Research Interests:

Broadly speaking, my research program is aimed at understanding how couple and family relationships ameliorate or perpetuate depression, anxiety, and related aspects of health (e.g., alcohol use, sleep dysfunction, poor diet). 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). 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:  PSYC-948, Structural Equation Modeling in the Behavioral Sciences (Spring 2023)

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 Author

*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