Abstract
Although previous research has demonstrated increased relationship distress and separation for cohabiting couples, little is known about specific problems cohabiting individuals encounter in comparison to dating and married individuals. This study examines open-ended reports of 1,252 individuals' (220 dating, 231 cohabiting, and 801 married) relationship concerns using a detailed, reliable coding system. The top 5 areas considered most problematic by cohabiting individuals were problems in specific areas of their current relationship, individual problems, general communication, arguments, and emotional affection-distance. Dating and cohabiting individuals reported similar frequencies of global problems except that cohabiting individuals reported more problems with arguments and fewer problems with relationship commitment. Married and cohabiting individuals had more differences in their reports of relationship concerns; results suggested that cohabiting relationships tended to be both more vibrant and more volatile than marital relationships. However, most differences between relationship types were no longer significant after controlling for individuals' relationship and demographic characteristics.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 236-246 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Journal of Family Psychology |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 1 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Fingerprint
Keywords
- cohabitation
- dating
- marriage
- problems
- relationships
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychology(all)
Cite this
Qualitative Reports of Problems in Cohabiting Relationships : Comparisons to Married and Dating Relationships. / Hsueh, Annie C.; Morrison, Kristen Rahbar; Doss, Brian.
In: Journal of Family Psychology, Vol. 23, No. 2, 01.04.2009, p. 236-246.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Qualitative Reports of Problems in Cohabiting Relationships
T2 - Comparisons to Married and Dating Relationships
AU - Hsueh, Annie C.
AU - Morrison, Kristen Rahbar
AU - Doss, Brian
PY - 2009/4/1
Y1 - 2009/4/1
N2 - Although previous research has demonstrated increased relationship distress and separation for cohabiting couples, little is known about specific problems cohabiting individuals encounter in comparison to dating and married individuals. This study examines open-ended reports of 1,252 individuals' (220 dating, 231 cohabiting, and 801 married) relationship concerns using a detailed, reliable coding system. The top 5 areas considered most problematic by cohabiting individuals were problems in specific areas of their current relationship, individual problems, general communication, arguments, and emotional affection-distance. Dating and cohabiting individuals reported similar frequencies of global problems except that cohabiting individuals reported more problems with arguments and fewer problems with relationship commitment. Married and cohabiting individuals had more differences in their reports of relationship concerns; results suggested that cohabiting relationships tended to be both more vibrant and more volatile than marital relationships. However, most differences between relationship types were no longer significant after controlling for individuals' relationship and demographic characteristics.
AB - Although previous research has demonstrated increased relationship distress and separation for cohabiting couples, little is known about specific problems cohabiting individuals encounter in comparison to dating and married individuals. This study examines open-ended reports of 1,252 individuals' (220 dating, 231 cohabiting, and 801 married) relationship concerns using a detailed, reliable coding system. The top 5 areas considered most problematic by cohabiting individuals were problems in specific areas of their current relationship, individual problems, general communication, arguments, and emotional affection-distance. Dating and cohabiting individuals reported similar frequencies of global problems except that cohabiting individuals reported more problems with arguments and fewer problems with relationship commitment. Married and cohabiting individuals had more differences in their reports of relationship concerns; results suggested that cohabiting relationships tended to be both more vibrant and more volatile than marital relationships. However, most differences between relationship types were no longer significant after controlling for individuals' relationship and demographic characteristics.
KW - cohabitation
KW - dating
KW - marriage
KW - problems
KW - relationships
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=65549158567&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=65549158567&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/a0015364
DO - 10.1037/a0015364
M3 - Article
C2 - 19364217
AN - SCOPUS:65549158567
VL - 23
SP - 236
EP - 246
JO - Journal of Family Psychology
JF - Journal of Family Psychology
SN - 0893-3200
IS - 2
ER -