2008 Woodie Awards
Study finds long distance relationships just as fulfilling as those geographically close
Rose Soliven
Issue date: 11/14/07 Section: College News
While strolling to class, a student may notice an affectionate couple sitting under a tree on a crisp autumn afternoon. However, one type of dating relationship that exists among college students that is less obvious is the long-distance relationship.
According to the Web site for the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, an estimated 4.4 million college students are involved in long distance relationships (LDRs). The Web site mentions one study that found one in seven college dating relationships is long distance.
The center also reports the number of LDRs is on the rise. It estimates that more than 3.5 million people were in long distance marriages in 2005, a 30 percent increase since 2000.
Gregory Guldner, director and founder of the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, says LDRs are becoming more common possibly because of more people traveling for their jobs and because of the rise of Internet dating services.
With backgrounds in clinical psychology and medicine, Guldner is considered the leading expert in long distance relationships and has recently appeared on CNN.
One question may arise when discussing long distance relationships - do people in LDRs have less fulfilling relationships?
In a 2003 study, Amber Roberts, a psychologist from Purdue University, found participants in long-distance relationships and geographically-close relationships experienced the same level of closeness and relationship satisfaction.
The study asked more than 270 college students from a large Midwest university to evaluate their relationships. Half of those surveyed were in long distance relationships and half were in geographically close relationships.
This study also found that relationship satisfaction might be related to how a person is raised as an infant, a theory supported by previous research. In the 1970s, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth developed the "Attachment Theory," which states that infants and toddlers show different types of attachment toward their caregivers.
According to the Web site for the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, an estimated 4.4 million college students are involved in long distance relationships (LDRs). The Web site mentions one study that found one in seven college dating relationships is long distance.
The center also reports the number of LDRs is on the rise. It estimates that more than 3.5 million people were in long distance marriages in 2005, a 30 percent increase since 2000.
Gregory Guldner, director and founder of the Center for the Study of Long Distance Relationships, says LDRs are becoming more common possibly because of more people traveling for their jobs and because of the rise of Internet dating services.
With backgrounds in clinical psychology and medicine, Guldner is considered the leading expert in long distance relationships and has recently appeared on CNN.
One question may arise when discussing long distance relationships - do people in LDRs have less fulfilling relationships?
In a 2003 study, Amber Roberts, a psychologist from Purdue University, found participants in long-distance relationships and geographically-close relationships experienced the same level of closeness and relationship satisfaction.
The study asked more than 270 college students from a large Midwest university to evaluate their relationships. Half of those surveyed were in long distance relationships and half were in geographically close relationships.
This study also found that relationship satisfaction might be related to how a person is raised as an infant, a theory supported by previous research. In the 1970s, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth developed the "Attachment Theory," which states that infants and toddlers show different types of attachment toward their caregivers.
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Trina
posted 11/14/07 @ 2:01 PM EST
Rose, I really enjoyed your article! Great sources...I love the information provided and I can actually relate to this article. I am in a LDR and this article provides great insight and facts!
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