Long distance relationships PDF

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Qualitative Research Report on Long Distance Relationships...

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How do students manage long distance relationships? an interpretive phenomenological analysis Abstract: In past research is has been found that long distance relationships (LDR) are becoming more and more popular; and that up to one third of romantic relationships in universities are long distance. (Stafford & Reske, 1990), some past studies highlight negative factors LDR can lead to such as stress (Mietzner & Lin, 2005). However, some studies focus on the positive aspects of LDR such as communication (Stafford & Reske, 1990). The aim of this report was to determine how students manage long distance relationships; the participants consisted of 6 undergraduate students at Aberystwyth university with a mean age of 21.5 years. IPA analysis was used; this analysis found two superordinate themes which were commitment with the subordinate themes of communication and spending time together and Attachment with the subordinate themes of security and maintenance behaviours. The results from this study supported previous studies and ideas such as the link between communication and relationship satisfaction (Stafford & Reske, 1990). It was concluded that students can manage LDR effectively using things such as effective communication skills and maintenance behaviours.

Introduction:

There is a wide range of existing literature that has focused on long distance relationships (LDR). Many previous studies have compared LDR with geographically close relationships (GCR) and they found that LDR can lead to negative factors such as stress a study found that the costs of travelling and the individuals being separated for long periods of time can cause high perceived stress levels for the individuals involved (Mietzner & Lin, 2005). However, in another study both individuals in LDR and GCR answered questions on online surveys on commitment, togetherness and satisfaction and it was found that there was not a significant difference between those individuals that were in LDR and those in GCR. (Peterson, 2014) Many past studies have also focused on the communication of individuals in LDR, A study by Stafford and Reske (1990) found that couples in LDR were more satisfied with their communication than those in GCR. It was concluded that communication is positively correlated with overall relationship satisfaction.

LDR’s are becoming more popular; it has been found that up to one third of relationships in universities are long distance. (Stafford & Reske, 1990) However research shows that university and college students that are in LDR’s have a lot less face to face contact than other people in LDR, and on average they would only see each other face to face once every 23 days. Which is mainly due to barriers such as distance and travel. (Pistole & Roberts, 2011). Although there are many studies looking at long distance relationships, there is limited information of how students manage LDR as many of the existing literature focuses on larger groups and individuals whose jobs results in having to have a LDR, furthermore many studies focus on the experiences of LDR and not how individuals manage them. Also, many of the existing studies use quantitative methods such as questionnaires and surveys to obtain their results. The aim of this study is to analyse ‘How do students manage long distance relationships?’

Method: Design: An interpretive phenomenological analysis on how students manage long distance relationships. Six semi structured interviews were conducted, these interviews consisted of 11 questions. (see appendix C) We ensured all of the questions were open ended to aim to collect more data and to acquire more of an understanding of the participant’s feelings and to understand their experience of managing long distance relationships. Participants: The participants consisted of 6 undergraduate students, studying at Aberystwyth University. They consisted of 4 females and 2 males, the mean age of the participants was 21.5. We gathered the participants through personal contact to partake in the study. Methodological Theory: It was decided that interpretive phenomenological Analysis (IPA) would be used to analyse the data as its primary focus is on an individual’s experiences and the different meanings an individual can interpret from their experiences. This method of analysis takes an idiographic approach meaning therefore it focuses on individual cases and experiences of how students manage long distance relationships. IPA uses the double hermeneutic approach to interpret the participant’s experiences. This is where as the participant makes sense of their own

experiences while at the same time the interviewer tries to interpret the participants of understandings of their experiences. (Sulivan, Gibson & Riley, 2012) Method of Data Collection: The data was collected through transcripts of semi structured interviews; An advantage of using semi structured interviews is that you can get more information from the participant because the interviewer can ask questions and give cues for the participant to expand their answers, therefore getting more in depth information on the participant’s experiences of managing LDR. However, a limitation is that this method of interviews is difficult to replicate as each interview could consist of different questions meaning each time you repeat the study it would get different data. The transcripts were written up from auditory recordings of the interviews, an advantage of using recordings as the method of data collection is that with recording the interview you get a more accurate account of the interview as you can write down exactly what the participant has said, rather than just making notes on what the participant has said during the interview (Opdenakker, 2006). Procedure: We conducted the interviews in the interviewer’s private houses in October 2016, each interviewer had a copy of the interview schedule (see appendix C) which included a range of questions on long distance relationships such as: How do you travel, contact and communicate? And What is it like to see each other after not seeing each other for a long time? Before the interview began we presented each participant with a consent form and the information sheet (see appendix A&B) We also remined them of the ethical considerations such as they have the right to withdraw. We aimed for each interview to last for 30 minutes. We recorded each interview then individually transcribed each one, changing any personal details that the participant mentioned such as names or places to maintain their anonymity. We then shared the transcripts as a group so each member of the group had a copy of all 6 transcripts. We then analysed each interview using the IPA method. Ethical Considerations: Before we began recording the interview we emphasised to the participants that they are not obliged to answer any questions that they do not feel comfortable answering. We also told them that they could stop the interview at any time. The audio files of the interviews were deleted off the recording devices when moved to a password protected computer that had restricted access. The audio files were not shared between the group members only the

transcripts. To ensure the participants were kept anonymous we changed their names and any names or places they mentioned during their interviews. Data Analysis: The first stage of analysing the data included reading through the transcripts and annotating each one twice; the first-time looking for significant features from the participant’s answers and the second time annotating any themes that were appearing. Then from across all the transcripts the researcher looks for connections and relationships between the different themes that have been identified and clusters the themes into different groups, and find extracts from the transcripts to give evidence for each theme. This information was then written up into a final table with two superordinate themes and the subordinate themes that fit into each superordinate theme. (see appendix D). From this table the analysis was then written up. (Pietkiewicz, I. & Smith, J.A. 2012). Reflexivity and Validity: I could have impacted on the kind of data produced as this was the first time I had interviewed someone therefore I did not have the best skills and could not think of many questions to ask the participant during the interview, consequently my interview did not last 30 minutes meaning I did not collect as much data as I could have. Analysis: Through IPA analysis many similar themes were found amongst the transcripts of each participant, the superordinate themes that this report will focus on are ‘commitment’ and ‘attachment’. Commitment: Through earlier research it could be determined that LDR require more commitment to effectively manage than GCR, this can be due to many reasons such as more time must be put into communicating, and planning to travel and visit each other. Communication: Communication has an important role in the commitment of managing a LDR as Stafford and Reske (1990) found that communication is positively correlated with overall relationship satisfaction. Most of the participants mentioned that they were in constant contact with their partner throughout the day for example participant 2 said: “We are always in contact, twentyfour/seven” (Participant 2- p1/L23) and participant 4 said: “we communicate really often (.)

we text each other a lot more than we facetime (.) we text each other pretty much all day”. (Participant 4- p1/L30) Because individuals in long distance relationships have restricted face to face contact, they may communicate frequently over social media such as texting to make up for this, also if they share information regularly this may make up for the physical distance as they are still sharing everything that they have experienced with each other. There was also a common theme across all participants that they preferred to communicate over voice or video calls, rather than texting or messaging each other. As participant 6 said “I think it’s a lot more comforting hearing his voice. Also, it means I don’t have to wait for a reply […] it feels more like an actual conversation over the phone.” (Participant 6- p1/L42) This relates to Greenburg & Neustaedter, (2012) study who found that video calls offer the individuals an opportunity for couples to share each other’s presence over distance, which is advantageous in maintaining a LDR. Time Spent together: Couples in LDR spend less time together than couples in GCR, this is because couples in LDR must put more time into visiting and committing to travel to see their partner. Many of the participants emphasised how exiting and enjoyable there time they spent together after not seeing each other for a while, participant 4 said “it’s pretty exciting to be honest (.) I think it’s a lot more (.) erm (.) exciting than if we see each other every day (.) We always have fun when we are together” (Participant 4- p2/L50) And also Participant 3 said; “It's really nice I honestly think that long distance is a good way to start a relationship because like you don't get sick of each other fast” (Participant 3- p1/L19) Both quotes emphasise that the participants appreciate spending time with their partner this relates to a study by Sahlstein (2004) who found in a qualitative report that the time a LDR couple spends apart makes them appreciate the time they spend together more and therefore this has a positive impact on the time they spend together and their relationship. However participant 2 had a different opinion on spending time with her partner as she said; “however I am saying this weekend I’d prefer if you didn’t” (Participant 2- p3/L80) She is asking her partner not to visit her, this could be because she may prefer to spend time by herself as it has been found that individuals in LDR are more independent than couples in GCR. Attachment:

Attachment can be described as an emotional bond and the tendency to uphold closeness to a preferred person who gives them a safe haven, secure base and security. (Bowlby 1982) separation from there partner can cause attachment anxieties this can lead to things such as an individual feeling stressed and lonely. This could have an impact on maintaining a LDR as it could put more pressure on the individuals to travel and visit each other more often. Security: One aspect of attachment refers to an individual’s partner giving them security several participants described this in their transcripts. Participant 1 “Yeah, and if anything happens like […] we have each other’s back, if I get upset about something I can ring him, and if he gets upset by something he can ring me” (Participant 1- p4/L176) This quote shows that the participant can depend on her partner if anything happens which will give her a sense of security because if anything happens she will know someone is there for her. By saying this, it shows that the participant and her partner have a strong attachment which relates to Pistole, Roberts & Chapman, 2010 Theory that if a couple is securely attached they will have positive views of themselves and their partner. By being securely attached then this could make the relationship easier to manage as they would have more trust and a stronger bond with each other. Relationship maintenance behaviours: Relationship maintenance behaviours are intended to assist or improve a relationship; these behaviours can include things such as openness in discussing feelings and the relationship, conflict management, and positivity (Pistole, Roberts & Chapman, 2010). Many of the participants mentioned these behaviours within their interviews participant 6 “To be honest I usually just tell him how I’m feeling. He’s good at reassuring me when I’m missing him or feeling stressed” (Participant 6- p4/L162) and participant 5 said “but we try to talk a lot about what we do and how much we miss each other. That helps a lot, I think.” (Participant 5 – p1/L29) These quotes show evidence that the participants being open and discussing their feelings with their partners. This finding relates to a study by Stafford and Merolla 2007 who found that some LDR couples compensate for physical distance by increasing and improving communication, this could therefore show that LDR partners use maintenance behaviours more than some GCP. Furthermore, using more maintenance behaviours within a relationship

will then make it easier to manage because the couple will be communicating with each other more effectively. Conclusion: It can be concluded that students manage long distance romantic relationships through several different ways from the IPA analysis we can see two superordinate themes these were; commitment with the subordinate themes which were communication and spending time together and attachment with the subordinate themes which were security and maintenance behaviours. These results contribute to existing literature by supporting ideas such as effective communication leads to overall relationship satisfaction (Stafford and Reske 1990). It also supports past theory’s and evidence of attachment (Bowlby 1982) relationship maintenance behaviours (Stafford and Merolla 2007) and appreciating time together (Sahlstein 2004). One limitation of the study could be that we used semi structured interviews to collect our data, this could be a limitation as to get in depth information from the participant on how they manage long distance relationships it depends on the interviewing skills the interviewer has; if the interviewer cannot think of questions or give the participant cues then this could result in the interview not producing enough data. However, using a semi structured interview could also be advantage as the interviewer uses the correct techniques they can get a lot of information from the participant and talk about in depth experiences. Another limitation is that the sample of participants we used in this study had an unequal gender balance; as we used 4 female participants and only 2 male participants; this could be a limitation as it could have influenced the results of the study. Research on managing long distance relationships may be developed in the future by investigating whether males and females manage relationships differently. In conclusion managing LDR can be difficult but through things such as maintenance behaviours and strong communication skills this can make it easier to maintain.

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APPENDICIES APPENDIX A- Participant Consent Form:

APPENDIX B- Participant Information Form: PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FORM

Interview study on How students manage long distance relationships Participant information form

You are being invited to take part in a study on Long distance relationships. Before you decide, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and ask me if there is anything that is not clear or if you would like more information. Thank you for reading this.

What is the purpose of the project? For an assignment for a research methods course I need to interview one person in your age group about their experiences relating to Long distance relationships. The interview will be used for the purposes of my assignment only, and will not be published as a piece of research.

Do I have to take part? Taking part in this research is entirely voluntary. If you do not want to take part, please say so. If you decide to take part, you will be given this information sheet to keep (and be asked to sign a consent form). If you decide to take part you can change your mind at any time and withdraw from the study up until 01/12/16, without giving a reason. After this date the assignment will have been handed in and your data transcript cannot be retrieved.

What will happen to me if I take part? You will be interviewed for 30 minutes on the topic of Long distance relationships at a time and place that is convenient to you. The types of questions you ...