
Rebecca Brock
Associate Professor Psychology University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Contact
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BURN 220
Lincoln NE 68588-0308 - Phone
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Dr. Brock received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa. She is a core faculty member in the Clinical Psychology Training Program (CPTP), the Quantitative Training Coordinator in the Department of Psychology, and the director of the UNL Family Development Lab. She is also associate editor for the journal Family Process. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health. She was a recipient of the UNL Dean's Award for Excellence in Graduate Education for teaching and mentoring.
Research Interests:
My research program is aimed at understanding the critical role that couple and family relationships play in shaping the emotional health of individuals across the lifespan. My work is largely focused on couple relationships, investigating how multiple relationship processes (e.g., humanization and respect, support, closeness and intimacy, sexual satisfaction, conflict management strategies) impact partners and their children. I have a particular interest in understanding these processes in underrepresented and at-risk populations (e.g., perinatal women, sexual and gender minorities, low income and rural families). In pursuing this work, I have developed innovative methodologies including questionnaires that capture novel family processes, semi-structured clinical interviews for multidimensional assessment of relationships, behavioral observation systems for more objective measures of family dynamics, and novel technologies for tracking family interactions in “real time” in the home.
Please visit my lab website for a summary of current lines of active research and ongoing and recent projects. If you are interested in getting involved in the Family Development Lab, learn how to join the research team.
Teaching Interests:
I teach courses in quantitative methods and provide statistical consultation in the Department of Psychology. I also provide clinical consultation in both individual and couples therapy.
Upcoming Course Offerings: I routinely offer PSYC-948, Structural Equation Modeling in the Behavioral Sciences in the spring.
For more information about quantitative training in the Department of Psychology, please visit our training website. If you are a student or faculty member in the UNL Department of Psychology, please click here to learn more about scheduling an appointment for statistical consultation.
Representative Publications:
For a complete list of publications please visit ResearchGate (for full text articles) or Google Scholar
*Denotes Student Co-author
*Ramsdell, E., *Laifer, L., *McCoy, K., & Brock, R. L. (2025). Interparental mutually responsive orientation during pregnancy impacts toddler socioemotional development by promoting parent infant relational dynamics. Development and Psychopathology. doi: 10.1017/S0954579424001974
Brock, R. L. & Gervais, S. (2025). The psychometric properties of a new scale of dehumanizing deindividuation in couples. Journal of Family Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001311
*Calkins, F. C., *Laifer, L. M., *Martin, R. C., Gervais, S. J., & Brock, R. L. (2024). Evaluating the factor structure of the pregnancy-related anxiety scale: Implications for maternal and infant wellbeing. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/02646838.2024.2409146
*Phillips, E., & Brock, R. L. (2024). Interplay between interparental relationship quality and infant temperament predicts toddler transdiagnostic psychopathology. Journal of Family Psychology, 38, 1201-1213. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001263
Laifer, L. M., *Ramsdell, E., Stasik-O’Brien, S.M., *Martin, R. C. B., & Brock, R. L. (2024). Trajectories of maternal and paternal internalizing problems from pregnancy to two years postpartum: Identifying modifiable risk and protective factors. Depression and Anxiety, 2024, 5164261. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/5164261
*Grandgenett, H. M., Franz, M. R., *Calkins, F. C., DiLillo, D., & Brock, R. L. (2024). Does past intimate partner violence moderate the link between daily stress and conflict during pregnancy? A dyadic daily diary investigation. Psychology of Violence, 14, 239-249. doi: 10.1037/vio0000515
Brock, R. L., *Calkins, F. C., *Hamburger, E. R., *Kumar, S. A., *Laifer, L. M., *Phillips, E., & *Ramsdell, E. L. (2023). Learning from adversity: What the COVID-19 pandemic can teach us about family resiliency. Family Process, 62, 1574-1591. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12849
*Laifer, L. M., DiLillo, D., & Brock, R. L. (2023). Prenatal negative affectivity and trauma-related distress predict mindful parenting during toddler age: Parent-infant bonding as a mechanism. Development and Psychopathology, 35, 1036-1050. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579421000894
*Calkins, F. C., Gervais, S., Saez, G., Martin, M.J., Davidson, M., & Brock, R. L. (2023). An integrated conceptual framework linking attachment insecurity to increased risk for both enacting and experiencing objectification. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 47, 365-386. doi: 10.1177/03616843231165476
Brock, R. L., *Ramsdell, E. L., *Franz, M. R., Stasik-O’Brien, S. M., Gervais, S., & *Calkins, F. C. (2023). Free to be me with you: Development of the Individuality in Couples Questionnaire. Psychological Assessment, 35, 602-617. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001238
*Laifer, L., *Maras, O. R., Sáez, G., Gervais, S. J., & Brock, R. L. (2023). Self-objectification during the perinatal period: The role of body surveillance in maternal and infant wellbeing. Sex Roles, 88, 459-473. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-023-01360-2
*Martin, R. C., & Brock, R. L. (2023). The importance of high-quality partner support for reducing stress during pregnancy and postpartum bonding impairments. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 26, 201-209. doi: 10.1007/s00737-023-01299-z
*Laifer, L. M., O’Hara, M. W., DiLillo, D. & Brock, R. L. (2023). Risk for trauma-related distress following difficult childbirth: Trajectories of traumatic intrusions across two years postpartum. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 26, 191-200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00737-023-01296-2
*Kumar, S., Franz, M., DiLillo, D., & Brock, R. L. (2022). Promoting resilience to depression among couples during pregnancy: The protective functions of intimate relationship satisfaction and self-compassion. Family Process. doi: 10.1111/famp.12788
*Phillips, E. M., Brock, R. L., James, T. D., Mize-Nelson, J., Espy, K. A., & Nelson, T. D. (2022). Empirical support for a dual process model of the p-factor: Interaction effects between preschool executive control and preschool negative emotionality on general psychopathology. Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 131, 817-829. doi: 10.1037/abn0000777
*Laifer, L. M., DiLillo, D., & Brock, R. L. (2022). Prenatal negative affectivity and trauma-related distress predict mindful parenting during toddler age: Examining parent-infant bonding as a mechanism. Development and Psychopathology. doi: 10.1017/S0954579421000894
*Calkins, F. & Brock, R. L. (2022). Attachment anxiety and avoidance predict postnatal partner support through impaired affective communication. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84, 515-532. DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12806
*Kumar, S., Brock, R.L., & DiLillo, D. (2022). Partner support and connection protect couples during pregnancy: A daily diary investigation. Journal of Marriage and Family, 84, 494-514. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12798
*Perez, G.R., Stasik-O’Brien, S., *Laifer, L., & Brock, R.L.,(2022). Psychological and physical intimate partner aggression are associated with broad and specific internalizing symptoms during pregnancy. IJERPH, 19(3), 1662. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031662
Brock, R.L., *Ramsdell, E., Sáez, G., & Gervais, S. (2021). Perceived humanization by intimate partners during pregnancy is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, less body dissatisfaction, and greater sexual satisfaction through reduced self-objectification. Sex Roles, 84, 285-298 doi: 10.1007/s11199-020-01166-6
Nelson, T. D., Brock, R. L., Yokum, S., *Tomaso, C. C., Savage, C. R., & Stice, E. (2021). Much ado about missingness: A demonstration of full Information maximum likelihood estimation to address missingness in fMRI data. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 15, 1234. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2021.746424
Brock, R. L., & *Laifer, L. (2020). Family science in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: Solutions and new directions. Family Process, 59, 1007-1017. doi: 10.1111/famp.12582
Brock, R.L., *Ramsdell, E., *Franz, M., & *Volk, S. (2020). Validation of a behavioral coding system for measuring mutually responsive orientation in intimate relationships. Psychological Assessment, 32, 713-725. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000826
Brock, R.L., *Ramsdell, E., Sáez, G., & Gervais, S. (2020). Perceived humanization by intimate partners during pregnancy is associated with fewer depressive symptoms, less body dissatisfaction, and greater sexual satisfaction through reduced self-objectification. Sex Roles. doi: 10.1007/s11199-020-01166-6
Brock, R. L., *Franz, M., & *Ramsdell, E. (2020). An integrated relational framework of depressed mood and anhedonia during pregnancy. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82, 1056-1072. doi: 10.1111/jomf.12611
Brock, R. L., *Franz, M., O'Bleness, J., & Lawrence, E. (2019). The dynamic interplay between satisfaction with intimate relationship functioning and daily mood in low-income outpatients. Family Process, 58, 891-907. doi: 10.1111/famp.12402.
Brock, R. L., & Kochanska, G. (2019). Anger in infancy and its implications: History of attachment in mother-child and father-child relationships as a moderator of risk. Development and Psychopathology, 23, 7-28. 10.1017/S0954579418000780
Brock, R. L., Kochanska, G., & Boldt, L. (2017). Interplay between children's biobehavioral plasticity and interparental relationship in the origins of internalizing problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 31, 1040-1050. doi: 10.1037/fam0000335
Brock, R.L., Dindo, L., Clark, L.A., Gamez, W., Aksan, N., & Kochanska, G. (2017). Attachment and effortful control in toddlerhood predict academic achievement over a decade later. Psychological Science, 28, 1786-1795. doi: 10.1177/0956797617721271
Brock, R.L., & Kochanska, G. (2016). Toward a developmentally-informed approach to parenting interventions: Seeking hidden effects. Development and Psychopathology, 28, 583-593. doi: 10.1017/S0954579415000607
Brock, R.L., & Kochanska, G. (2016). Interparental conflict, children's security with parents, and long-term risk of internalizing problems: A longitudinal study from Age 2 to 10. Development and Psychopathology, 28, 45-54. doi: 10.1017/S0954579415000279
Brock, R.L., Kochanska, G., O'Hara, M.W., & Grekin, R. (2015). Life satisfaction moderates the effectiveness of a play-based parenting intervention in low-income mothers and toddlers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43, 1283-1294. doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-0014-y
Brock, R.L., & Kochanska, G. (2015). Decline in quality of family relationships predicts escalation in children's internalizing symptoms from middle to late childhood. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 43, 1295-1308. doi: 10.1007/s10802-015-0008-9
Brock, R.L., & Lawrence, E. (2014). Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and contextual predictors of support overprovision in marriage. Journal of Family Psychology, 28, 54-64. doi: 10.1037/a0035280
Brock, R.L. & Lawrence, E. (2011). Marriage as a risk factor for internalizing disorders: Clarifying scope and specificity. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79, 577-589. doi: 10.1037/a0024941
Brock, R. L., & Lawrence, E. (2009). Too much of a good thing: Underprovision versus overprovision of partner support. Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 181-192. doi: 10.1037/a0015402
Brock, R. L., & Lawrence, E. (2008). A longitudinal investigation of stress spillover in marriage: Does spousal support adequacy buffer the effects? Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 11-20. doi: 10.1037/0893-3200.22.1.11