News & Lab Updates
Throughout the years, our research has been featured in several media outlets. Click on the links below to read more about our studies, and check out or lab's exciting updates!
Our Research in the Media
Gossip Could Be Good for Your Relationship
CTV Morning Live
How Relationship Stress Affects your Health & Well-Being
Star City News
It’s Been a Minute Podcast: It's never too late to find a good relationship. Here's proof.
NPR
All Things Considered: What's behind the trend of so-called 'gray divorces'?
NPR
How you talk with your partner affects your health and happiness.
GRUFFtalk Podcast
Purdue Expert: Stress and Relationships
Associated Press
Negative marital communications leave literal, figurative wounds
NPR
Marriage provides health benefits – and here’s why
The Conversation
Stress is contagious in relationships
The Academic Minute, Northeast Public Radio
A partner's stress gets under your skin
Psychology Today
What you can do to support your partner and boost your own health during the holidays and beyond
The Conversation
Stay connected: A New Year’s resolution to spend more time with loved ones could boost health
Purdue University's College of Health and Human Sciences
Loving partners may be key to breast cancer survivors' health
UC San Diego Health
Is conflict with your spouse undermining your health?
U.S. News and World Report
A bad marriage can seriously damage your health, say scientists
The Guardian
My partner cheated on me—should I try to make it work?
Psychology Today
The Relationships and Health Lab in Action
Huge congratulations to R&H Lab members Ashley Alvarado, Muskaan Nigam, Janelle Chen, Katie Kemper, and Makenzie Albert who all successfully presented their posters at various Purdue undergraduate conferences!
R&H lab member Khiara, presented her findings at the UBC Psychfest in May of 2026. Khiara’s Psychfest presentation was on brand for the theme of Heroes vs. Villains where she talked about how partner responsiveness is the real superhero when it comes to personal and relational well-being.
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Ashley and Katie presented at the Psychology and Spring Undergraduate Research Conference. Ashley’s research found that students with concealable chronic health conditions who experience stigma, discrimination, and social isolation report greater psychological distress.
Muskaan presented at the Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference. Her ongoing research explores how college students define cheating in romantic relationships, finding that ambiguous behaviors on dating apps, such as casually swiping, meeting in person as friends, or even kissing, are often
normalized.
Janelle presented at the Midwest Nursing Research Society Conference and the Helen R. Johnson Leadership Conference, where she received the Best Undergraduate Student Poster Award. Her research showed that chronic illness disclosure strategies, such as third-party disclosure and entrapment, are associated with more negative health outcomes and symptoms.
Lastly, Makenzie, Katie, and Muskaan presented at the Spring Undergraduate Research Conference. Makenzie’s research found that, among people with concealable chronic health conditions, women had more sleep problems than men. These gender differences were not related to relationship closeness.
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We are all so proud of them!
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R&H Lab members Maya Lehman, Kaela Brandson, and Kaylee Fung all presented their posters at the Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC) at UBC!
​Maya’s findings showed that greater dyadic coping was associated with higher relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction for both survivors and partners, with the association between dyadic coping and relationship satisfaction being stronger among younger partners than older partners.
Kaela’s findings showed that greater infidelity-related suspicion was associated with higher levels of both worry and rumination. Self-compassion was associated with lower worry and rumination overall, but did not moderate these associations.
Kaylee’s findings showed that low emotional abuse predicted greater psychological distress and physical health problems when participants had high levels of suspicion. However, high emotional abuse predicted greater psychological distress and physical health problems regardless of whether suspicion was high or low.
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Our two graduate research assistants, MiKaila and Carly, undergraduate research assistant Carmen, and Principal Investigator Dr. Rosie Shrout each presented a poster at the Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine Conference in Chicago Illinois!
MiKaila’s research showed that spousal support may serve as a protective factor and buffer the negative effects that childhood maltreatment has on BDNF levels in adulthood, which has potential implications for how interpersonal relationships either buffer or exacerbate cognitive decline.
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Carly’s poster showed that low-performing cochlear implant users demonstrated greater increases in galvanic skin response, indicating greater sympathetic nervous system activation compared to high-performing users.
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Carmen’s research showed that physical activity did not change emotional reactions to positive events or stress as expected. However, people reported more positive affect and less negative affect on days when they were more active than usual, and younger adults showed a stronger boost in positive affect following positive events than middle-aged and older adults.
Rosie’s research showed that experiencing abusive relationships in both childhood and adulthood is associated with fast biological aging.
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Congratulations on a very successful conference!
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In November 2025, MiKaila successfully defended her master's thesis titled "Early life adversity and BDNF levels in adulthood: The moderating roles of spousal support and support satisfaction." We are so incredibly proud of her defense!
Our graduate research assistant Khiara, and our Principle Investigator Rosie presented their findings at the Canadian Sexual Research Forum (CSRF) in October of 2025.
Our lab celebrated a great Spring 2025 semester together! Honorary members Peach and Mango were less excited about our group photo. We also celebrated our three graduates, Katie Kemper, Megan Dillon, and Alicia Ader! We are so proud of them!
Khiara’s CSRF presentation examined how gender attitudes changed across the pandemic.
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Rosie's presentation showed that sexual satisfaction provided relationship and health benefits among couples with concealable chronic illness.
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Congratulations!
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Our outreach team organized a session with a local retirement community, Westminster Village, and their Well-Informed Educational Program. Rosie gave a talk on how our relationships influence our health!
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Rosie co-organized the Close Relationships Preconference and presented her research at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Convention in February 2025! She also presented on the social and health benefits of perceived partner responsiveness among those with chronic illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Undergraduate Research Assistants, Claire Lingle and Lily York, graduated with their Bachelors of Science in Psychological Sciences with minors in Human Development and Family Science, and Rasheedah Adisa graduated with her Master's of Public Health! We are so proud of each of them. Congratulations, Claire, Lily, and Rasheedah!
Rosie presented her research at the National Council on Family Relations in Seatle in November 2024! She talked about how romantic relationships and their health effects are embedded within and influenced by multiple systems of social stratification and socio-historical contexts. She discussed that relationships should be a public health priority and target for policy and programming that foster social connection and health.
The lab celebrating a great fall 2024 — with Peach and Mango, of course!
Rosie and MiKaila went to the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) Main Convention in Boston! Rosie presented as part of a symposium on the Early Years of Marriage project, Her research showed greater relationship positivity, social network size, well-being, and socioeconomic status predicted greater happiness in couples over 16 years. MiKaila’s work showed spouses with a history of childhood maltreatment felt less understood and supported by their partners during marital conflict.
Rasheedah Adisa, a lab alumni now studying clinical psychology at Ball State University, presented her work at IARR in Boston, too! She showed that chronic pain-related stigma was associated with lower relationship satisfaction and greater depressive symptoms
The Relationships and Health Lab cheered on our 2024 graduating seniors as they walked across the stage to earn their bachelor's degrees! We are so proud of each of them. They are founding members of the lab and have helped shape us into the lab we are today.
Congratulations, Claire, Abby, Anna, and Alexa!
The Relationships & Health Lab gathered to celebrate the Spring 2024 semester!
Rosie presented her research at the Association for Clinical and Translational Science Convention in Las Vegas in April 2024! She discussed her recent findings that breast cancer survivors and their partners who felt more satisfied with their relationships also felt less stressed and had fewer physical health symptoms.
The Relationships and Health Lab was well-represented at Purdue’s Health and Human Sciences Research Event in March 2024! Ella, MiKaila, Megan, and Lily presented their poster on the breakup experiences of students with concealable chronic health conditions, and in particular the lack of trust and increased anxiety students felt. Allison, MiKaila, Claire, and Anna’s poster showed the importance of positive and direct illness disclosure strategies for enhancing relationship closeness among those with concealable health conditions. They all did a brilliant job!
Celebrating our Fall 2023 semester with a lab dinner and game night!
Rosie and MiKaila at the Fall 2023 HHS Research Day where MiKaila presented her research on how childhood abuse and psychological disorder histories influence emotion regulation during marital conflict. Way to go, MiKaila!
The lab, plus honorary members Peach and Mango, celebrating an amazing spring 2023!
The Relationships & Health Lab presented at the Health and Human Sciences Spring 2023 Life Inspired Research Event! Rasheedah discussed patterns of illness disclosures to instructors, family, and friends. Lauren and Emily presented on the social and health outcomes of students with concealable chronic illness as they came back to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Way to go, Rasheedah, Lauren, and Emily!
Rosie giving a talk at the American Psychosomatic Society conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico! She discussed how couples' negative communication patterns predicted slower wound healing.
Rosie, Emily, and Lauren presented their work at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology conference in Atlanta, GA! Rosie presenting her poster about relational and emotional responses to marital conflict. Lauren and Emily discussed the social and health consequences among students with concealable chronic illness returning to campus amid the COVID-19 pandemic
Rosie received the Lorene Burkhart Award for Excellence in Research about Families from Purdue University’s Center for Families! This award was for her publication on how breast cancer survivors' satisfying marriages promoted psychological and physical health.