Participate in a Research Study about Long-Distance Relationships

Fellow reader Laura is looking for couples to participate in a study for her doctoral dissertation:

After 18 years of being in a long-distance relationship, I decided to do my doctoral dissertation on LDRs!

I’m seeking long-distance couples who would be interested in participating in this study. I hope to learn about the relationships that long-distance couples have with their immediate and extended families  and close family friends. I also hope to learn more about relationship patterns that happen over the generations in the families of LDR couples.

Eligible participants for this study are those couples who:
1) have been in a long-distance relationship for at least a year
2) were in the same geographic location together as a couple for at least a year prior to beginning the long-distance relationship
3) are separated due to work, school, or family commitments (non-military couples)

Participants will be interviewed two different times, once with both partners together and once individually. Interviews will take approximately 1-1.5 hours each, and will be done via web-based communication software, so partners don’t need to be in the same location for the joint interview.

This study is open to all couples in committed relationships meeting the above criteria, including unmarried couples, couples of diverse ethnicity, and LBGTQ couples.

If you are interested in participating, or have questions or comments, please contact me via email at ljt7@zips.uakron.edu

Your help would be very appreciated. The hope is that once the dissertation is done, I can move closer to home and get back to seeing my spouse on weekends!

Laura Tejada, PCC, LMFT, NCC, Registered Play Therapist Sup, OH Licensed School Counselor

[This study is titled: Kith, Kin, and Kilometers: A Phenomenological Study of Long-Distance Relationships from the Perspective of Transgenerational Theory and has been approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Akron (#20110804).]

This is a great opportunity to share your story and experiences. If you think you might qualify to participate, contact Laura directly at the email address she provided.