People supported by close others experience better psychological health, are at lower risk of disease, and live longer. Responsive support can also build closeness, and foster greater personal achievement and relationship quality across time. Unfortunately, support can also have costs for recipients, including undermining autonomy, efficacy, and competence. Our research attempts to reconcile these benefits and costs by identifying when and for who different types of support are effective. Our studies have demonstrated that to be effective, the specific type and level of support needs to address the particular needs of recipients, which is not an easy task.
Our current projects are focusing on isolating the individual and dyadic factors that hinder or improve the delivery of support in close relationships.
Relevant Publications:
Overall, N.C., Low, S.T., Chang, V.T., Henderson, A.M.E., McRae, C.S., & Pietromonaco, P.R. (online advance). Enduring COVID-19 Lockdowns: Risk versus resilience in parents’ health and family functioning across the pandemic. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. doi.org/10.1177/02654075221095781
Overall, N.C., Pietromonaco, P.R. & Simpson, J.A. (2022). Buffering and spillover of adult attachment insecurity in couple and family relationships. Nature Reviews Psychology, 1, 101-111. doi.10.1038/s44159-021-00011-1
Pietromonaco, P.R. & Overall, N.C. (2022). Implications of social isolation, separation and loss during the Covid-19 pandemic for couples’ relationships. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 189-194. doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.07.014
Pietromonaco, P.R., Overall, N.C. & Power, S.I. (2022). Depressive symptoms, external stress, and marital adjustment: The buffering effect of partner’s responsive behavior. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 13(1), 220-232. doi.org/10.1177/19485506211001687
Jayamaha, S.D., Overall, N.C., Girme, Y.U., Hammond, M.D., & Fletcher, G.J.O. (2021). Depressive symptoms, stress and poorer emotional support when needed by intimate partners. Emotion, 21(6), 1160-1176. doi.org/10.1037/emo0001000
McRae, C. S., Overall, N. C., Henderson, A. M. E., Low, R. S. T., & Chang, V.T. (2021). Parents’ distress and poor parenting during COVID-19: The buffering effects of partner support and cooperative coparenting. Developmental Psychology, 57, 1623-1632. Special Issue: Parenting and Family Dynamics in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. doi.org/10.1037/dev0001207
Cross, E. J., Overall, N. C., Jayamaha, S.D., & Sibley, C.G. (2021). Does low self-esteem predict lower wellbeing following relationship dissolution? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38, 2184-2204. doi.org/10.1177/02654075211005843
Pietromonaco, P.R. & Overall, N.C. (2021). Applying relationship science to evaluate how the COVID-19 pandemic may impact couples’ relationships. American Psychologist, 76, 438-450. doi.org/10.1037/amp0000714
Hammond, M.D. & Overall, N.C. (2020). Men’s hostile sexism and biased perceptions of partners’ support: Underestimating dependability rather than overestimating challenges to dominance. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 46, 1491-1506. doi.org/10.1177/0146167220907475
Girme, Y.U., Overall, N.C., & Hammond, M.D. (2019). Facilitating autonomy in interdependent relationships: Invisible support facilitates highly avoidant individuals’ autonomy. Journal of Family Psychology, 33, 154-165. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000488
Jayamaha, S.D., & Overall, N.C. (2019). The dyadic nature of self-evaluations: Self-esteem and efficacy shape and are shaped by support processes in relationships. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 10, 224-256. doi.org/10.1177/1948550617750734
Stronge, S., Overall, N.C., & Sibley, C.G. (2019). Gender differences in the associations between relationship status, social support, and wellbeing. Journal of Family Psychology, 33, 819-829. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000540
Girme, Y. U., Maniaci, M.R., Reis, H.T., McNulty, J.K., Carmichael, C.L., Gable, S.L., Baker, L.R., & Overall, N.C. (2018). Does support need to be seen to benefit relationships? Daily invisible support promotes next day relationship well-being. Journal of Family Psychology, 32, 860-872. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000453
Jayamaha, S.D., Girme, Y.U., & Overall, N.C. (2017). When attachment anxiety impedes support provision: Feeling undervalued when partners are distressed. Journal of Family Psychology, 31, 181-191. doi.org/10.1037/fam0000222
Overall, N.C., Girme, Y. U., & Simpson, J.A. (2016). The power of diagnostic situations: How support and conflict can foster growth and security. In C.R. Knee and H.T. Reis (Eds.), Positive Approaches to Optimal Relationship Development. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hammond, M.D., & Overall, N.C. (2015). Benevolent sexism and support of romantic partner’s goals: Undermining women’s competence while fulfilling men’s intimacy needs. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 41, 1180-1194. doi.org/10.1177/0146167215593492
Girme, Y.U., Overall, N.C., Simpson, J.A., & Fletcher, G.J.O. (2015). “All or nothing”: Attachment avoidance and the curvilinear effects of partner support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 108(3), 450-475. doi.org/10.1037/a0038866 Download PDF
Girme, Y.U., Overall, N.C., & Simpson, J.A. (2013). When visibility matters: Short versus long term benefits of visible and invisible support. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39, 1441-1451. doi.org/10.1177/0146167213497802 Download PDF
Overall, N.C., Deane, K.L., & Peterson, E.R. (2011). Promoting doctoral students’ research self-Efficacy: Combining academic guidance with autonomy support. Higher Education Research and Development, 30, 791-805. doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2010.535508 Download PDF
Overall, N.C., Fletcher, G. J. O., & Simpson, J. A. (2010). Helping each other grow: Romantic partner support, self-improvement and relationship quality. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36, 1496-1513. doi.org/10.1177/0146167210383045 Download PDF