Breaking intergenerational cycles often begins in the smallest moments between a caregiver and child. Dr. Adi Rosenthal, based at the University of Denver, Department of Psychology, is leading “Parent-infant group therapy for interrupting intergenerational patterns of abuse: A randomized controlled trial of Resilient Roots,” an MRI-funded project, alongside key collaborator Dr. Maria-Ernestina at the University of Denver. The study evaluates Resilient Roots, a manualized 10-session parent–infant group intervention delivered through Thriving Families, a community-based nonprofit serving high-needs pregnant individuals and families with young children. Grounded in trauma-informed and attachment-oriented principles, the program pairs psychoeducation with guided discussion and skills practice to reduce parenting stress and trauma-related distress while strengthening caregiving capacity and child safety. Using a randomized waitlist-controlled design, the project assesses changes from baseline to post-program in domains including abuse risk and harsh parenting potential, parent–child relationship quality, and caregiver well-being. Qualitative feedback and focus groups complement survey outcomes to examine acceptability, feasibility, and implementation factors in a real-world community setting.

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The way a parent responds in the smallest moments—during play, at the dinner table, in the pause before a reaction—can quietly shape a child’s sense of safety and connection. This MRI-funded project asks whether reducing depression during pregnancy can translate into more sensitive, responsive parenting years later. Led by Dr. Emily Melnick at the University of Denver, the work builds on data from the Care Project randomized trial comparing interpersonal psychotherapy with enhanced usual care during pregnancy. It moves beyond self-report by using observational coding of parent–child interactions at age three across both play and mealtime routines. By linking prenatal symptom change to real-world caregiving behavior, the study aims to clarify how perinatal mental health support may ripple into everyday family relationships.

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Systemic racism shapes relational experiences in ways that are insufficiently captured by prevailing theories of couple functioning. Research on relational coping has historically relied on methodologies and samples that overlook the experiences of Black couples. Supported by an MRI Doctoral Dissertation Grant, this study examines how Black couples experience racism-related stress and the relational processes they use to cope. The findings illuminate culturally specific forms of resilience rooted in identity, shared meaning, and relational safety. These insights contribute to the development of more culturally responsive therapeutic frameworks.

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How to Feel Loved explores a powerful and often-overlooked idea: being loved and feeling loved are not the same thing. In this upcoming book, Sonja Lyubomirsky and Harry Reis synthesize decades of research to show how emotional connection is shaped less by performance or self-monitoring and more by openness, responsiveness, and meaningful interpersonal exchange.

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Researchers Casey J. Totenhagen, Ashley K. Randall, Gabriel A. León, and Mackenzie Carroll have developed and validated a new research tool to better understand how lesbian, gay, and bi+ individuals cope with stress in their romantic relationships. Supported by the Mental Research Institute, this project focuses on dyadic coping in the context of sexual minority stress. The resulting measure, the Dyadic Coping Inventory–Sexual Minority Stress (DCI-SMS), offers a validated way to assess how partners communicate and support one another when facing stress related to sexual orientation. This work contributes to more precise and inclusive research on relationship processes and well-being.

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What does kindness look like in a women’s recovery community—and how can it support healing?
That question, posed by Dr. Jeannette Maré at the University of Arizona, became the foundation of the State of Kindness project, an MRI-funded collaboration between the Science of Kindness Community Collective and The Haven, a Tucson-based recovery center for women. By combining behavioral science with community voice, the project explored how everyday acts of prosocial communication shape recovery. What emerged was a powerful insight: kindness is not peripheral to healing—it is central to it.

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In one of Lima’s most underserved districts, mothers are finding new ways to breathe, connect, and care—often in the midst of ongoing adversity. Led by Dr. Laura Miller-Graff (University of Notre Dame), this MRI-funded pilot study explored how an evidence-based mental health intervention could be adapted to meet women where they are. What emerged was more than symptom relief. As mothers gained tools for calm and coping, relationships with their children began to shift in quiet but powerful ways.

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As we welcome the new year, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for the vibrant community that surrounds the Mental Research Institute.

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What really happens inside families when smartphones become constant companions? Supported by MRI, Dr. Miriam Brinberg of The Ohio State University followed 142 parent–teen pairs for 28 days, uncovering surprising ways technology can both deepen connection and quietly erode it. From texts that make teens feel cared for to the subtle tensions sparked by a phone at the dinner table, the Parents and Teens Technology and Relationships (PATTER) Study reveals a digital double-edge few families notice in daily life. And when parents turn to surveillance apps, the effects on teens’ autonomy are not what many expect. Dr. Brinberg’s work opens a window into the micro-moments where modern relationships are made—and strained—inviting readers to rethink how technology is shaping the bonds they value most.

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In this MRI-sponsored project, Dr. Leslie D. Frazier and Dr. Jill T. Shelton of Florida International University investigated how people with disabilities develop a sense of identity through their internal experiences, social relationships, and perceptions of stigma. Drawing on data from 500 participants, their team identified important patterns in how individuals imagine their future selves and how these visions relate to well-being and resilience. Early findings reveal that disability is not always directly incorporated into participants’ hoped-for or feared futures, raising important questions about identity development. The project has already generated multiple national conference presentations and manuscripts now in preparation for peer-review publication. Through this work, Drs. Frazier and Shelton provide new insights that can help strengthen models of resilience and thriving within the disability community.

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This project, led by Dr. Yaryna Andrushko of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State, explores how Ukrainian refugees rebuild their lives, identities, and well-being after forced migration. Through a mixed-method approach combining surveys, interviews, and a targeted psychosocial intervention, the study highlights resilience as a dynamic process shaped by relationships and cultural connection. Participants described the challenges of displacement alongside the strengths they discovered through community, spirituality, and personal coping strategies. Findings reveal significant reductions in psychological distress after a DBT-based support program designed specifically for this population. The work sheds light on how emotional regulation, belonging, and meaning-making contribute to adaptation in a new sociocultural environment. These insights offer valuable guidance for clinicians and organizations supporting displaced communities. The project was supported by a grant from the Mental Research Institute, helping advance systemic and culturally responsive approaches to healing.

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A study supported by the Mental Research Institute and led by Laura Glynn, PhD, at Chapman University, explores how the predictability of parental interactions shapes children’s emotional and behavioral development. Findings suggest that consistent, predictable caregiving in infancy supports better self-regulation and may buffer the effects of poverty and parental depression. These insights highlight predictable parenting as a practical, low-cost strategy to promote resilience and healthy development in young children.

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An MRI-funded study by Drs. Chrystyna Kouros and Naomi Ekas investigated how relationship dynamics influence depression in couples raising autistic versus non-autistic children. Preliminary results show few differences across groups, except in power dynamics, where mothers—particularly those of autistic children—reported higher perceived power. The research also validated the Lewis Scales, a new tool for assessing couple interactions, offering valuable guidance for clinicians working to improve relationship quality and mental health outcomes.

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Anti-Black racism remains a persistent issue in the United States, yet structured opportunities for cross-racial dialogue are limited. Using the STOREY digital storytelling and group dialogue intervention, Brian TaeHyuk Keum, PhD, and colleagues, supported by an MRI grant, examined its effects on racial/ethnic identity exploration, empathy toward anti-Black racism, and engagement in anti-racist solidarity among 50 Asian American college students. Results indicated increases in empathic responses and willingness to participate in anti-racist actions, while qualitative findings highlighted both barriers—such as limited prior discussion of race and community-based anti-Black attitudes—and motivators, including empowerment, collective solidarity, and supportive group interaction. These findings suggest that storytelling-based dialogue may facilitate critical reflection on racial attitudes and support engagement in anti-racist solidarity.

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Depression is a growing public health concern among young adults in urban India, yet little research has examined the role of family relationships in shaping psychological well-being. Supported by an MRI grant, Dr. Pankhuri Aggarwal (University of Cincinnati) studied 548 college-aged participants and found that poor quality relations with parents and extended family were consistently linked to higher depressive symptoms, while family cohesion and the inclusion of parents in one’s sense of self offered protection. The findings underscore the importance of considering cultural and interpersonal dynamics when conceptualizing and treating depression in India.

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Burnout among healthcare workers has intensified since COVID-19, with nurses, social workers, and physicians especially at risk. Julian Cohen-Serrins, PhD, at NYU, used an MRI Grant to study how perceptions of organizational support and fairness influence burnout. Surveying more than 11,000 providers and leading focus groups, he found that when staff feel supported and treated justly, they report significantly lower burnout. The findings point to organizational culture—not just individual coping—as a key factor, suggesting that authentic leadership, fair policies, and supportive practices are critical to reducing burnout and improving well-being.

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With MRI support, Dr. Galena Rhoades and her team are adapting the successful MotherWise program for pregnant and postpartum women in Nicaragua, where poverty, political unrest, and intimate partner violence create urgent need. Early results show strong engagement and promising outcomes. Through culturally grounded workshops and coaching, this project is building healthier relationships and more stable families—offering a scalable model for community-based intervention across Latin America.

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Adolescence is a critical period for social development, with peer relationships playing a central role in emotional and psychological well-being. Despite the importance of friendships during this developmental stage, few interventions focus specifically on teaching adolescents the components of healthy peer relationships. Dr. Hannah Schacter and Dr. Julie Wargo Aikins, developmental psychologists at Wayne State University and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, are addressing this gap through a novel digital initiative: Enhancing Adolescent Friendships through Digital Education.

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With loneliness on the rise, especially among young adults, researchers are seeking innovative ways to foster real human connection. Two of them are Dr. Thao Ha, Associate Professor of Psychology and Dr. Liesel Sharabi Associate Professor at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, both at Arizona State University, whose groundbreaking project “Exploring Touch in Virtual Reality in Young Adult Romantic Relationships” are investigating whether virtual touch can help fill the gap.

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Maintaining a healthy and supportive couple relationship can be a trying endeavor for many couples, with national estimates suggesting as many as one-third of marriages are distressed, a statistic that may be a conservative estimate at present given the challenges many couples are facing in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In response to the prevalence of relationship distress across the country and its negative effect on adults and children, a myriad of relationship education and intervention programs have been developed. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of many of these programs, nearly all of which employed in-person, group-based programming, has been limited. However emerging findings suggest that certain brief, web-based interventions can provide an efficient and highly effective means of delivering programming to distressed couples.

Dr. Allen Barton, Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, addressed this limitation by evaluating a novel, sustainable approach for providing programming to help-seeking couples through the Cooperative Extension System.

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