Anna Azim
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Amie Gordon
Co-Presenter:
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Psychology / LSA
Presentation Date: April 20
Presentation Type: Oral5
Session: Session 1 – 10am – 10:50am
Room: Breakout Room 6
Authors: Anna Azim, Maria Luciani
Presenter: 5
Abstract
Background Amie Gordon’s research project, “Well-being in Romantic Couples,†strives to create a better understanding of how concurrent stress affects romantic relationships. Historically, researchers have sought to understand how one partner’s stress may affect the relationship but this project focuses on how couples experiencing simultaneous stress are affected. The research is also relevant to understanding how couples cope with stress. Methods This research project is made up of a three part study. The first part of the study consists of induced concurrent and nonconcurrent stress in the WHIRL lab. The second part consists of a 14-day daily survey on the experience of partners in a relationship. The third part consists of a survey given one, six, and 12 months after the initial lab study to assess individual and relationship well-being. The research is primarily exploratory, meaning that it seeks to understand any potential relationship between stress and couples’ experience. The study also uses stratified sampling to ensure that there is data from both high and low socioeconomic statuses. Application It can be difficult to predict the type of information that will be gathered through this study, as it is ongoing, but there are a number of potential conclusions that the project seeks to explore. First, the research could be used to better understand concurrent and nonconcurrent stress. The research could also help answer questions regarding how stress manifests in relationships, how it may be a predictor of separations, or how it affects couples with good and bad communication, differently. These ideas relate to the big picture of relationships, both romantic and platonic, as stress is an ongoing factor in one’s life and will affect other aspects of their life besides individual well-being.
Social Sciences
