Health and Relationships Project, United States, 2014-2025 (ICPSR 37404)

Time Period(s) View help for Time Period(s)

Date of Collection View help for Date of Collection

Data Collection Notes View help for Data Collection Notes

Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

The Health and Relationships Project aims to bring research on long-term marriage and health to a new level by looking at how individuals in different kinds of long-term relationships navigate the many different situations and contexts that contribute to their health. The goals of the study include influencing health policy and public health care through the development of policies and programs that result in more effective partner participation in health care and more efficient use of health care systems, and better training for doctors and other health care professionals on how to help spouses and partners support each other through illness or injury.

Study Design View help for Study Design

Couples would each fill out the initial online survey separately. Second, couples would separately fill out a series of short daily surveys each evening for 10 days.

All participants were legally married and had been living together for a minimum of three years at the time of the study. Couples were required to complete at least 6 of the 10 diary questionnaires to be included in the diary data, and 90% of participants completed all 10 days. The researchers asked spouses to complete all questionnaires separately.

Sample View help for Sample

Sample Recruitment. Same-sex couples who married between 2004 and 2012 and were between the ages of 35 and 65 were identified through the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and invited to participate through letters mailed to their address. About 70% of same-sex couples were recruited in this way. Because of restrictions at the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records, different-sex couples were recruited using publicly available demographic city lists in Massachusetts. Cities were selected to match city locations of participating same-sex spouses. The researchers used these lists to identify households with two adults between age 35 and 65, and invitations were sent to the addresses. About 40% of different-sex couples were recruited in this way.

Participating same-sex and different-sex couples were then asked to refer couples who met the study requirements. The remaining couples (30% of same-sex and 60% of different-sex couples) were recruited through referrals.

Sample Retention. Time 2. Beginning in January 2021, the researchers contacted all past participants who had completed the Time 1 baseline survey (n = 838 individuals, 419 couples). Participants were asked to confirm their contact information for the next round of online surveys. In July 2021, the researchers sent the main baseline survey to couples where at least one spouse was retained (n = 652 individuals, 326 couples). Couples were again asked to complete a baseline survey and 10 daily diary surveys for an incentive of $50 per person. To be included in the diary data, participants needed to complete at least six of the ten diary questionnaires (88% of participants completed all 10 days at Time 2). In addition to scheduled reminders, the researchers increased the incentive to $100 per person in September 2021, and also distributed the survey to the remaining 186 individuals, 93 couples who did not confirm contact information. Six hundred fifty-two individuals (308 couples) completed the main baseline survey, and 603 individuals (288 couples) completed both the main survey and daily surveys.

Time 3. Beginning in September 2024, the researchers began inviting all past participants to take the next round of online surveys. To ensure that equal time has elapsed between data collection time points, they rolled out the survey in batches. In September, the researchers invited those who were still married and participated early at Time 2 (n = 589 individuals), followed by those who were still married at Time 2, but only one spouse participated (n = 46 individuals) in October. In late October and in November 2024, they invited all those who completed Time 2, but who were divorced, separated, or widowed at that time (n = 37) and those who did not complete Time 2 (n = 148). In addition to a series of reminders sent to each batch, the researchers reduced the daily diary survey days from ten to eight as a last retention effort. Seventy-nine percent of participants completed all ten days of daily surveys at Time 3; 97% completed at least eight days. Five hundred eighty-four individuals (268 couples) completed the main baseline survey, and 547 individuals (260 couples) completed both the main survey and daily surveys.

Time Method View help for Time Method

Universe View help for Universe

Couples in same-sex and different-sex marriages who were legally married and aged 35 to 65 at the time of Time 1 data collection.

Unit(s) of Observation View help for Unit(s) of Observation

Data Type(s) View help for Data Type(s)

Mode of Data Collection View help for Mode of Data Collection

Response Rates View help for Response Rates

Baseline Surveys. All Time 1 couples (couple n = 419, individual n = 838) were invited to participate in subsequent waves of data collection. At Time 2, the researchers retained 308 couples (652 individuals) for the baseline surveys (74% response rate). Due to small sample sizes of divorced, separated, or widowed participants, the data are limited to only those still married at Time 2 (n = 297 couples, 71% still married response rate). At Time 3, the researchers retained 268 couples (584 individuals; 64% response rate). Out of these couples, 257 were still married (61% response rate).

Daily Diary Survey. At Time 1, 378 couples (756 individuals) completed the daily surveys following the baseline survey (90% response rate). At Time 2, 288 couples (603 individuals) completed the daily surveys (69% response rate) and 279 couples (571 individuals) were still married (67% response rate). At Time 3, 260 couples (547 individuals) completed the daily surveys (62% response rate) and 249 of these couples were still married (59% response rate; 503 individuals).

All daily diary survey response rates were calculated from the baseline couple sample size at Time 1.

Original Release Date View help for Original Release Date

2019-09-17

Version History View help for Version History