AERC Hosts: Dr Çağla Sanri "Thriving relationships: Conceptualisation, assessment, and applications in relationship education"
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Abstract:
While much of relationship research has focused on dysfunction or satisfaction, less attention has been given to capturing the full, multidimensional nature of thriving relationships. In this talk, I share my journey of developing a measure of thriving relationships, guided by both conceptual and psychometric considerations.
Drawing on relationship science, positive psychology, and cross-cultural psychology, I outline the theoretical foundations of the construct, including the integration of hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of relational wellbeing. I then walk through the scale development process - from conceptualisation and item generation to validation using classical test theory and item response theory. I will also briefly introduce an implicit association measure developed as part of this work.
The talk reflects on broader questions in assessment: how we measure complex relational phenomena, and how such measures can inform research, practice, relationship education and interventions to support thriving relationships.
RSVP: AERC-info@unimelb.edu.au
| Time | 12:00-1:00 pm AEST |
| Date | Tuesday, 19 May 2026 |
| Location | Faculty of Education, Level 8 Meeting Room (814-815), 100 Leicester Street, Carlton Victoria 3053 (or join via Zoom https://go.unimelb.edu.au/46o2 Password: 901115) |
Bio:
Dr Çağla Sanri researches how individuals and relationships thrive. She completed her PhD at the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland and holds a Master’s degree in Cross-Cultural Psychology (UK). Her work focuses on the science of thriving relationships, exploring how they become sources of vitality, growth, and meaningful connection.
Her research and collaborations at the University of Queensland and RAQ (Relationships Australia Queensland) have included international projects on assessment development, as well as the design and evaluation of positive interventions in wellbeing and relationship education. Informed by her experience as a relationship counsellor, her subsequent and ongoing work extends this focus to understanding how individuals and relationships flourish across diverse contexts, spanning friendships, collegial relationships, romantic partnerships, and cross-cultural connections.
Cagla has joined the University of Melbourne in 2022 and is a Lecturer at the Centre for Wellbeing Science.
