Participants needed for a study on LDRs!

[GatoGirl]

After 18 years of being in a long-distance relationship, I decided to study them for my doctoral dissertation! Michelle gave me permission to post a call for participants here on the LFAD site--just another reason why I love this site!

I'm seeking long-distance couples who would be interested in participating in the study I am doing.

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 are those couples who:
1) have been in an LDR 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--In other words, you didn't originally plan to be an LDR, it just happened.
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. The first interview will take approximately 1-1.5 hours, and the second 30-45 minutes. Interviews 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, or send me a message here on the site, where I go by Gatogirl.

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

[blankita719]

I don't qualify since I met my SO on vacation and we've always been long distance but I hope you get some great interviews out of it! Would you be willing to share your end results for those of us that are just plain curious ?

[Rach321]

Best wishes to you! I don't qualify as I am no longer long distance and wasn't close distance before. I'll think if I know anyone I can recommend. I just finished my dissertation in August (PhD in Communication Studies) and would like to help out in any way I can!

[Tanja]

We don't qualify either cause we met LD and THEN moved in together for over a year (and are back to LD again). But I'm sure there's tons of people in here who will meet your criteria!

[lucybelle]

I don't qualify and I actually think there won't be many couples that will. It means the couple will have had to been together for over 2 years (one year CD, one year LD), right?

Anyways, I'm not trying to be a downer. Good luck!

[Minerva]

We don't qualify because we met online and have never been close distance. Boo. I think it's going to be hard to find people who meet this criteria; perhaps college students are the best bet? Anyway, best of luck, sounds very interesting.

[lucybelle]

Minerva!!!!

[dukes2011]

I'm pretty sure I qualify, so I will send a PM. I'll talk to my SO and see if he's willing to do the interviews.

[11MikesGirl21]

I fit the criteria except for the time span. My SO doesn't want to do the interviews though.

[ioanna]

My SO and I qualify. It seems to be intresting, so i'll ask if he's in

[GatoGirl]

I'd be delighted to share. In fact, this site would be one of the first places I do share!
The interviews are fascinating. I've interviewed folks who have been LDR for 20+ years!

---------- Post added at 12:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------

Hi, Minerva,
You are right, it's a challenge to find folks. I'm looking for a very specific subset of LDRs. I was at first really cranky that my committee made me have that requirement, but as I do the interviews, I'm beginning to see that the 1 prior to LDR is an important requirement. The folks that had at least that year are those who didn't have LDR in mind when they started the relationship--it just sort of evolved. That's a bit different than those who have always had LDR in mind when starting a relationship. Does it make for any sort of different relational processes? Dunno. That's someone else's dissertation!

---------- Post added at 12:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:48 PM ----------

Hi, MikesGirl--
Yeah, the interviews are not for everybody! That's a hazard of doing this sort of research, but you know that going in. I've been working on getting folks for about 8 mos. now, which can be a typical timeline for this research method. Thanks for asking your SO about it. Honestly, I'm not sure my SO would do it! lol
GG

---------- Post added at 12:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:50 PM ----------

Thanks, Joanna. Even if he says no, each 'nibble' gives hope! Those of us in LDRs know how to make a little bit of hope go a long way! LOL
GG

---------- Post added at 12:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:51 PM ----------

Minerva,
Yes, the couple needs to have been together at least 2 years. It does make it a challenge. But one of the problems with LDR research in general is that they mix all sorts of LDR couples in one study. So it's hard to tell if the different results are due to age, LDR circumstances, how long/not long the couple has been together, their ages/life stage, etc. It's hard to find folks, but from the good core of participants I've got so far, the 'pickiness' is paying off in that the themes of the interviews are really consistent. Some of the couples are very different in age, but if I didn't know that, it'd be hard to tell the difference just on their responses.

Gracias por tus deseos de suerte! Si, voy a necesitarla, de acuerdo, y que la tenga yo!
GG

[ioanna]

i just received the official ok from my SO. we're in

for the stats, we were CD for 4 years before going LD and have been LD for over 2.5 years now. we are 30(him) and 27 (me).

[elina]

We don't qualify either D: Would've been fun! Hope you'll find others that do qualify

[floridaellen]

Eligible participants are those couples who:
1) have been in an LDR 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--In other words, you didn't originally plan to be an LDR, it just happened.
3) are separated due to work, school, or family commitments (non-military couples)

My So and I fit 2 and 3 but not 1. We've only been in a LDR for about 7 months.

I hope your research goes well!