She received her M.A in Developmental Psychology from the University of Cardiff, Wales and her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Her research interests include the effects of parenting styles and parent-child relationships on children's social and emotional development. Currently, Dr. Schacht is studying the impact of parenting behaviors on children's coping skills and actions during peer conflict situations. She hopes to develop a prevention program aimed at helping parents and children stop the negative effects of bullying on children's outcomes.