Health, Emotion, and Relationships (HER) Research Group
HER is an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students engaged in the scientific study of emotional and relationship processes contributing to physical and mental health. The purpose of HER is to create a context for cross-disciplinary discussion and collaboration on topics relevant to health, emotion, and/or relationships. We currently have about 60 members, representing 5 academic disciplines and all stages of academic development (undergraduates, graduates, post-doctoral researchers, junior and senior faculty).
The current 5 research areas include:
- the bidirectional influences of health/illness and relationship quality/dynamics,
- emotion regulation, health habits, and relationship processes in families and couples,
- the impact of early family experiences and socialization processes on later emotional, relationship, and family functioning,
- emotional and physical stress reactivity in the context of relationships and families across the life-span, and
- cultural influences on health, emotion, or relationships.
If you would like to become involved, please contact Dr. Emily Butler.
Recent and Future Research On Health, Emotion, and Relationships (HER)
Love, Anger, and Food: Marital Processes that Promote Obesity. This study draws upon Family Systems Theory and a multi-method approach to investigate emotional and marital processes that promote obesity. Using physiological, observational, and self-report data from a laboratory experiment and daily diaries we will test the hypothesis that eating fulfills a different relationship function and is connected to different emotional patterns in couples where both partners are obese as compared to couples with only one obese partner. Emily A. Butler, Ph.D.; Val Young, Graduate Research Associate; Ashley Randall, Graduate Research Associate; Shannon Corkery, Graduate Research Associate
Daily Understanding of Caregiving Study: A Focus on Hispanic Caregivers. This study draws upon stress theories and the reactivity hypothesis to investigate emotional and physical stress reactivity among Hispanic family caregivers. Using an 8-day daily diary method of data collection and multi-level modeling, the study will address two primary questions, among others: (a) Are there differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White CGs in intensity of care-related daily stress reactivity? and (b) Among Hispanic CGs, do those with higher levels of familism experience less intense care-related daily stress reactivity? Susan Silverberg Koerner, Ph.D. and Yumi Shirai, Graduate Research Associate