The Role of Cohabitation in Marriage and Union Formation

同居在婚姻和联盟形成中的作用

• 批准号: 7038595
• 负责人: SCOTT M STANLEY
• 金额: $ 45.97万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF DENVER (COLORADO SEMINARY)
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-30 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7038595
• 关键词: behavior prediction; behavior therapy; behavioral /social science research tag; clinical research; decision making; divorce /separation; dyadic interaction; geographic difference; household; human subject; interpersonal relations; interview; longitudinal human study; marriage /marital status; method development; psychoanalysis; psychological models; questionnaires; telecommunications

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The increase in cohabitation is one of the most significant shifts in family demographics of the past century (Casper & Bianchi, 2001; Manning & Smock, 2002; Smock, 2000). The significance of this increase is that, contrary to the expectations of many, cohabitation is associated with increased risk for marital distress and divorce (e.g., Kamp Dush, Cohan, & Amato, 2003; Stanley, Whitton, & Markman, 2004)-the so called "cohabitation effect." Current speculation for the cohabitation effect suggests theories related to selection (i.e., people who choose to cohabit have pre-existing sociodemographic risks for poor outcomes) and experience (i.e., something about cohabitation itself makes poor outcomes more likely). To date, methodological limitations of previous studies (e.g., lack of theory, retrospective accounts, weak measurement, small samples, infrequent follow-ups, and data from only one partner) have precluded an understanding of just what the experience of cohabitation is and how it is linked to higher risk factors for divorce. Without understanding mechanisms of risk, the most effective modes of lowering such risks cannot be developed. This project is designed to advance understandings of cohabitation effect by examining couple development using the overarching framework of commitment theory (e.g., Stanley & Markman, 1992). The proposed project will be the first comprehensive longitudinal study focused on cohabitation and it will begin at an earlier stage of couple development than any other study on cohabitation. Specifically, the proposed study aims to (a) Examine the roles of selection and experience in explaining the cohabitation effect by comprehensively measuring both in a longitudinal, nationally representative sample of dating and cohabiting individuals (N = 1200), (b) Test hypotheses framed in commitment theory that can explain why the experience of cohabitation is associated with poor relationship outcomes for some couples, (c) Use data from a sub-sample that includes both partners in couples to examine how discrepancies in commitment relate to the cohabitation effect, (d) Expand the foundation of knowledge upon which interventions designed to lower risks and raise protective factors for dating and cohabiting couples can be built. Random digit dialing techniques will be used to identify the sample and participants will complete questionnaires by mail every four months.

描述（由申请人提供）：同居现象的增加是上个世纪家庭人口统计中最显着的变化之一（Casper & Bianchi, 2001; Manning & Smock, 2002; Smock, 2000）。这种增加的意义在于，与许多人的预期相反，同居与婚姻困扰和离婚的风险增加有关（例如，Kamp Dush, Cohan, & Amato, 2003；Stanley, Whitton, & Markman, 2004）所谓“同居效应”。目前对同居效应的推测表明，与选择（即选择同居的人预先存在导致不良结果的社会人口风险）和经验（即同居本身的某些因素更有可能导致不良结果）相关的理论。迄今为止，先前研究的方法学局限性（例如，缺乏理论、回顾性叙述、测量薄弱、样本小、随访不频繁以及仅来自一位伴侣的数据）阻碍了对同居经历是什么以及如何产生影响的理解。它与较高的离婚风险因素有关。如果不了解风险机制，就无法开发降低此类风险的最有效模式。该项目旨在通过使用承诺理论的总体框架（例如，Stanley & Markman，1992）检查夫妻发展来增进对同居效应的理解。拟议的项目将是第一个针对同居的全面纵向研究，并且它将比任何其他同居研究在夫妻发展的早期阶段开始。具体来说，拟议的研究旨在（a）通过综合测量纵向、全国代表性的约会和同居个体样本（N = 1200）来检验选择和经验在解释同居效应中的作用，（b）测试假设承诺理论可以解释为什么同居经历与某些夫妻的不良关系结果相关，(c) 使用来自包括夫妻双方在内的子样本的数据来检查承诺的差异如何与同居效应，(d) 扩大知识基础，以此为基础制定旨在降低约会和同居伴侣风险并提高保护因素的干预措施。将使用随机数字拨号技术来识别样本，参与者将每四个月通过邮件完成调查问卷。