Research

Situated at the intersection of Family, Life Course, and Aging, my research broadly focuses on those experiences of romantic relationships, as well as aging and well-being, across the life course and in different contexts.

I'm motivated to identify areas for intervention to improve individual experiences with navigating romantic relationships and support initiatives for healthy aging, addressing health disparities in the United States. My research, solo- and co-authored, has been featured in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, Journal of Family Issues, Social Science and Medicine, and Media, Culture and Society. 

DISSERTATION

My dissertation research, titled "Testing a Comprehensive Measure of Adult Romantic Relationship Stability and Health at Mid-Late Life," uses the FACHS, a multi-site, longitudinal community sample of Black youth and their caregivers, to examine the effect of romantic relationships, measured holistically, on adult well-being and aging. I consider multiple outcomes of well-being, including mental and physical health. This research takes a life-course sensitive approach to understanding the role of romantic relationships for well-being by considering unique relationship measures to mid-late life, such as partner health and caretaking responsibilities. Even more, this project extends on current literature in the field of biological aging by assessing the impact of both relationship status and quality, as well as changes in status and quality, on a measure of epigenetic aging, GrimAge. 

FUTURE RESEARCH

My future research plans include extending my dissertation research by testing my hypothesized model with a large, nationally representative dataset, the Health and Retirement Study. Additionally, I am interested in questions related to the role of retirement on romantic relationship functioning and overall well-being.