Intimate partners influence each other’s health and well-being, often acting as a source of both support and strain. Thus, for better or worse, individuals’ emotions, behaviors, and experiences are tied to those of their partner. Known as interdependence, this principle rooted in family systems theory is central to my research. I examine intimate partner influences on mental health and well-being across multiple stressors experienced throughout adulthood (e.g., chronic health stressors), and across multiple timescales (e.g., daily associations, longitudinal associations). Finally, my research takes a 24-hour perspective to the study of relational influences on mental health, thereby including a focus on relationship quality, emotion, and sleep.
