Sara Franson
Pronouns: She, Her
Research Mentor(s): Amie Gordon
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: Session 3 – 1:40pm – 2:30 pm
Room: League Ballroom
Authors: Sara Franson, Amie Gordon, Maria Luciani
Presenter: 3
Abstract
Despite the vast array of studies conducted on dyadic stress in couples, there are few that study concurrent stress in couples. Concurrent stress (CS), in which both partners deal with simultaneous separate stressors, is a common experience in couples’ everyday lives. In this study, we introduce a new lab paradigm to conduct exploratory research on CS. In this study (projected N=210 dyads), we examine how couples deal with stress when they’re each dealing with separate stressful tasks. This study involves an in-lab experimental portion in which physiological and self-report data is collected, followed by daily diary and longitudinal components. The first is collected in the lab where the couples complete a series of tasks with an additional stressful task in either a concurrent, nonconcurrent, or a control condition. In these conditions either both, one, or neither of the participants are given an extra task in order to imitate how couples deal with the stress of their own lives on top of their partner’s stress. Data collection is ongoing, but we expect to find that the more concurrent stress a couple experiences, the more it takes a toll on their sensitivity to their partner’s stress, therefore decreasing their ability to support one another. The study collects several types of data in order to give a well-rounded view of how couples cope with concurrent stress so that we can most clearly see the implications of such stress on couples’ coping mechanisms and outcomes. This study will add to what we know about how couples deal with a common form of stress and allow us to understand how concurrent stress impacts relationship outcomes.
Social Sciences
