Newswise — Evanston, Ill. – While there is a wide variety of research on proximal relationships, or relationship where partners live near one another, research on long-distance relationships is lacking, despite the increasing prevalence of long-distance relationships in the U.S. and elsewhere. Additionally, current research on long-distance relationships and proximal relationships has produced mixed findings. For example, some studies have reported individuals in long-distance report more relationship satisfaction than those in proximal relationships, while other studies report the opposite. Co-principle investigators Steve Du Bois, PhD, LCP, Family Institute Postdoctoral Clinical Research Fellow and Tamara Goldman Sher, PhD, Family Institute affiliate, designed the “Relationship and Health Study” to help clarify some of these mixed findings, and to gain a deeper understanding into long-distance relationships.
“It is established that being in a proximal relationship relates to positive health,” says Dr. Du Bois. “We know that partnered — specifically married — individuals report better psychological and physical health compared to single individuals. Specifically, one study showed that married people report less substance use and better diet than their single counterparts. However, it is unclear if individuals in long-distance relationships also have positive health related to their relationship status. Our study asks if being in a long-distance relationship is associated with better health the same way that being in a close-distance relationship is.”
This research will extend the existing research on couples, and will hopefully start a new branch of research — one that investigates long-distance relationships as they relate to individual health. Additionally, our findings may shed light on core, critical ingredients for successful relationships — those qualities that relate to positive individual health even without the luxury of abundant in-person time. Finding these ingredients and disseminating them would be an important contribution to the field, and valuable for both long and close distance couples.
To learn more about the “Relationship and Health Study,” The Family Institute, or to speak with Dr. Du Bois, please contact Cyndi Schu, Director of Public Relations, at [email protected] or 312-609-5300 ext. 483.
ABOUT THE FAMILY INSTITUTE AT NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY – The Family Institute at Northwestern University (www.family-institute.org) has been committed to strengthening and healing families and individuals from all walks of life through clinical service, education and research. An affiliate of Northwestern University, The Family Institute is a unique, innovative not-for-profit organization, governed by its own independent Board of Directors and responsible for its own funding. The Institute offers a wide range of high quality mental health counseling through our staff practice and our sliding-fee scale Bette D. Harris Family and Child Clinic, where we are committed to serving at-risk, under-resourced communities. The Family Institute also operates two nationally-renowned graduate programs in marriage and family therapy and counseling psychology in affiliation with Northwestern University, and conducts cutting edge research projects that lead to a better understanding and treatment of mental health issues.
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