Dr Raquel Peel

Biography

Dr Raquel Peel is an internationally recognised relationships expert and an award-winning educator and researcher. Her TEDx talk on relationship sabotage was featured as one of the most popular talks in the TED series ‘How to Be a Better Human’ and TEDxShorts.

Dr Peel is a prolific contributor for The Conversation and she is regularly interviewed by the media to provide expert commentary on relationship matters at national and international outlets.

Her current research program encompasses studies on interpersonal relationships, mental health, suicide, and education. Her work as an educator has been recognised with prestigious institutional awards, including the Excellence Award for Early Career Educator granted by the University of Southern Queensland and the Inclusive Practice Teaching Award granted by James Cook University.

Additionally, she is a fellow of Advanced Higher Education.

Research expertise and supervision

When searching for love, some people are stuck in a continuous cycle of successfully initiating a relationship, not being able to maintain long-term engagements, and embarking upon a path to a destined break-up. Others are stuck in relationships they are not happy with. And, some have given-up on having relationships altogether. The concept of relationship sabotage can explain why and how this phenomenon occurs; however no empirical research existed in this area until recently. Research needs to continue to further validate the newly developed Relationship Sabotage Scale. Additionally, research in this area will benefit from exploring how individuals’ differences contribute to relationship difficulties in young people and adults.

Dr Raquel Peel is currently supervising students investigating how self-defeating behaviours can be influenced by the following:

Demographics characteristics (i.e., age, gender and sexual orientation);
Relationship factors (i.e., status, duration, quality, and stress);
Context (e.g., online dating);
Attachment styles; and
Flirting styles.

Also, Dr Peel is currently investigating how the formation, maintenance, and dissolution of intimate relationships can be influenced by the following:

Regret related to first sexual encounters in adolescents and young adults;
Traumatic experiences in childhood and adulthood;
Capability to cope with traumatic events; and
Young people and adults' use of social media for relationship advice.

Projects can involve a mix of cross-sectional, interviews, and qualitative exploratory designs.

Current PhD Students:

Natalie Ward
Thesis Title: Understanding Sexual Regret in Emerging Adults
Nikeeta Kumari
Thesis Title: An Investigation of Online Self-Defeating Attitudes and Behaviours in Intimate Relationships
Melinda Nuttall
Thesis Title: Prosocial Behaviours Online: Internal Drives of Online Behaviours
Matthew Persello
Thesis Title: Understanding the Lived Experience of Males who Pair with Males

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology supervision:

Dr Peel is a supervisor in the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology program, with her focus areas as follows:

Intimate Relationships & Social/Developmental Factors:

Interpersonal Relationships
Relationship Sabotage
Relationship Factors (status, duration, quality, and stress)
Relationship Context (e.g., online dating)
Relational Attachment Styles
Flirting Styles
Relationship Beliefs
Young People and Adults' use of Social Media for Relationship Advice
Relationship and Dating Website Content and Usage
Dating and Romance Scams
Family & Domestic Violence

Gender & Identity:

Trauma, Sexuality, and Gender
Gender Diversity
Gender Identity

Attachment, Emotions & Personality:

Attachment
Life Satisfaction

If you are interested in studying Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Psychology and would like Dr Peel as your supervisor, please contact Dr Raquel Peel at raquel.peel@nd.edu.au. Alternatively, you can explore other supervisors available for this program.

Teaching areas

Honours in Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Social Psychology
Psychology of Relationships

Community engagement

FremantleMind Inc
Western Australian Recovery College

Book chapters

Peel, R. (2023). Relationship Self-Sabotage. Marriage and Divorce in America Issues, Trends, and Controversies. Bloomsbury.
Peel, R. & Ward, N. (2022). The Impact of Relationship Issues on the Mental Health of Students in Higher Education. In Mental Health and Higher Education in Australia. Springer.
Jeffries, C. & Peel, R. (2022). Social Psychology. In The Australian Handbook for Careers in Psychological Science. PressBooks.

Journal articles and proceedings

Peel, R. & Caltabiano, N. (2021). The Relationship Sabotage Scale: An evaluation of factor analyses and constructive validity. BMC Psychology, 9 (146), 1-17. doi: 10.1186/s40359-021-00644-0
Peel, R. & Caltabiano, N. (2021). Why do we sabotage love? A thematic analysis of lived experiences of relationship breakdown and maintenance. Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy, 20 (2), 99-131. doi: 10.1080/15332691.2020.1795039
Peel, R., Young, L., Reeve, C., Kanakis, K., Malau-Aduli, B., Sen Gupta, T., & Hays, R. (2020). The impact of localised general practice training on Queensland’s rural and remote general practice workforce. BMC Medical Education,20 (119). doi: 10.1186/s12909-020-02025-4
Peel, R., Caltabiano, N., Buckby, B., & McBain, K. A. (2019). Defining romantic self-sabotage: A thematic analysis of interviews with practicing psychologists. Journal of Relationship Research, 10 (e16), 1-9. doi: 10.1017/jrr.2019.7
Young, L., Peel, R., O’Sullivan, B., & Reeve, C. (2019). Building general practice training capacity in rural and remote Australia with underserved primary care services: A qualitative investigation. BMC Health Services Research,19 (1), 338-348. doi: 10.1186/s12913-019-4078-1
Peel, R., Caltabiano, N., Buckby, B., & McBain, K. A. (2018). Mental health diagnoses and relationship breakdown: Which is the chicken and which the egg? International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 4 (3), 98-116.
Peel, R., Buckby, B., & McBain, K. A. (2017). Comparing the effect of stigma on the recognition of suicide risk in others between Australia and Brazil. GSTF Journal of Psychology (JPsych) (2), 1-10. doi: 10.5176/2345-7872 3.2 43

Conference papers

Peel, R., McBain, K. A., Caltabiano, N., & Buckby, B. (2019, March). The romantic self-saboteur: How do people sabotage love? Presented at the International Convention of Psychological Science. Paris, France.
Peel, R., McBain, K. A., Caltabiano, N., & Buckby, B. (2018). What do psychologists have to say about self-sabotage in romantic relationships? Presented at the 17th Australian Psychological Society Psychology of Relationships Interest Group (APS-PORIG) National Conference. Melbourne, Australia.
Peel, R., Reeve, C., & Young, L. (2018). Community engaged GP training. Does it make a difference? Presented at the Rural Medicine Australia Conference. Darwin, Australia.
Young, L., Peel, R., Reeve, C., Malau-Aduli, B., O’Sullivan, B., & Hays, R. (2018). Insight into Rural and Remote GP Training and Supervision in Queensland. Presented at the Global Community Engaged Medical Education Muster Conference. Mount Gambier, Australia.
Peel, R., Buckby, B, McBain, K. A., & Caltabiano, N. (2018). It is not what it seems. Heart break leads to mental health difficulties in higher education. Presented at the Australasian Mental Health and Higher Education Conference (AMHHEC). Townsville, Australia.
Peel, R., McBain, K. A., Caltabiano, N., & Buckby, B. (2017). How is self-sabotage presented in romantic relationships? Presented at the 16th Australian Psychological Society Psychology of Relationships Interest Group (APS-PORIG) National Conference. Melbourne, Australia.
Peel, R., Buckby, B., & McBain, K. A. (2017). Who gets Bullied at Work? The role of Emotion Stability, Psychological Flexibility and Coping in Workplace Bullying. Poster presented at the Inaugural Australasian Mental Health and Higher Education Conference. Townsville, Australia.
Peel, R., Buckby, B., & McBain, K. A. (2017). Is awareness of suicide risk and intent culturally informed? A comparison between Australia and Brazil. In C. Speelman (Ed.) 6th Annual International Conference on Cognitive Behavioral Psychology (101-110). Singapore: GSTF

In the media

THE CONVERSATION ARTICLES

Peel, R. (2024, February 7th). Women take more antidepressants after divorce than men but that doesn’t mean they’re more depressed.
*This article was re-published at The Conversation Brazil on February 21, 2024
Peel. R. (2023, July 18th). What is a relationship ‘boundary’? And how do I have the boundary conversation with my partner?
Peel, R. (2023, March 15th). Stuck in a ‘talking stage’ or ‘situationship’? How young people can get more out of modern love.
*This article was re-published at The Conversation Indonesia on September 5, 2023
Peel, R. (2022, January 3rd). Thinking about a summer fling? Read this article first.
Peel, R. (2021, November 3rd). 3 ways we sabotage relationships (and 3 ways to kick the habit).
*This article was re-published at The Conversation Indonesia on October 27, 2022
Peel, R. (2021, October 11th). What is ‘the ick’? A psychological scientist explains this TikTok trend.
Peel, R. (2021, July 21th). Netflix’s Sexy Beasts tells us you can take physical attraction out of love. The reality is much more complicated.
Peel, R. (2021, January 14th). Bridgerton offers clever relationship advice — why friendship is the foundation of happy romantic partnerships.
Peel, R. (2020, September 11th). Are you dreading going back to the workplace? You might be feeling separation anxiety from your home.
Peel, R. (2020, March 31st). The coronavirus lockdown could test your relationship. Here’s how to keep it intact (and even improve it).
Peel, R., & Bucky, B. (2018, March 5th). What makes someone more likely to be bullied at work and how companies can help them.
Peel, R., & Bucky, B. (2018, March 5th). What makes someone more likely to be bullied at work and how companies can help them.

TED

TEDx Talk. Why do we sabotage love?
TEDx Shorts. Why do we sabotage love?
TED Podcasts. How to be a better human. How to stop sabotaging your romantic relationships.
TED Ideas. Why we sabotage Romantic relationships - and what we can do about it.

PSYCHOLOGY TODAY ARTICLES

FORBES

Do You Find Yourself Committing Relationship Sabotage? Here’s How To Address It

THE GUARDIAN

The relationship sabotage scale: quantifying why we undermine ourselves in love.

ABC NEWS

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

Professional affiliations

Golden Key International Honour Society (2015 – Current)
Australian Psychological Society (2013 – Current)

Awards

Fellow - Higher Education Academy (2022)
Excellence Award for Early Career Educator - University of Southern Queensland (2020)
Commendation for Excellence in Teaching - University of Southern Queensland (2019)
Inclusive Practice Teaching Award - James Cook University (2018)

Grants

Peel, R., Caltabiano, N., Lamont-Mills, A., Machin, T., & Miller, D. (2021). A Systematic Search and Review of Dating and Relationship Advice Websites and Online Resources. (AU$5,911.49)
Peel, R. (2020). Academic Time Buy-Out. University of Southern Queensland. (AU$12,048.74)

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