Dr. Disla first received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire, Durham, later obtaining both her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences from the University of California- Merced. She specialized in developmental psychology and family development. Her scholarly interests include adolescent disclosure, parent-child communication, resiliency, positive child adjustment, family conflict, and cultural differences. Her work has been published in several high-impact journals.