bakth, F. N., Hoffman, A. J., & Schacter, H. L. (2022). Investigating the relation between ethnic–racial identity and classroom engagement among Cherokee adolescents: Cultural socialization as a moderator. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(2), 182–192. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000530