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Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Department of Psychology

Faculty

Galena Rhoades

Areas of expertise/research interests

  • romantic relationship processes, commitment and cohabitation
  • evaluation of relationship education programs
  • impact of parents' relationships on children

Current research and projects

My research is on romantic relationship development and functioning, and the related implications for children and adults. My research projects and collaborations include studies of cohabitation, mechanisms of change in couple interventions, infidelity, spouses' perceptions of one another, relationship processes and psychopathology, as well as adolescent adjustment.

I am currently working on several federally funded projects, two focused on measuring and modeling early relationship development (funded by NICHD) and three other studies on the effectiveness of relationship education (funded by NICHD and ACF).

Professional biography

In addition to conducting research, I:

  • collaborate with PREP, Inc. in the development of relationship education curricula (e.g., Within My Reach and Within Our Reach).
  • Teach graduate courses.
  • Supervise doctoral students on their therapy cases in the Psychology Department.
  • Work as a practicing psychologist.

Education

  • PhD, clinical psychology, University of Denver, 2007
  • MA, psychology, University of Denver, 2002
  • BA, magna cum laude, psychology honors, University of Puget Sound, 2000

Selected Publications

  • Shaw, A. M. M., Rhoades, G. K., Allen, E. S., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (in press). "Predictors of extradyadic sexual involvement in unmarried opposite-sex relationships." Journal of Sex Research.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J., & Ragan, E. P. (in press). "Parents' marital status, conflict, and role modeling: Links with adult romantic relationship quality." Journal of Divorce and Remarriage.
  • Owen, J., Rhoades, G. K., & Stanley, S. M. (in press). "Sliding versus deciding in relationships: Associations with relationship quality, commitment, and infidelity." Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy.
  • Owen, J., & Rhoades, G. K. (in press). "Reducing interparental conflict among parents in contentious child custody disputes: An initial investigation of the Working Together Program." Journal of Marital and Family Therapy.
  • Owen, J., Rhoades, G. K., Fincham, F. & Stanley, S. M., (in press). "The Schwartz Outcome Scale: Factor invariance across ethnicities." Journal of Brief Therapy.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2012). "A longitudinal investigation of commitment dynamics in cohabiting relationships." Journal of Family Issues, 3, 367-388.
  • Allen, E. S., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Loew, B., & Markman, H. J. (2012). "The effects of marriage education for Army couples with a history of infidelity." Journal of Family Psychology, 26, 26-35.
  • Balderrama-Durbin, C. M., Allen, E. S., & Rhoades, G. K. (2012). "Demand and withdraw behaviors in couples with a history of infidelity." Journal of Family Psychology, 26, 11-17.
  • Carter, S., Loew, B., Allen, E., Stanley, S., Rhoades, G., & Markman, H. (2011). "Relationships between soldiers' PTSD symptoms and spousal communication during deployment." Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24, 352-355.
  • Markman, H. J., & Rhoades, G. K. (2012). "Relationship education research: Current status and future directions." Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 38, 169-200.
  • Stanley, S. M., Ragan, E. P., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2012). "Examining changes in relationship adjustment and life satisfaction in marriage." Journal of Family Psychology, 26, 165-170.
  • Allen, E. S., Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., Markman, H. J., & Loew, B. A. (2011). "Marriage education in the Army: Results of a randomized clinical trial." Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 10(4), 309-326.
  • Renshaw, K. D., Allen, E. S., Rhoades, G. K., Blais, R. K., Markman, H. J., & Stanley, S. M. (2011). "Distress in spouses of service members with symptoms of combat-related PTSD: Secondary traumatic stress or general psychological distress?" Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 461-469.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Kamp Dush, C. M., Atkins, D. C., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2011). "Breaking up is hard to do: The impact of unmarried relationship dissolution on mental health and life satisfaction." Journal of Family Psychology, 25(3), 366-374.
  • Rhoades, G. K., & Stanley, S. M. (2011). "Using individual-oriented relationship education to prevent family violence." Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 10, 185-200.
  • Allen, E. S., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2011). "On the home front: Stress for recently deployed Army couples." Family Process, 50, 235-247.
  • Maddox, A., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. M. (2011). "Viewing sexually-explicit materials alone or together: Associations with relationship quality." Archives of Sexual Behavior, 40, 441-448.
  • Owen, J., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2011). "The Revised Commitment Inventory: Psychometrics and use with unmarried couples." Journal of Family Issues, 32, 820-841.
  • Owen, J. J., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2011). "The role of leaders' working alliance in premarital education." Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 49-57.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Kelmer, G., & Markman, H. J. (2010). "Physical aggression in unmarried relationships: The roles of commitment and constraints." Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 678-687.
  • Allen, E. S., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2010). "Hitting home: Relationships between recent deployment, post traumatic stress symptoms, and marital functioning for Army couples." Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 280-288.
  • Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Whitton, S. W. (2010). "Commitment: Functions, formation, and the securing of romantic attachment." Journal of Family Theory and Review, 2(4), 243-257.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2010). "Should I stay or should I go? Predicting dating relationship stability from four aspects of commitment." Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 543-550.
  • Markman, H. J., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Ragan, E. P., & Whitton, S. W. (2010). "The premarital communication roots of marital distress and divorce: The first five years of marriage." Journal of Family Psychology, 24, 289-298.
  • Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., Amato, P. R., Markman, H. J., & Johnson, C. A. (2010). "The timing of cohabitation and engagement: Impact on first and second marriages." Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 906-918.
  • Owen, J., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Fincham, F. (2010). "'Hooking up' among college students: Demographic and psychosocial correlates." Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 653-663.
  • Stanley, S. M., Allen, E. S., Markman, H. J., Rhoades, G. K., & Prentice, D. L. (2010). "Decreasing divorce in U.S. Army couples: Results from a randomized controlled trial using PREP for Strong Bonds." Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 9(2), 149-160.
  • Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J. & Johnson, C. (2009). "Differential use of premarital education in first and second marriages." Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 268-273.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). "The pre-engagement cohabitation effect: A replication and extension of previous findings." Journal of Family Psychology, 23, 107-111.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). "Working with cohabitation in relationship education and therapy." Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 8, 95-112.
  • Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). "The effect of the transition to parenthood on relationship quality: An 8-year prospective study." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96, 601-619.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). "Couples' reasons for cohabitation: Associations with individual well-being and relationship quality." Journal of Family Issues, 30, 233-258.
  • Doss, B. D., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2009). "Marital therapy, retreats, and books: The who, what, when and why of relationship help-seeking behaviors." Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 35(1), 18-29.
  • Whitton, S. W., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2008). "Effects of parental divorce on marital commitment and confidence." Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 789-793.
  • Allen, E. S., Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J., Williams, T., Melton, J., & Clements, M. L. (2008). "Premarital precursors of marital infidelity." Family Process, 47, 243-259.
  • Allen, E. S., & Rhoades, G. K. (2008). "Not all affairs are created equal: Emotional involvement with an extradyadic partner." Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 34, 48-62.
  • Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., Olmos-Gallo, P. A., & Markman, H. J. (2007). Mechanisms of change in a cognitive behavioral couples prevention program: Does being naughty or nice matter? Prevention Science, 8, 227-239.
  • Stocker, C. M., Richmond, M. K., Rhoades, G. K., & Kiang, L. (2007). "Family emotional processes and adolescents' adjustment." Social Development, 16(2), 310-325.
  • Whitton, S. W., Olmos-Gallo, P. A., Stanley, S. M., Prado, L. M., Kline, G. H., St. Peters, M., & Markman, H. J. (2007). "Depressive symptoms in early marriage: Predictions from relationship confidence and negative marital interaction." Journal of Family Psychology, 21, 297-306.
  • Rhoades, G. K., McIntosh, D. N., Wadsworth, M. E., Ahlkvist, J. A., Burwell, R. A., Gudmundsen, G. R., Raviv, T., & Rea, J. G. (2007). "Forgiving the perpetrators of September 11th: Associations with responses to stress, psychological distress, and religiosity." Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 20(2), 109-128.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2006). "Pre-engagement cohabitation and gender asymmetry in marital commitment." Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 553-560.
  • Stanley, S. M., Rhoades, G. K., & Markman, H. J. (2006). "Sliding vs. deciding: Inertia and the premarital cohabitation effect." Family Relations, 55, 499-509.
  • Rhoades, G. K., Petrella, J. N., Stanley, S. M., & Markman, H. J. (2006). "Premarital cohabitation, husbands' commitment, and wives' satisfaction with the division of household contributions." Marriage and Family Review, 40(4), 5–22.
  • Rhoades G. K., & Stocker, C. M. (2006). "Can spouses provide knowledge of each other's communication patterns? A study of self-reports, spouses' reports, and observational coding." Family Process, 45, 499-511.
  • Kline, G. H., Stanley, S. M., Markman, H. J., Olmos-Gallo, P. A., St. Peters, M., Whitton, S. W., & Prado, L. M. (2004). "Timing is everything: Pre-engagement cohabitation and increased risk for poor marital outcomes." Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 311-318.
  • Wadsworth, M. E., Gudmundsen, G. R., Raviv, T., Ahlkvist, J. A., McIntosh, D. N., Kline, G. H. Rea, J., & Burwell, R. A. (2004). "Coping with terrorism: Age and gender differences in effortful and involuntary responses to September 11th." Applied Developmental Science, 8, 143-157.
  • Kline, G. H., Wood, L. F., & Moore, S. (2003). "Validation of revised measures of family and interparental conflict for use with young adults." Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 39(3/4), 125-142.
  • Halford, W. K., Markman, H. J., Kline, G. H., Stanley, S. M. (2003). "Best practices in couple relationship education." Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 29(3), 385-406.