Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that people raise when thinking about taking part in the Enduring Love? project.

Am I eligible to take part?

There are many different kinds of intimate relationship and so we welcome diversity in couple relationship experience. We are interested in talking to some couples who have children and others who don’t. It doesn’t matter whether you live together in the same household, across different households, or live-apart-together (LAT). We want to involve couples who are married or in a civil partnership and those who are co-habiting. You may be in a committed but more casually-defined relationship. You could be in a monogamous relationship or part of open or non-monogamous relationships in which other people feature significantly.

As you can see, we are not trying to standardize the couple relationship into one model and in the interviews we would want you to talk about how you sustain close, loving relationships with people beyond the couple, including children, parents, friends and lovers.

What's in it for us?

Most of us are so busy getting on with everyday life that we don’t have time to sit back and think about what makes our relationships tick and what we do to make them work! You may think your couple relationship is the same as everyone else’s or maybe that it’s one of a kind. Do you actively try and do things like your friends and family? Have you been determined to take a different approach – and if so, in what ways and why? Taking part in relationship research gives you the opportunity to reflect on such questions.

Taking part also means you will be involved in important research that will reflect on the state of couple relationships and and examine whether prompted daily interventions help to improve relationship quality. The information collected and the picture which emerges will then be used to inform relationship support and education services and the development of relationship and family policies. It is no exaggeration to say that your contribution is invaluable for the success of the project; in fact the project cannot work without your time and commitment. The majority of people who take part in relationship research such as this say that it’s been a rewarding and even enjoyable experience.

What counts as a long-term relationship?

In the Enduring Love? project we did not want to prescribe what constitutes a long-term relationship – it’s up to you to define. What feels like a long-term relationship may depend on your personal circumstances, the duration of relationships that you see around you, and your age. It’s relative! The only restriction is that you must be above 18 years of age.

For the Paired evaluation, the length and type of relationship will be factored into our analysis but it is not a criteria that determines participation in the project.

As the research is on couple relationships, do both of us have to take part?

For the Enduring Love? project, we want to collect information from both people in the relationship. This was an important dimension for the project, not because we want to cross-check what you’ve both said against each other and work out ‘who’s telling the truth’. That’s not the point of the study - and it’s not possible either! We want to get both perspectives to see how couples manage to sustain their relationship, and this requires hearing what you both have to say.

For the Enduring Love project, you’ll be interviewed together and apart. What you say in the couple interview will obviously be known to both of you, but what you say in the individual interview will be totally confidential. Nothing will be divulged to your partner in any way.

For the Paired evaluation project, your survey responses and interview will be completed by you alone. We will not link to or share this information with your partner even if you are paired as a couple in the app.

What if one of us wants to withdraw from the project half way through?

You or your partner has the right to withdraw from the research projects at any time. We will respect your decision and will not make any attempt to coerce you to stay involved. If the other person wants to continue with the research, then we will complete all methods with them. To monitor the research process, we may ask why you or your partner left the project. If you do withdraw, then we will not use any information that you have given to us unless you give permission to do so. We will destroy all of the material relating to you and your involvement with the project at any time if asked to do so.

How much time will I need to spend on the project?

Taking part in the Enduring Love? project involved participants to actively think about the project for about one month and during this time the researcher visited couples several times. This may seem quite a long period of time but you will need time to complete the different methods and you will also find that having a bit of time to reflect on what you said in between interviews is helpful. It will enable you think through some of the things that you’ve talked about. You may have recalled an event which is particularly relevant that previously slipped your mind, or you may want to add more detail to something that you’ve talked about, or may want to clarify a point or perhaps even change your mind about something. The amount of time which the researcher will spend with each couple may vary slightly, but generally speaking we expect that we will visit most couples between 3-5 times. All visits will be arranged at your convenience and we will do our utmost to be as flexible in making appointments on days and at times that work for you.

After this research period we will keep in touch with you, to let you know how things are progressing. There may be a considerable gap between the intensive research period and the end of the project so if you want to keep up to date with how it’s all going you can visit the website. The research blog will detail what we’ve been up to and all the research highlights.

For the Paired evaluation study, the time that you'll spend on the project is much smaller. The survey will take 10-15 minutes to complete. Follow-up online/telephone interviews will be 30-45 minutes in duration. No preparatory work is required outside of these two points in time.

If we agree to take part in the study, what happens next?

If you want to take part in either the Enduring Love? project or Paired evaluation, then you will start by completing a research questionnaire. This includes questions that are usually included on most Equal Opportunities forms, covering topics such as information about your age, gender, sexuality, relationship status, and number of dependent relatives. This will enable us to see if certain opinions on relationships can be matched to different age groups, men and women, or people’s domestic circumstances for example. This information is anonymous and will be kept in the strictest confidence.

If you opt-in to take part you in the in-depth study then a member of the research team will be in contact with you via email and you may be invited to be interviewed.

One of the researchers will then talk through the project and arrange a time that is convenient to you to complete the online or telephone interview. During this first 'meeting' the researcher will fully introduce themselves and give you detailed information about the project. They will then go through the consent form with you and ask you to sign this.

Who are the researchers and are they police checked?

All researchers completing fieldwork will be DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked. Full information on DBS criteria can be found on the Gov.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service

Will my partner read what I have said?

The content of the Enduring Love? study couple interviews will obviously be known to both of you. For both the Enduring Love? study and Paired evaluation, material discussed in individual interviews, partners will only be able to read what you’ve said if you show it to them.

We will offer you a transcribed copy of your interviews and this will be sent directly to you. We would ordinarily post out transcripts to your home address, with the name clearly marked on the envelope. However, if you would prefer to have your transcript sent somewhere other than the home address – for instance, to a friend, work colleague or to a centre or group meeting place, we will happily do so. Just let us know at the interview. Some couples may choose to share their accounts, while for others they remain very private. There is no right or wrong way of doing this; you should simply do what feels right for you.

How will my experiences be used?

Enduring Love? project interviews will be used to compile a picture of relationship experience in contemporary Britain. We may use what you say as a case study, that is to say focusing on your particular story as an example of how people feel and behave. Your story may also be used alongside several others, showing similarities of behaviour and feelings in relation to other couples.

This project is designed to provide a rich account of couple relationships at a particular point in time in our participants’ lives. Nevertheless, we would not want to rule out follow-up research and in the consent form you will be asked if you would be willing to be re-contacted at a later date. To this end, the website will be kept up and running after the initial 2 year project has been completed and we would be more than happy to hear from you after this time, although obviously you are under no obligation to keep in touch.

The Paired evaluation study is designed to explore whether daily interventions can help to enhance relationship quality, and to examine the effectiveness of the Paired app in prompting routine relationship maintenance behaviours. Survey data will be analyzed to examine how users engage with the app and whether this impacts upon their ratings of relationship quality. Optional interviews with users will examine these questions in more depth.

Will people be able to find out who took part in the research?

No one should be able to work out which couples took part in the Enduring Love? study or Paired evaluation. We will make every effort to ensure that you cannot be identified, by keeping your identity and all contact data relating to you confidential. We will anonymise all accounts as soon as they are told to us. Transcripts will use a pseudonym, which means we give you a different name, and when we write up reports and/or articles from this research, we will always use this pseudonym. We will not say where you live and your contact details will be kept separately from the transcripts.

Does the project report to any family or social services agency?

Enduring Love? and Paired evaluation are academic research projects that have no formal or informal ties to any family or social services agency. The Enduring Love? project was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) which is not affiliated with any government office or social care service. The Strategy Group for this project contains professional expertise from people working in the fields of family services and relationship support, but they are here in an independent capacity. Their role is to ensure that the project meets its aims and objectives.

Who should I speak to if I am unhappy about how the research is going?

In the first instance please speak with one of the principal investigators on the project.

Dr Jacqui Gabb, Jacqui.Gabb@open.ac.uk

The Open University
Deptartment of Social Policy and Criminology
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

In the case that any issue should arise during the course of your involvement with the project, which cannot be satisfactory resolved by the researchers, then you may contact Professor Darren Langdridge (darren.langdridge@open.ac.uk)

The Open University
Deptartment of Psychology
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Where can I find contact details for couple relationship support services?

The research projects do not offer couple relationship support services. Many of the UK’s leading organisations are, however, affiliated to the project. You can contact these organisations directly if you are interested in finding out information on the relationship support services which they provide.

The details of organisations can be found on the Affiliates page of this website.

The BBC also provides a useful list of relationship and family support and counselling contacts on their Health homepage.

Contact us

For further details on the project and all media enquiries, please contact:

Principal Investigator

Professor Jacqui Gabb

Chair of Sociology and Intimacy

Jacqui.Gabb@open.ac.uk

The Open University
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
School of Social Sciences and Global Studies
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Enduring Love?

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