J B Kanter
Biographic Data
| ID | 46310 |
|---|---|
| NAME | J B Kanter |
| GIVEN NAMES | J B |
| FAMILY NAME | Kanter |
| SIGNATURE | KANTER J B |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Tennessee at Knoxville |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4087-7689 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 29 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 39 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 29 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
State-Level Cash Assistance, Conflict Frequency, and Relationship Dissolution in Low-Income Contexts
The Efficacy of Relationship Education for Improving Children's Outcomes: A Multi‐Informant, Multi‐Method Study
Although relationship education (RE) programs aim to improve parents' communication with one another with the hope that it will enhance children's mental health, few studies have investigated if such spillover actually occurs. Therefore, drawing from a sample of 431 families from the Supporting Healthy Marriage Project, the present study examined the relations between parental participation in a RE program and children's subsequent distress, as w…
Using group‐based trajectory modeling to test theoretically driven hypotheses about relationship development
Several theoretical frameworks have been used to understand variability in relationship functioning, particularly why some couples experience declines and others do not. Although methodological innovations, specifically Group‐Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM), could be used to test these theories, work using this method has been largely exploratory in nature. The current article highlights the importance of generating refutable hypotheses when usi…
The impact of specific program components on romantic relationship satisfaction
The role of parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency on children's externalizing behaviors over time
Parental illicit substance use is associated with increases in both interparental conflict frequency and children's externalizing behaviors. There is a paucity of research examining the pathways linking these constructs. Assessing parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency simultaneously can illustrate a process that potentially undermines children's behavioral adjustment. Using a sample of stable, long-term couples and t…
Romantic partner communication, familism values, and Latine young adults' relationship maintenance
Negative communication between partners can impede the enactment of prosocial, relationship maintenance behaviors. These processes are especially critical to consider for Latine young adults who hold cultural values, like familism, which emphasize the great importance of personal relationships. Using a sample of 475 Latine young adults ( M = 24.8 years, SD = 3.22), we examined the moderating role of familism on the association between negative co…
Examining Links Between Black Women’s Intersectional Identities and Career Interests
The current study examined associations of intersectional social identities on Black women’s ( N = 126) career self-efficacy and interests at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Structural models examined associations of different aspects of gender and racial identity on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) predictors (i.e., learning experiences and self-efficacy) for each RIASEC career interest. Social Cognitive Career Theory pa…
Relational concerns and change in relationship satisfaction in a relationship education program
Lower income couples tend to report more difficulty sustaining high‐quality intimate relationships. As a result, policy initiatives have been enacted to fund relationship education (RE) programs that aim to increase lower income couples' relationship satisfaction. Generally, these programs demonstrate small, albeit statistically significant improvements in mean levels of relationship functioning. It is critical, however, to understand if RE progr…
Young Adults’ Cohabitation and Dating Decisions During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploration of Romantic and Developmental Context
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant upheaval for couples and families, particularly in terms of living arrangements. Emerging adults had to make quick decisions about where and with whom to shelter in place. In this grounded theory study, we explored how 22 young adults, predominantly living in the United States, navigated relationship decisions during the pandemic. The results suggest that participants were intentional about their choices, …
Understanding relationship satisfaction during Covid ‐19: Assessing unstable work experiences and negative communication
The coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic resulted in economic concerns and disruptions in daily life for many families, which may amplify relational strains and create new tensions between romantic partners. Economic stressors may be particularly salient to later relationship quality in the context of more negative relationship functioning. This study investigated dyadic trajectories of relationship satisfaction in 116 different‐sex couples over a 6‐m…
The longitudinal influence of cumulative risk: Is relationship education a resource
Singular risk factors elicit negative relational outcomes for couples, yet the accumulation of risk factors can be especially detrimental to relationship functioning. Few studies, however, have explored the long-term effects of cumulative risk exposure on intimate relationships as well as examined whether relationship education (RE) protects couples from adverse effects of cumulative risk exposure. Accordingly, the present study examined the long…
Enhanced Mood After a Getting-Acquainted Interaction with a Stranger: Do Shy People Benefit Too
People report positive moods and enhanced well-being when they socialize with friends and other close ties. However, because most people routinely have more encounters with acquaintances and strangers (social connections known as weak ties) than with close friends or kin ( strong ties), we deemed it important to examine whether interaction with weak ties also enhances happiness and well-being. This investigation, which analyzed data from two labo…
Prior On–Off Relationship Instability and Distress in the Separation and Divorce Transition
Divorce is considered distressing for many individuals (Sbarra et al., Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2015, 24, 109 ); however, individuals in poor‐quality relationships may experience certain benefits of leaving an unstable union (Amato & Hohmann‐Marriott, Journal of Marriage and Family , 2007, 69, 621). On–off relationship cycling, or the breakup and reconciliation of a relationship, is a salient indicator of poor relationship qua…
Does couple communication predict later relationship quality and dissolution? A meta‐analysis
Objective To estimate the overall effect between positive and negative communication behaviors and later relationship quality and dissolution. Background Behavioral models of relationship development argue that the quality of couples' communication is key to understanding later relational outcomes. However, longitudinal studies have yielded inconsistent associations between communication behaviors and subsequent relationship functioning, leaving …
Do Materialistic Adolescents Ruminate More About Their Social Media Posts
Previous research suggests that ruminating on social media content is associated with greater mental distress (Yang et al., 2018). This study examined whether materialistic value orientation (MVO)-prioritizing values and goals related to consumerism, consumption, and social status-predicted social media rumination in a sample of diverse adolescents in a two-wave cross-lagged design. A cross-lagged analysis among 119 adolescents indicated that MVO…
Distress as an Outcome in Youth Relationship Education: The Change Mechanisms of Hope and Conflict
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a youth relationship education program (YREP) on psychological functioning and to understand the mechanisms associated with change in distress. Background Successfully (or unsuccessfully) navigating romantic relationships is a robust predictor of adolescent mental health. Youth relationship education programs have been found to promote adaptive relationship knowledge, attitudes, and skills; however, litt…
Understanding the Early Years of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Couples’ Marriages
Recent research has identified significant differences in how satisfaction in newlywed relationships progress, with the majority of spouses reporting relatively high marital satisfaction. However, most studies have focused on white, middle class, childless couples, and it is not clear whether these findings hold for socioeconomically disadvantaged couples (those with low educational attainment or income). Further, previous work has largely ignore…
Strengthening lower‐income families: Lessons learned from policy responses to the Covid‐19 pandemic
Families are navigating an unstable economy due to COVID‐19. Financial stressors have the potential to strain intimate relationships and exacerbate prior inequities across lower‐income families. Notably, the economic impact of COVID‐19 disproportionately influenced Black and Latinx families. As a response to families' economic adversity during the pandemic, the federal government initiated the CARES Act. This type of federal response to lower‐inc…
The effectiveness of a financial literacy and job-readiness curriculum for youth from low-income households
Intergenerational poverty and scarce financial resources can create and sustain detrimental behaviors and outcomes among adolescents. Efforts to increase financial literacy and job-related skills, however, can offer youth from low-income households knowledge, skills, and opportunities otherwise unavailable to them. Targeted interventions that combine financial literacy and job-readiness components may help adolescents disrupt the cycle of interge…
Ready to change? Predicting adolescents' help‐seeking for relationship concerns
Although therapy, relationship education, and online relationship resources may help alleviate relational distress, many adolescents and adults eschew help. Deciding to seek help for relationship concerns involves mental processes that reflect behavioral intentions and information‐seeking behaviors. The present paper examines the prevalence of adolescents' ( N = 183) intentions and behaviors to seek relationship help, and investigates determinant…
Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Instability During the Covid-19 Pandemic
How romantic partners respond to stress has important implications for the well-being of their relationship. In this study, we examined the effects of three types of stress on relationship instability and evaluated individuals' perceptions of their partner's dyadic coping as a mediator in a sample of 117 different-gender couples ( N = 234) across 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that perceived stress, but not economic pressure or pande…
The longitudinal association between marital and psychological functioning in socioeconomically disadvantaged relationships
Marital functioning is associated with individuals' psychological functioning. However, it is unclear if the association between marital and individual functioning extends to socioeconomically disadvantaged newlyweds (those with low educational attainment/income), and if changes in psychological distress differ between husbands and wives. Using three waves of data from 530 couples in the Supporting Healthy Marriage study, we investigated if impro…
Risks, Vulnerabilities, and Desires for Future Romantic Relationships and Relationship Education During Early Adulthood
Objective The purpose of this study was to explore how vulnerabilities, stressors, and adaptive processes influenced early adults' ( N = 1,073) future relational desires and topic preferences in relationship education (RE). Background There is great diversity in pathways to relationship formation. Early adults are exposed to risk factors from their past and present relationship experiences that can influence their current and future relational fu…
Beyond cold feet: Experiences of ending engagements and canceling weddings
The engagement period is a critical window to understand stay-leave decisions because it marks a stage when individuals are moving toward lifelong commitment, but do not have the obligations of legal marriage that make dissolution more difficult. According to Inertia Theory, felt momentum can propel couples through relationship transitions without sufficient consideration of their dedication, which could constrain partners in poor quality relatio…
Trajectories of Willingness to Compromise and Critical Marital Conflict Behaviors after Childbirth
Contemporary research has used group-based trajectory modeling to uncover distinct trajectories of marital conflict behaviors after childbirth. However, most studies have focused on conflict frequency, not characteristics of conflict; used stringent sample inclusion criteria, which might not capture contemporary family complexity; and have not treated the dyad as the unit of analysis. Using six waves of data from 807 married couples in the Fragil…
Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Instability During the Covid-19 Pandemic
How romantic partners respond to stress has important implications for the well-being of their relationship. In this study, we examined the effects of three types of stress on relationship instability and evaluated individuals' perceptions of their partner's dyadic coping as a mediator in a sample of 117 different-gender couples ( N = 234) across 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that perceived stress, but not economic pressure or pande…
The longitudinal association between marital and psychological functioning in socioeconomically disadvantaged relationships
Marital functioning is associated with individuals' psychological functioning. However, it is unclear if the association between marital and individual functioning extends to socioeconomically disadvantaged newlyweds (those with low educational attainment/income), and if changes in psychological distress differ between husbands and wives. Using three waves of data from 530 couples in the Supporting Healthy Marriage study, we investigated if impro…
Beyond cold feet: Experiences of ending engagements and canceling weddings
The engagement period is a critical window to understand stay-leave decisions because it marks a stage when individuals are moving toward lifelong commitment, but do not have the obligations of legal marriage that make dissolution more difficult. According to Inertia Theory, felt momentum can propel couples through relationship transitions without sufficient consideration of their dedication, which could constrain partners in poor quality relatio…
Accounting for Divorce in Marital Research: An Application to Growth Mixture Modeling
ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to understand the implications of omitting versus retaining individuals known to eventually divorce in the longitudinal modeling of marital quality trajectories.BackgroundChange in marital quality has been the focus of basic and applied research as well as policy initiatives for the past several decades. Scholars have used group-based modeling techniques to better understand how enduring marriages develop over …
Romantic partner communication, familism values, and Latine young adults' relationship maintenance
Negative communication between partners can impede the enactment of prosocial, relationship maintenance behaviors. These processes are especially critical to consider for Latine young adults who hold cultural values, like familism, which emphasize the great importance of personal relationships. Using a sample of 475 Latine young adults ( M = 24.8 years, SD = 3.22), we examined the moderating role of familism on the association between negative co…
Enhanced Mood After a Getting-Acquainted Interaction with a Stranger: Do Shy People Benefit Too
People report positive moods and enhanced well-being when they socialize with friends and other close ties. However, because most people routinely have more encounters with acquaintances and strangers (social connections known as weak ties) than with close friends or kin ( strong ties), we deemed it important to examine whether interaction with weak ties also enhances happiness and well-being. This investigation, which analyzed data from two labo…
Do Materialistic Adolescents Ruminate More About Their Social Media Posts
Previous research suggests that ruminating on social media content is associated with greater mental distress (Yang et al., 2018). This study examined whether materialistic value orientation (MVO)-prioritizing values and goals related to consumerism, consumption, and social status-predicted social media rumination in a sample of diverse adolescents in a two-wave cross-lagged design. A cross-lagged analysis among 119 adolescents indicated that MVO…
Trajectories of Willingness to Compromise and Critical Marital Conflict Behaviors after Childbirth
Contemporary research has used group-based trajectory modeling to uncover distinct trajectories of marital conflict behaviors after childbirth. However, most studies have focused on conflict frequency, not characteristics of conflict; used stringent sample inclusion criteria, which might not capture contemporary family complexity; and have not treated the dyad as the unit of analysis. Using six waves of data from 807 married couples in the Fragil…
Using group‐based trajectory modeling to test theoretically driven hypotheses about relationship development
Several theoretical frameworks have been used to understand variability in relationship functioning, particularly why some couples experience declines and others do not. Although methodological innovations, specifically Group‐Based Trajectory Modeling (GBTM), could be used to test these theories, work using this method has been largely exploratory in nature. The current article highlights the importance of generating refutable hypotheses when usi…
The role of parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency on children's externalizing behaviors over time
Parental illicit substance use is associated with increases in both interparental conflict frequency and children's externalizing behaviors. There is a paucity of research examining the pathways linking these constructs. Assessing parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency simultaneously can illustrate a process that potentially undermines children's behavioral adjustment. Using a sample of stable, long-term couples and t…
The longitudinal influence of cumulative risk: Is relationship education a resource
Singular risk factors elicit negative relational outcomes for couples, yet the accumulation of risk factors can be especially detrimental to relationship functioning. Few studies, however, have explored the long-term effects of cumulative risk exposure on intimate relationships as well as examined whether relationship education (RE) protects couples from adverse effects of cumulative risk exposure. Accordingly, the present study examined the long…
Coparenting Through Divorce or Separation: A Review of an Online Program
In this study, we evaluated the content and instructional processes of an online coparenting education program for parents who are separating or divorcing. In addition, we provide results of posttests from parents (N = 1,543) who participated in the program between August 2011 and March 2012. The findings revealed that parents’ perceptions of their confidence to successfully coparent and communicate about divorce issues vary by the sex of the par…
Group‐Based Trajectory Modeling of Marital Quality: A Critical Review
The predominant view in both the research literature and practice is that marital quality declines over time. Although the majority of research using variable‐centered approaches such as latent growth curve modeling supports this view, contemporary research using person‐centered group‐based trajectory modeling techniques suggest a variety of trajectories of marital quality development, including stability, decline, and, occasionally, rebound foll…
An Empirically Based Framework for Content Selection and Management in Divorce Education Programs
Contemporary research has shown that divorce education programs are becoming mandated or recommended in numerous states throughout the nation. Cooccurring with the popularity of these programs is the variation in content of divorce education programs. The focus of this project was to systematically explore the research literature on factors related to divorce adjustment and identify findings to be used in content selection and development for div…
Accounting for Divorce in Marital Research: An Application to Growth Mixture Modeling
ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to understand the implications of omitting versus retaining individuals known to eventually divorce in the longitudinal modeling of marital quality trajectories.BackgroundChange in marital quality has been the focus of basic and applied research as well as policy initiatives for the past several decades. Scholars have used group-based modeling techniques to better understand how enduring marriages develop over …
Risks, Vulnerabilities, and Desires for Future Romantic Relationships and Relationship Education During Early Adulthood
Objective The purpose of this study was to explore how vulnerabilities, stressors, and adaptive processes influenced early adults' ( N = 1,073) future relational desires and topic preferences in relationship education (RE). Background There is great diversity in pathways to relationship formation. Early adults are exposed to risk factors from their past and present relationship experiences that can influence their current and future relational fu…
Beyond cold feet: Experiences of ending engagements and canceling weddings
The engagement period is a critical window to understand stay-leave decisions because it marks a stage when individuals are moving toward lifelong commitment, but do not have the obligations of legal marriage that make dissolution more difficult. According to Inertia Theory, felt momentum can propel couples through relationship transitions without sufficient consideration of their dedication, which could constrain partners in poor quality relatio…
Trajectories of Willingness to Compromise and Critical Marital Conflict Behaviors after Childbirth
Contemporary research has used group-based trajectory modeling to uncover distinct trajectories of marital conflict behaviors after childbirth. However, most studies have focused on conflict frequency, not characteristics of conflict; used stringent sample inclusion criteria, which might not capture contemporary family complexity; and have not treated the dyad as the unit of analysis. Using six waves of data from 807 married couples in the Fragil…
Distress as an Outcome in Youth Relationship Education: The Change Mechanisms of Hope and Conflict
Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a youth relationship education program (YREP) on psychological functioning and to understand the mechanisms associated with change in distress. Background Successfully (or unsuccessfully) navigating romantic relationships is a robust predictor of adolescent mental health. Youth relationship education programs have been found to promote adaptive relationship knowledge, attitudes, and skills; however, litt…
Understanding the Early Years of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Couples’ Marriages
Recent research has identified significant differences in how satisfaction in newlywed relationships progress, with the majority of spouses reporting relatively high marital satisfaction. However, most studies have focused on white, middle class, childless couples, and it is not clear whether these findings hold for socioeconomically disadvantaged couples (those with low educational attainment or income). Further, previous work has largely ignore…
Strengthening lower‐income families: Lessons learned from policy responses to the Covid‐19 pandemic
Families are navigating an unstable economy due to COVID‐19. Financial stressors have the potential to strain intimate relationships and exacerbate prior inequities across lower‐income families. Notably, the economic impact of COVID‐19 disproportionately influenced Black and Latinx families. As a response to families' economic adversity during the pandemic, the federal government initiated the CARES Act. This type of federal response to lower‐inc…
The effectiveness of a financial literacy and job-readiness curriculum for youth from low-income households
Intergenerational poverty and scarce financial resources can create and sustain detrimental behaviors and outcomes among adolescents. Efforts to increase financial literacy and job-related skills, however, can offer youth from low-income households knowledge, skills, and opportunities otherwise unavailable to them. Targeted interventions that combine financial literacy and job-readiness components may help adolescents disrupt the cycle of interge…
Ready to change? Predicting adolescents' help‐seeking for relationship concerns
Although therapy, relationship education, and online relationship resources may help alleviate relational distress, many adolescents and adults eschew help. Deciding to seek help for relationship concerns involves mental processes that reflect behavioral intentions and information‐seeking behaviors. The present paper examines the prevalence of adolescents' ( N = 183) intentions and behaviors to seek relationship help, and investigates determinant…
Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Relationship Instability During the Covid-19 Pandemic
How romantic partners respond to stress has important implications for the well-being of their relationship. In this study, we examined the effects of three types of stress on relationship instability and evaluated individuals' perceptions of their partner's dyadic coping as a mediator in a sample of 117 different-gender couples ( N = 234) across 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that perceived stress, but not economic pressure or pande…
The longitudinal association between marital and psychological functioning in socioeconomically disadvantaged relationships
Marital functioning is associated with individuals' psychological functioning. However, it is unclear if the association between marital and individual functioning extends to socioeconomically disadvantaged newlyweds (those with low educational attainment/income), and if changes in psychological distress differ between husbands and wives. Using three waves of data from 530 couples in the Supporting Healthy Marriage study, we investigated if impro…
Prior On–Off Relationship Instability and Distress in the Separation and Divorce Transition
Divorce is considered distressing for many individuals (Sbarra et al., Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2015, 24, 109 ); however, individuals in poor‐quality relationships may experience certain benefits of leaving an unstable union (Amato & Hohmann‐Marriott, Journal of Marriage and Family , 2007, 69, 621). On–off relationship cycling, or the breakup and reconciliation of a relationship, is a salient indicator of poor relationship qua…
Does couple communication predict later relationship quality and dissolution? A meta‐analysis
Objective To estimate the overall effect between positive and negative communication behaviors and later relationship quality and dissolution. Background Behavioral models of relationship development argue that the quality of couples' communication is key to understanding later relational outcomes. However, longitudinal studies have yielded inconsistent associations between communication behaviors and subsequent relationship functioning, leaving …
Do Materialistic Adolescents Ruminate More About Their Social Media Posts
Previous research suggests that ruminating on social media content is associated with greater mental distress (Yang et al., 2018). This study examined whether materialistic value orientation (MVO)-prioritizing values and goals related to consumerism, consumption, and social status-predicted social media rumination in a sample of diverse adolescents in a two-wave cross-lagged design. A cross-lagged analysis among 119 adolescents indicated that MVO…
Examining Links Between Black Women’s Intersectional Identities and Career Interests
The current study examined associations of intersectional social identities on Black women’s ( N = 126) career self-efficacy and interests at a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Structural models examined associations of different aspects of gender and racial identity on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) predictors (i.e., learning experiences and self-efficacy) for each RIASEC career interest. Social Cognitive Career Theory pa…
Relational concerns and change in relationship satisfaction in a relationship education program
Lower income couples tend to report more difficulty sustaining high‐quality intimate relationships. As a result, policy initiatives have been enacted to fund relationship education (RE) programs that aim to increase lower income couples' relationship satisfaction. Generally, these programs demonstrate small, albeit statistically significant improvements in mean levels of relationship functioning. It is critical, however, to understand if RE progr…
Young Adults’ Cohabitation and Dating Decisions During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Exploration of Romantic and Developmental Context
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant upheaval for couples and families, particularly in terms of living arrangements. Emerging adults had to make quick decisions about where and with whom to shelter in place. In this grounded theory study, we explored how 22 young adults, predominantly living in the United States, navigated relationship decisions during the pandemic. The results suggest that participants were intentional about their choices, …
Understanding relationship satisfaction during Covid ‐19: Assessing unstable work experiences and negative communication
The coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic resulted in economic concerns and disruptions in daily life for many families, which may amplify relational strains and create new tensions between romantic partners. Economic stressors may be particularly salient to later relationship quality in the context of more negative relationship functioning. This study investigated dyadic trajectories of relationship satisfaction in 116 different‐sex couples over a 6‐m…
The longitudinal influence of cumulative risk: Is relationship education a resource
Singular risk factors elicit negative relational outcomes for couples, yet the accumulation of risk factors can be especially detrimental to relationship functioning. Few studies, however, have explored the long-term effects of cumulative risk exposure on intimate relationships as well as examined whether relationship education (RE) protects couples from adverse effects of cumulative risk exposure. Accordingly, the present study examined the long…
Enhanced Mood After a Getting-Acquainted Interaction with a Stranger: Do Shy People Benefit Too
People report positive moods and enhanced well-being when they socialize with friends and other close ties. However, because most people routinely have more encounters with acquaintances and strangers (social connections known as weak ties) than with close friends or kin ( strong ties), we deemed it important to examine whether interaction with weak ties also enhances happiness and well-being. This investigation, which analyzed data from two labo…
The impact of specific program components on romantic relationship satisfaction
The role of parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency on children's externalizing behaviors over time
Parental illicit substance use is associated with increases in both interparental conflict frequency and children's externalizing behaviors. There is a paucity of research examining the pathways linking these constructs. Assessing parental illicit substance use and interparental conflict frequency simultaneously can illustrate a process that potentially undermines children's behavioral adjustment. Using a sample of stable, long-term couples and t…
Psychology (28 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (22 works) · Family Dynamics and Relationships (21 works) · Social Psychology (20 works) · Developmental psychology (19 works) · Clinical Psychology (11 works) · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving (9 works) · Social Psychology (8 works) · Distress (7 works) · Intimate Partner and Family Violence (7 works)