Research Projects / Studies

Current Projects

SAA LESS Study

This mixed-methods study explores how racial experiences, stereotypes, and schemas relate to Black Americans’ romantic relationships and emotional health.

Affective Variability & Romantic Relationship Functioning

This study examines how relationship experiences impact daily fluctuations in emotional functioning.

Strong Black Woman Schema & Mental Health

This project investigates how internalized expectations of strength among Black women relate to psychological distress and relationship functioning.

Completed Projects

The project examined the links between neighborhood community stressors and psychological well-being among Black Americans in Milwaukee. Perceived neighborhood disadvantage was related to poorer mental health for Black men and women.
This project investigated the links between John Henryism and shift-and-persist coping, two culturally relevant coping strategies, and relationship functioning. Findings showed that both coping strategies were related to better relationship functioning for Black couples.
This project examined the links between relationship quality and psychological well-being over time. We found that, for Black men who lived in better quality neighborhoods, relationship quality was related to better psychological well-being 10 years later.

Publications

Jenkins, A.I.C., Rice, T.M., Smith, S.M., Barton, A.W. & Beach, S.R.H. (2025). We gon’ be alright: Examining culturally relevant coping strategies as promotive factors for Black romantic relationships. Family Process, 64(2), e70027- e70033.  https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.70027

✓ Jenkins, A. I. C.,^ A., Fredman,^ Gamaldo, A.,^ Hall-Clark, B. N.,  Le, Y., Mogle, J. A., Monson, C. M., Gamaldo, C. E., Thorpe, R. J., Blount, T. H., Fina, B. A., Buxton, O. M., Engeland, C. G., Rhoades, Galena K., Stanley, S.M., Macdonald, A., Dondanville, K. A., Taylor, D. J., Pruiksma, K. E., Litz, B. T., Young-McCaughan, S., Yarvis, J. S., Keane, T. M., & Peterson, A. L. for the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. (2025). An initial examination of couple therapy for PTSD outcomes among Black/African Americans: Findings from an uncontrolled trial with military dyads. Behavioral Sciences, 15(4), 537. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15040537

✓ Lei, M-K., Ong, M. L., Carter, S. E., Jenkins, A. I. C., & Beach, S. R. H. (2025). A relationship enhancement program protects against relationship-quality associated weathering among Black adults in romantic partner relationships. Journal of Family Psychology. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0001328

✓ Jenkins, A. I. C, Surachman, A., & Armendariz, M. (2024). Where I’m livin’ and how I’m feelin’: Associations among multiple measures of community stress, gender, and mental-emotional health among Black Americans. Social Science & Medicine, 348 (116763), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116763

✓ Jenkins, A. I. C., Fredman, S. J., Gamaldo, A. A., King, V., & Almeida, D. M. (2023). Love, health, and the ‘hood: An examination of romantic relationship adjustment and perceived neighborhood quality as predictors of partnered Black Americans’ long-term psychological health Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science, 132(5), 531–541. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000821

✓ Jenkins, A. I. C, Le, Y., Surachman, A., Almeida, D. M., & Fredman, S. J. (2023). Associations among financial well-being, daily relationship tension, and daily affect in two adult cohorts separated by the Great Recession. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships40(4), 1103-1125. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221105611

✓ Rice, T. M., Jenkins, A. I. C., McNeil Smith, S., Alexander, C., & McGregor, C. M. (2023). Racial discrimination and romantic relationship dynamics among Black Americans: A systematic review. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 15(4), 793–821. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12535.

✓ Barton, A. W., Jenkins, A. I. C., Gong, Q., Sutton, N. C., & Beach, S.R.H. (2023). The protective effects of perceived gratitude and expressed gratitude for relationship quality among African American couples. Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, 40(5), 1622-1644. http://doi.org/10.1177/02654075221131288

^ Co-first authors, authors equally contributed to the work

Public Presentations

Presentations From the Lab

Jenkins, A. I. C. (2025, April 25). Examining Multi-dimensions of Black Relationships and Health across Context and Environments. Department of Psychological Sciences Clinical Lunch and Learn Series, Auburn University.

Brown, A. M. & Jenkins, A. I. C. (2025, November). Structural racism and relationship dissolution among Black couples: A longitudinal survival analysis of the Fragile Families dataset. In S. McNeil Smith (Chair), Structural Racism, Discrimination, and Romantic Relationship Outcomes [Symposium]. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Baltimore, MD.

McNeil Smith, S., Landor, A., Jenkins, A. I. C., Codamon, A., Alicea, A., & Jones, H. (2025, November). Structural Racism and relationship well-being among coupled Black Americans: A dyadic analysis. In S. McNeil Smith (Chair), Structural Racism, Discrimination, and Romantic Relationship Outcomes [Symposium]. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Baltimore, MD.

Rice, T. M., McNeil Smith, S., & Jenkins, A. I. C. (2025, November).  Structural racism and relational well-being among partnered Black Americans. In S. McNeil Smith (Chair), Structural Racism, Discrimination, and Romantic Relationship Outcomes [Symposium]. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Baltimore, MD.

Jenkins, A. I. C., & Brown, A. M. (2025, August). Disentangling discrimination: Profiles of Black Americans’ oppressive encounters and romantic relationship quality. Paper presented at the International Association of Relationship Research Main Conference, London, England, UK.

Jenkins, A. I. C., Rice, T. M. & Ogolsky, B. S. (2024, November). Got me in my feelings: Relational predictors of Black Americans’ emotion variability. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Bellevue, WA.

Brown, A. M., Adeniba, T. D., & Jenkins, A. I. C. (2024, November). Black boy joy, Black girl magic: Illuminating the predictors of happiness and life satisfaction for African Americans. In Ko, K. (Chair), Revealing unseen insights: Employing machine learning for comprehending psychological well-being in individuals and families [Symposium]. Presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Bellevue, WA.

Jenkins, A. I. C., Rice, T. M. & McNeil Smith, S. (2024, July). Superwoman is tired: The Strong Black Woman Schema, racism-specific support, and distress. Paper presented at International Association of Relationship Research Main Conference, Boston, MA.

Rice, T. M., Weber, D., Jenkins, A. I. C., Mahoney, E., Lenger, K., & Whitton, S. (2024, July). Discrimination and wellbeing among Black SGM AFAB in same-race and interracial relationships. Paper presented at International Association of Relationship Research Main Conference, Boston, MA.

Jenkins, A. I. C. (2024, February 12). Healthy relationships in the Black community. Women’s Resource Center, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign.

Jenkins, A. I. C. & Rice, T. M. (2023, November). ‘Hood love: Links between multiple measures of neighborhood disadvantage and romantic relationship functioning. In A. I. C. Jenkins (Chair), Bringing focus to the picture: Enhancing our understanding of racism’s effects on Black intimate relationships [Symposium]. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations. Orlando, FL.