David A Sbarra

Biographic Data

ID649655
NAMEDavid A Sbarra
GIVEN NAMESDavid A
FAMILY NAMESbarra
SIGNATURESBARRA D A
AFFILIATIONSUniversity of Arizona
ORCID0000-0001-6727-6552
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS50
TOTAL CITATIONS202
AUTHOR COUNT50
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2005
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2025
H-INDEX6

  • The Development of a Brief Session‐Level Process Measure for Emotion‐Focused Couple Therapy

    Open AccessShanny Biran Talmor, Ben Shahar et al.ARTICLEFamily Process2025

    Emotion‐focused therapy for couples (EFT‐C) has a strong tradition of delineating mechanisms of change. These change processes are typically examined using labor‐intensive observational methods, which may not be practical for clinicians or researchers who aim to routinely monitor changes in therapy processes as they unfold across therapy sessions. The current study describes the EFT‐C Process Measure (ECPM), a short, easily administered, eight‐it…

  • Attachment Insecurity and Partner Reflective Functioning in the Context of Long‐Distance Interracial Romantic Relationships

    Open AccessNicole M Froidevaux, Summer N Millwood et al.ARTICLEPersonal Relationships2025References: 7

    Partner reflective functioning—the capacity to understand the behaviors of a romantic partner in the context of mental states—is an important interpersonal psychological process that is associated with positive relationship outcomes. Attachment insecurity, a widely known risk factor for relationship outcomes, may be relevant for understanding interracial romantic relationship partner reflective functioning. Working with a sample of adults in long…

  • Are women really (not) more talkative than men? A registered report of binary gender similarities/differences in daily word use

    Open AccessColin A Tidwell, Alexander F Danvers et al.ARTICLEJournal of Personality and Social…2025

    Women are widely assumed to be more talkative than men. Challenging this assumption, Mehl et al. (2007) provided empirical evidence that men and women do not differ significantly in their daily word use, speaking about 16,000 words per day (WPD) each. However, concerns were raised that their sample was too small to yield generalizable estimates and too age and context homogeneous to permit inferences beyond college students. This registered repor…

  • The dance of smiles: Comparing smile synchrony in nondistressed and therapy-seeking couples

    Reut Machluf-Ruttner, David A Sbarra et al.ARTICLEEmotion2024

    Dyadic affective processes are key determinants of romantic relationship quality. One such process termed emotional synchrony (i.e., the coupling of partners' emotions) has attracted growing attention in recent years. The present study focused on synchrony in partners' smiles, a nonverbal signal with significant social functions. Specifically, smile synchrony in the interactions of nondistressed couples was compared to smile synchrony in therapy-…

  • Psychological distress with relationship satisfaction is moderated by anticipatory relational savoring among non‐deployed military partners

    Open AccessNicole M Froidevaux, Hugo Sánchez Hernández et al.ARTICLEPersonal Relationships2023Cited by: 1References: 8

    This study recruited participants whose partners were deployed for active‐duty military service to examine whether anticipatory relational savoring moderated the association of psychological distress with relationship satisfaction. Two weeks prior to their partner's deployment (T1), participants ( N = 73) completed a self‐report measure of relationship satisfaction. Then, 2 weeks into their partner's deployment (T2), participants completed self‐r…

  • Loneliness and time alone in everyday life: A descriptive-exploratory study of subjective and objective social isolation

    Open AccessAlexander F Danvers, Alexander Danvers et al.ARTICLEJournal of Research in Personality2023Cited by: 1References: 124

    Loneliness—the subjective experience of social isolation—is a common experience that can become an enduring feature of everyday life. How does feeling lonely relate to spending time alone? In this descriptive-exploratory study, we used the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR), a naturalistic observation tool that samples sounds from participants’ daily lives, to assess time spent alone as an index of social isolation. We combined data from thr…

  • Integrating multiple time-scales to advance relationship science

    Open AccessSaeideh Heshmati, David A Sbarra et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2023Cited by: 1References: 33

    It is widely acknowledged that social relationships unfold across multiple time-scales. For example, social interactions that take place over moments, hours, or days also shape relationship change and outcomes over months, years, and even decades. These processes likely unfold in the reverse direction as well: experiences over longer-term timeframes may shape how people interact on a moment-to-moment basis. The increasing availability of intensiv…

  • Sleep efficiency and naturalistically-observed social behavior following marital separation: The critical role of contact with an ex-partner

    Open AccessAndrea M Coppola, Matthias R Mehl et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2023Cited by: 1References: 68

    Marital disruption is associated with increased risk for a range of poor health outcomes, including disturbed sleep. This report examines trajectories of actigraphy-assessed sleep efficiency following marital separation as well as the extent to which daily social behaviors and individual differences in attachment explain variability in these trajectories over time. One hundred twenty-two recently-separated adults ( N = 122) were followed longitud…

  • Promoting attachment security during the transition to college: A pilot study of emotionally focused mentoring

    Open AccessAtina Manvelian, Savannah Boyd et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2023Cited by: 1References: 58

    Attachment insecurity is a transdiagnostic marker of risk associated with interpersonal emotion dysregulation and adverse psychosocial outcomes across the lifespan. Few interventions target the enhancement of attachment security in late adolescence. Most programs focus on strengthening the adolescent-caregiver relationship; meanwhile, youth increasingly spend less time with their families and look to peer relationships as a source of connection, …

  • Good Theories in Need of Better Data: Combining Clinical and Social Psychological Approaches to Study the Mechanisms Linking Relationships and Health

    Open AccessAllison K Farrell, Sarah C E Stanton et al.ARTICLEPerspectives on Psychological…2022

    The study of intimate relationships and health is a fast-growing discipline with numerous well-developed theories, many of which outline specific interpersonal behaviors and psychological pathways that may give rise to good or poor health. In this article, we argue that the study of relationships and health can move toward interrogating these mechanisms with greater precision and detail, but doing so will require a shift in the nature of commonly…

  • Emotional recovery following divorce: Will the real self-compassion please stand up

    Open AccessRonald F Chau, Widyasita Nojopranoto Sawyer et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2022Cited by: 1References: 52

    Self-compassion is a positive psychological construct associated with heightened well-being, but the construct is largely measured via self-report. In a study of divorcing adults ( N = 120), we sought to replicate and extend prior research on the association between self-rated and observed self-compassion, the linguistic cues associated with self-rated and observed self-compassion, and the predictive utility of observed self-compassion. Untrained…

  • Is frequent sighing an indicator of dispositional negative emotionality? A multi-sample, multi-measure naturalistic-observation study

    Open AccessAlexander Danvers, Anne Milek et al.ARTICLEJournal of Research in Personality2021Cited by: 1References: 41

  • Marital Status, Close Relationships, and All-Cause Mortality: Results From a 10-Year Study of Nationally Representative Older Adults

    Atina Manvelian, David A SbarraARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2020

    OBJECTIVE: Becoming widowed is associated with an increased risk of early mortality. Drawing on theoretical literature related to social support and health, the present study evaluated whether the quantity of close relationships might differentially moderate the relationship between marital status (widowed versus married) and mortality risk 10 years later. METHOD: Data were obtained from the National Social Life Health and Aging Project. A divers…

  • Mismatch in Spouses' Anger-Coping Response Styles and Risk of Early Mortality: A 32-Year Follow-Up Study

    Kyle J Bourassa, David A Sbarra et al.ARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2019

    OBJECTIVE: Research in psychosomatic medicine includes a long history of studying how responses to anger-provoking situations are associated with health. In the context of a marriage, spouses may differ in their anger-coping response style. Where one person may express anger in response to unfair, aggressive interpersonal interactions, his/her partner may instead suppress anger. Discordant response styles within couples may lead to increased rela…

  • Accuracy and confidence in perceptions of targets’ attachment to former partners: Do judges vary as a function of individual differences in attachment orientation

    Open AccessJessica L Borelli, Xiaolin Peng et al.ARTICLEJournal of Research in Personality2019Cited by: 1References: 60

  • Depression, negative emotionality, and self-referential language: A multi-lab, multi-measure, and multi-language-task research synthesis

    Allison Mary Tackman, David A Sbarra et al.ARTICLEJournal of Personality and Social…2019Cited by: 14

    Depressive symptomatology is manifested in greater first-person singular pronoun use (i.e., I-talk), but when and for whom this effect is most apparent, and the extent to which it is specific to depression or part of a broader association between negative emotionality and I-talk, remains unclear. Using pooled data from N = 4,754 participants from 6 labs across 2 countries, we examined, in a preregistered analysis, how the depression-I-talk effect…

  • After the end: Linguistic predictors of psychological distress 4 years after marital separation

    Open AccessKyle J Bourassa, Karen Hasselmo et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2019Cited by: 3References: 51

    Divorce is a stressful life event that is associated with increased risk for poor mental and physical health. A key goal for research in this area is to understand individual differences in who fares well or poorly over time, and whether behavioral markers of risk immediately after a separation predict longer term adjustment. This article investigates psychological distress in a sample of separated adults ( N = 134, 84 of whom completed all follo…

  • Convergence of naïve coders and participant report ratings of attachment to a former partner: When we should be me

    Open AccessJessica L Borelli, David A Sbarra et al.ARTICLEJournal of Social and Personal…2019Cited by: 5References: 52

    Using a Brunswik lens framework, this study examined whether lay observers could accurately detect participants' attachment to a former partner following romantic breakup or divorce. We predicted that the ratings of post-breakup attachment (completed after reading participants' transcribed stream-of-consciousness discussions of the recent separation) would be associated with participants' self-reported ratings of attachment to a former partner an…

  • Weight Loss Maintenance and Cellular Aging in the Supporting Health Through Nutrition and Exercise Study

    Ashley E Mason, FREDERICK HECHT et al.ARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2018

    OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine, within a weight loss clinical trial for obesity, the impact of intervention arm, weight change, and weight loss maintenance on telomere length (TL). METHODS: Adults (N = 194) with a body mass index between 30 and 45 were randomized to a 5.5-month weight loss program with (n = 100) or without (n = 94) mindfulness training and identical diet-exercise guidelines. We assessed TL at baseline and 3-, 6-…

  • Social participation predicts cognitive functioning in aging adults over time: Comparisons with physical health, depression, and physical activity

    Kyle J Bourassa, Molly Memel et al.ARTICLEAging & Mental Health2017

    OBJECTIVES: Several risk and protective factors are associated with changes in cognitive functioning in aging adults - including physical health, depression, physical activity, and social activities - though the findings for participation in social activities are mixed. This study investigated the longitudinal association between social participation and two domains of cognitive functioning, memory and executive function. A primary goal of our an…

  • Impact of Narrative Expressive Writing on Heart Rate, Heart Rate Variability, and Blood Pressure After Marital Separation

    Kyle J Bourassa, John J B Allen et al.ARTICLEPsychosomatic Medicine2017

    OBJECTIVE: Divorce is a common stressor that is associated with increased risk for poor long-term physical and mental health. Using an experimental design, the current study examined the impact of expressive writing (EW) on average heart rate (HR), HR variability (HRV), and blood pressure (BP) 7.5 months later. METHODS: Participants from a community sample of recently separated adults (N = 109) were assigned to one of three conditions: traditiona…

  • The contemptuous separation: Facial expressions of emotion and breakups in young adulthood

    Open AccessSaeideh Heshmati, David A Sbarra et al.ARTICLEPersonal Relationships2017

    The importance of studying specific and expressed emotions after a stressful life event is well known, yet few studies have moved beyond assessing self‐reported emotional responses to a romantic breakup. This study examined associations between computer‐recognized facial expressions and self‐reported breakup‐related distress among recently separated college‐aged young adults ( N = 135; 37 men) on four visits across 9 weeks. Participants' facial e…

  • Secure Base Script Content Explains the Association Between Attachment Avoidance and Emotion-Related Constructs in Parents of Young Children: Avoidance and Secure Base Scripts

    Open AccessJessica L Borelli, Margaret L Burkhart et al.ARTICLEInfant Mental Health Journal2017Cited by: 2References: 72

    The secure base script (SBS) framework is one method of assessing implicit internal working models of attachment; recently, researchers have applied this method to analyze narratives regarding relationship experiences. This study examines the associations between attachment avoidance and SBS content when parents recall a positive moment of connection between themselves and their children (relational savoring) as well as their association with par…

  • Advancing social connection as a public health priority in the United States

    Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Theodore F Robles et al.ARTICLEAmerican Psychologist2017Cited by: 95References: 10

    A robust body of scientific evidence has indicated that being embedded in high-quality close relationships and feeling socially connected to the people in one's life is associated with decreased risk for all-cause mortality as well as a range of disease morbidities. Despite mounting evidence that the magnitude of these associations is comparable to that of many leading health determinants (that receive significant public health resources), govern…

  • Social Integration and Sleep Disturbance: A Gene-Environment Interaction Study

    Open AccessDavid A SbarraARTICLECollabra2016

    Objective: Low levels of perceived social integration, or loneliness, are associated with increased risk for a range of poor health outcomes. Sleep disturbance plays a central role in the evolutionary theory of loneliness, which provides a mechanistic account of how low levels of social integration may negatively impact health. No studies, however, have examined whether the association between social integration and sleep disturbance is consisten…