The Anatomy of Resilient Talk: Linguistic Features of Relational and Psychological Health in Couples’ Conversations About Stress

Drawing on the theory of resilience and relational load, we examined linguistic features of resilient talk across two datasets: one involving couples managing the chronic stress of a child's type 1 diabetes and the other addressing general relational stressors. Using natural language processing, we analyzed syntactic, temporal, and lexical features of couples’ stress-related conversations. Language reflecting obligation, uncertainty, and detachment corresponded with relational strain, whereas inclusive and emotionally reflective language aligned with greater support and resilience. Longer speaking turns and greater syntactic complexity were associated with lower resilience and higher relational load. The use of caregiving-related terms was associated with lower resilience among females, and patterns of verbal disengagement were associated with poorer mental health among males. This work contributes to research and practice by illustrating how micro-level language use reflects and indexes resilient talk among couples.