Rachel Low
Rachel’s research focuses on the impact that emotion regulation during marital conflict has on family functioning. Prior research has documented the negative effects of marital conflict on children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development. Yet, little is known about how different emotion regulation strategies affect marital functioning, and how emotion regulation strategies during marital conflict spillover to influence parent-child relationships in subsequent triadic family interactions.
In particular, Rachel’s research aims to identify: (1) what emotion regulation strategies are effective during marital conflict, (2) the emotion regulation strategies and important individual characteristics that buffer the spillover effects of marital conflict, and (3) whether children learn maladaptive emotion regulation strategies in triadic family interactions following marital conflict.
Rachel completed her PhD in the REACH lab in 2018, and worked as a Postdoctoral Scholar in the REACH lab from 2018 to 2020. Rachel is now working as a lecturer at Victoria University of Wellington.
Email: rachel.low@vuw.ac.nz
Publications
Journal Articles
Low, R.S.T., Overall, N.C., Chang, V.T. & Henderson, A.M.E., & Sibley, C.G. (in press). Emotion regulation and psychological and physical health during a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. Emotion.
McRae, C.S., Overall, N.C., Henderson, A.M.E., Low, R.S.T., & Chang, V.T. (online advance). Parents’ distress and poor parenting during COVID-19: The buffering effects of partner support and cooperative coparenting. Developmental Psychology. Special Issue: Parenting and Family Dynamics in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. doi.org/10.1037/dev0001207
McRae, C.S., Overall, N.C., Henderson, A.M.E., Low, R.S.T., & Cross, E.J. (online advance). Conflict-Coparenting Spillover: The role of actors’ and partners’ attachment insecurity and gender. Journal of Family Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000884
Overall, N.C., Chang, V.T., Cross, E.J., Low, R.S.T., & Henderson, A.M.E. (online advance). Sexist attitudes predict family-based aggression during a COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Family Psychology. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000834
Overall, N.C., Chang, V.T., Pietromonaco, P.R., Low, R.S.T. & Henderson, A.M.E. (online advance). Partners’ attachment insecurity and stress predict poorer relationship functioning during COVID-19 quarantines. Social Psychological and Personality Science. doi.org/10.1177/1948550621992973
Sasaki, E., Overall, N.C., Chang, V.T., & Low, R.S.T. (online advance). A dyadic perspective of emotional suppression: Own or partner suppression weakens relationships. Emotion. doi.org/10.1037/emo0000978
Cross, E.J., Overall, N.C., Low, R.S.T., & Henderson, A.M.E. (in press). Relationship problems, agreement and bias in perceptions of partners’ parental responsiveness, and family functioning. Journal of Family Psychology.
Peters, B.J., Overall, N.C., Cameron, L.D., Hammond, M.D., Low, R.S.T., & Girme, Y.U. (2019). Do Habitual Emotional Suppression Measures Predict Response-Focused Situational Suppression During Social Interactions? Emotion. Advance online publication.
Cross, E.J., Overall, N.C., Low, R.S.T., & McNulty, J.K. (2019). An Interdependence Account of Sexism and Power: Men’s Hostile Sexism, Biased Perceptions of Low Power, and Relationship Aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 117, 338-363.
Low, R.S.T., Overall, N.C., Cross, E.J., Henderson, A.M.E. (2018). Emotion Regulation, Conflict Resolution, and Spillover on Subsequent Family Functioning. Emotion. Advance online publication.
Thompson, R.A., Overall, N.C., Cameron, L.D., & Low, R.S.T. (2018). Emotional suppression during relationship conflict: Regulating the risk of rejection via emotional suppression impedes conflict resolution. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 722-732. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000429
Chang, V.T., Overall, N.C., Madden, H., & Low, R.S.T. (2018). Expressive suppression tendencies, projection bias in memory of negative emotions, and well-being. Emotion, 18(7), 925-941.
Low, R.S.T., Overall, N.C., Hammond, M.D., Girme, Y.U. (2017). Emotional suppression during personal goal pursuit impedes goal strivings and achievement. Emotion, 17(2), 208-223.
Media Features
Good Health – Resolving Conflict