The COVID‐19 pandemic in the United States has changed many aspects of people's daily life, including increased time at home in response to shelter‐in‐place orders, heightened stress about health effects of COVID‐19, and shifts in other domains of life (e.g., employment). These lifestyle changes are likely to impact the well‐being of individuals and their romantic relationships. This investigation examined how COVID‐19 influenced couple and individual well‐being in real‐time during the early phase of the pandemic. Data were collected in early May 2020 during shelter‐in‐place orders in the United States. Participants in committed relationships (n = 332) completed an online survey assessing their experiences currently and before the pandemic. Results suggested that while couple functioning overall maintained or even improved, individual well‐being was more negatively impacted by the pandemic. Moreover, some groups who are at higher risk of a poor health outcome from COVID‐19 or experience unique challenges as a result of COVID‐19 reported worse outcomes (e.g., those whose employment changed) while others did not decline in their psychological and couple functioning (e.g., Black individuals and older individuals). These findings suggest that the pandemic has had varied impacts on couples and individuals, as well as across different virus‐related risk factors. Further research is needed to understand the nuanced effects of this pandemic on couples and individuals across time.

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Despite comparable levels of relationship satisfaction and intimacy, same-sex couples break up faster and more often than different-sex couples highlighting a need for quality couple therapy. Research suggests that culturally tailored services are desired by same-sex couples and may be more effective and better received. Although efficacious couple therapies exist to treat relationship distress, they have been overwhelmingly studied with different-sex couples. Sexual minority (SM) affirming couple therapies have not been systematically developed or evaluated. The current study involved developing and pilot testing a tailored couple therapy for distressed same-sex female couples. This treatment integrates the empirically-supported cognitive-behavioral couple therapy framework and SM stress model. Doctoral student therapists delivered the treatment in an open-trial format to a pilot sample of 11 same-sex female couples experiencing relationship distress and SM stress. Treatment was delivered with high adherence to the treatment manual. Participants reported high treatment satisfaction. As hypothesized, participants experienced significant decreases in relationship distress and improvements in couple coping with SM stress from pre-to post-treatment. The small sample size and floor effects precluded clear conclusions regarding anticipated improvements in individual mental health. Participants experienced comparable or stronger improvements in relationship functioning compared to couples in a similar benchmark study. Given this

We present innovative research practices in psychiatric genetic studies to ensure representation of individuals from diverse ancestry, sex assigned at birth, gender identity, age, body shape and size, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Due to histories of inappropriate and harmful practices against marginalized groups in both psychiatry and genetics, people of certain identities may be hesitant to participate in research studies. Yet their participation is essential to ensure diverse representation, as it is incorrect to assume that the same genetic and environmental factors influence the risk for various psychiatric disorders across all demographic groups. We present approaches developed as part of the Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI), a study that required tailored approaches to recruit diverse populations across many countries. Considerations include research priorities and design, recruitment and study branding, transparency, and community investment and ownership. Ensuring representation in participants is costly and funders need to provide adequate support to achieve diversity in recruitment in prime awards, not just as supplemental afterthoughts. The need for diverse samples in genetic studies is critical to minimize the risk of perpetuating health disparities in psychiatry and other health research.Although the EDGI strategies were designed specifically to attract and enroll individuals with eating disorders, our approach is broadly applicable across psychiatry and other fields.

The goal of our study was to provide qualitative data on the long-term effects of a couple-based HIV prevention program, the Couples Health Co-Op (CHC), in South Africa. Qualitative focus group discussions were conducted with nonrandomly selected Black South African men (n = 27) and women (n = 23) who had participated in the Couples Health Co-Op 4 to 6 years prior to our study. The study evaluated: (a) salient content and skills learned, (b) long-term changes and challenges, and (c) recommendations for intervention improvement. Findings revealed (a) communication/problem-solving, safe sexual behaviors, and negative effects of alcohol were most salient; (b) long-term changes occurred in communication and healthier sexual behavior; alcohol use remained challenging; and (c) participants recommended continuing the couple format and suggested targeting teenage couples. We offer preliminary evidence of the strengths and weaknesses of the Couples Health Co-Op and provide a basis for future studies to build on these results.