I study intimate relationships as important contexts of behavioral, emotional, and psychological adjustment of individuals across the lifespan. My interests focus on 1) characterizing the interplay between romantic relationship characteristics and individuals’ risky and healthy behaviors, 2) identifying interdependence and synchrony between couples/family members along multiple domains (e.g., partners’ emotions during conflict, mothers’ and children’s cortisol levels across the day), and 3) explicating the role of naturally-occurring marital conflict in child, parent, and family functioning. With undergraduate and graduate research assistants, I pursue these investigations in multiple studies conducted in the UW Couples Lab.
Check out Lauren Papp's work with the Relationship Lab!
Relationship Lab
My ongoing research elucidates intimate relationships as a central context for the well being and development of individuals. I incorporate multi-domain assessments of relational processes, adopt a broad view of well being, and employ cutting-edge quantitative methods and modeling. Biopsychosocial, family systems, and life course perspectives guide my work. Recent projects include leveraging the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development to explicate family factors associated with parents’ longitudinal marital functioning, and sampling young adults in dating partnerships for the interplay between relationship functioning and partner adjustment.
Intimate relationships; Family stress and coping; Mentoring undergraduate and graduate students in lab-based research experiences
Papp, L. M. (in press). Topics of marital conflict in the everyday lives of empty nest couples and their implications for conflict resolution. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy.
Papp. L. M., & Blumenstock, S. (2016). Momentary affect and risk behavior correlates of prescription drug misuse among young adult dating couples: An experience sampling study. Addictive Behaviors, 53, 161-167.
Papp, L. M. (2012). The longitudinal role of breastfeeding in mothers’ and fathers’ relationship quality trajectories. Breastfeeding Medicine, 7, 241-247.
Papp, L. M. (2010). Prescription drug misuse among dating partners: Within-couple associations and implications for intimate relationship quality. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 24, 415-423.
Papp, L. M., Kouros, C. D., & Cummings, E. M. (2010). Emotions in marital conflict interactions: Empathic accuracy, assumed similarity, and the moderating context of depressive symptoms. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 27, 367-387.
Papp, L. M., & Witt, N. L. (2010). Romantic partners’ individual coping strategies and dyadic coping: Implications for relationship functioning. Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 551-559.
Papp, L. M., Cummings, E. M., & Goeke-Morey, M. C. (2009). For richer, for poorer: Money as a topic of marital conflict in the home. Family Relations, 58, 91-103.