Melanie S. Fischer

Prof. Dr. Melanie S. Fischer serves as Professor and Head of the Clinical Couple and Family Psychology research group at the Department of Psychology, Philipps University of Marburg. She leads an active research unit focused on understanding relationship dynamics in the context of mental health conditions, particularly obsessive-compulsive disorders. Her team includes multiple doctoral students, research fellows, and student assistants working on various projects examining couple and family interactions across different cultural contexts.

Dr. Fischer's research interests center on clinical couple and family psychology with special emphasis on how mental health conditions manifest and are maintained within relationship contexts. Her work spans several key domains: obsessive-compulsive disorders within family systems (particularly through the ZELT study examining OCD and parenting), relationship dynamics in LGBTQIA+ couples, cross-cultural studies of relationship satisfaction and health outcomes (including research conducted in Burkina Faso), and the development of couple-based interventions for various mental health conditions. Her approach integrates behavioral observation techniques, physiological measures, and clinical interventions to understand the complex interplay between individual psychopathology and relationship functioning.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on interdisciplinary research bridging clinical psychology, relationship science, and health outcomes. Her work demonstrates increasing attention to diverse populations including gender and sexual minorities, cross-cultural contexts, and specific health conditions like cancer survivorship. A notable trend is her integration of physiological measures (such as vocal fundamental frequency analysis) with traditional psychological assessment to gain deeper insights into relationship dynamics. Her research consistently examines how relationship processes either buffer against or exacerbate mental health conditions, with particular attention to accommodation behaviors in partners of individuals with OCD.

Dr. Fischer actively supervises multiple doctoral students including Sophie Blum, Laura Felicia Weber, Anne Vogel, and Nina Winkelmann, who lead various subprojects examining OCD in family contexts, queer relationships, and network models of depression in couples. Her research is supported by funding from organizations including the Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (BMFSFJ) and the Klaus-Grawe-Stiftung, particularly for the STARK project focused on separation management.

The Clinical Couple and Family Psychology unit operates a video lab for behavioral observation of partnership interactions and maintains active collaborations with institutions including the Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg. Current major projects include the ZELT study on OCD and parenting, the STARK online resource for families experiencing separation, the PaZ study on OCD in everyday life, and research on queer partnerships and consensual non-monogamy.