Lab News

Building on our ongoing metascience work documenting the lack of diversity in psychological research samples, this qualitative study turns to a question that has received less attention: how does this gap affect the undergraduate students who are learning this science in the classroom? Using focus groups with undergraduate psychology students, we examine students’ awareness of the lack of diversity in research samples, how it affects them, and what they would like professors to do about it. Students from minoritized backgrounds in particular described impacts on their sense of belonging, motivation, and career aspirations, with many expressing feelings of frustration and discouragement. At the same time, for some students the gap served as motivation to pursue more inclusive research themselves. Notably, many minoritized students described having come to expect exclusion as the norm, a finding that speaks to just how pervasive the problem is. Students also emphasized the influential role of instructors, calling for greater transparency about sample limitations and more intentional efforts to incorporate diverse research into their teaching. This article, published in Teaching of Psychology, was co-authored by trainees, including Jennifer Figueroa and Valeria Lugo-Martinez (undergraduate students), Daniela Esquivel Cantu (lab manager), Jayda Branch (graduate student), and Clare Thomas (post doc).

The Williamson Lab is excited to share a new collaborative paper published in Family Process evaluating Juntos en Pareja (JEP), a culturally and linguistically adapted relationship and financial education program for Spanish-speaking Latine couples. Led by our collaborator Mariana Falconier and her lab at the University of Maryland, this study compared pre- to post-program outcomes among 284 Latine couples in JEP and 266 non-Latine couples in its English-language counterpart, TOGETHER. Results showed that JEP participation was associated with significant improvements in psychological distress, negative conflict management, psychological aggression, time spent with partner, and relationship quality – and uniquely, JEP couples also reported reduced difficulty paying bills, a change not seen in the TOGETHER group. This work demonstrates the value of socio-culturally responsive programming for reaching and benefiting Latine couples who have been historically underrepresented in relationship education research.

The Williamson Lab is very proud to have not one, but two articles published in the latest issue of Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. These papers examine when and how couple-focused interventions benefit families, particularly those facing higher levels of stress and economic disadvantage.

In the first paper, which is drawn from Nick Chen’s dissertation research, we use a machine learning approach to examine heterogeneity in treatment effects of couple relationship education (CRE) programs. Drawing on data from two large randomized controlled trials, the study shows that CRE effects are far from uniform: couples experiencing higher psychological distress, greater stress exposure, and lower baseline relationship happiness tend to benefit the most, especially in terms of improvements in relationship happiness and reductions in negative emotions and behaviors. These patterns replicated in an independent sample, highlighting the promise of data-driven approaches for improving how relationship interventions are targeted and evaluated.

The second paper, which was led by our collaborator Justin Lavner at the University of Georgia, focuses on whether improvements in couple functioning translate into benefits for children in low-income families. Using longitudinal data from more than 6,000 couples, the study tests indirect effects of a couple-focused intervention on multiple child outcomes 30 months later. Results indicate significant indirect effects on children’s self-regulation, behavioral problems, cognitive and academic performance, and social competence, with some variation by child age. These findings provide a rigorous test of a core assumption underlying couple-focused prevention efforts: that strengthening couple relationships can promote children’s well-being over time.

Nick Chen has a new lead author publication in Journal of Family Psychology examining the impact of supportive equity on negative affect in middle-aged and older adults. The study shows that emotional support equity is associated with decreased negative affect for older adults compared with middle-aged adults, highlighting the benefit of supportive equity for older adults and the need for more research on middle-aged adults

Congratulations to graduate student Po-Heng Nick Chen for successfully defending his dissertation, entitled: Characterizing Heterogeneous Treatment Effects of Couple Relationship Education: A Machine Learning Approach.

Congratulations to Isabella for successfully completing and presenting her honors thesis “Fatherhood, ACEs, and Relationship Satisfaction: Exploring Challenges of Welcoming a New Baby”

Thank you to our amazing research assistants who have been with the lab for the 2024-2025 school year (and longer). Best of luck to Jenni, Isabella, Ruhani, Estefania, Anusha, and Lucian who are graduating this semester.

To celebrate the end of the academic year, the relationships area went on an end of the year outing to Austin Bouldering Project.