Providence College · Department of Psychology
Risk and Prevention Lab
Preventing risk and improving health outcomes among adolescents and young adults in the United States and sub-Saharan Africa.
About the lab
Welcome to the RAP Lab at Providence College directed by Dr. Nick Tarantino! Our research centers on the development of innovative mobile interventions for young people with HIV in West Africa.
Closer to home, we also conduct research on how mindfulness practices can support college students’ mental health and reduce health risk behaviors, including problematic social media use.
Global health · Kumasi, Ghana
Our work in Ghana
In partnership with Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, we design mobile interventions with and for young people living with HIV in Kumasi. Our newest NIH-funded study, TAG-MI, pairs a text-based adherence game with CBT-based mental health support to improve both mental health and HIV care.
Current projects
New · NIH R01
TAG-MI
Integrating a text-based adherence game with CBT-based mental health support for youth with HIV in Kumasi, Ghana.
Ghana
iTAG
A text message intervention for young adults with HIV built on behavioral economics and gamification.
Providence College
Mindful RAP & Project PAUSE
Mindfulness-based strategies to reduce health risk behaviors and problematic social media use among college students.
Recent publication
Tarantino, N., Collibee, C., Pulido, J., & Wang, A. (2026). Mindfulness and associated constructs as moderators of the relationship between problematic social media use and mental health. Current Psychology, 45(13), 1192.
Join the lab
Providence College students interested in our research are welcome to reach out.
