Daily Stress and Physical Health: The Role of Intimacy and Conflict in Romantic Relationships

The major purpose of the present study was to examine the degree to which stress and romantic relationships influenced physical health at both overall and daily levels. Participants, 357 undergraduate college students in dating relationships, completed three study phases to assess both within-person and between-person differences. Hierarchical multiple regression models were used to examine between-person differences and hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine within-person differences across seven days of daily diary assessments. Participants reported about their experience of stress, relationship intimacy, relationship conflict, and physical health. Results showed that stress, intimacy, and conflict all predicted physical health at between- and within-person levels. In addition, daily diary assessments of intimacy and conflict were better predictors of health than cross-sectional assessments in regression analyses. Finally, several moderating relationships (i.e., stress buffering effects, stress exacerbating effects, sex differences, weekend effects) were also supported.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Hale, Cara Jean

Contributors dc:contributor

• Espelage, Dorothy L.

• Education, Educational Psychology

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3199009

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/79868