Love Why some couples stay together and others do not

A relationship can lower the risk of depression

For ten years, researchers from various universities have been investigating questions regarding the design of partnerships and families in Germany as part of the 14-year long-term study "Panel Analysis of Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics" (Pairfam). The study will clarify basic questions about partnerships. The scientists want to find out how couples find each other, how they shape their relationship, and why some couples stay together and others do not. First research results of the University of Jena are now available.

In the long-term study, the researchers interview 12,000 people each year, including their partners, parents and children. The major project is financially supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG). A team around Prof. dr. Franz J. Neyer and Dr. med. Christine Finn has recently presented the first study results of the past two years, which were summarized in a press release of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The researchers found, among other things, that a partner with a strong sense of self-esteem can lower the risk of depression of the other partner.

Initial results of a long-term study show that a strong partner can reduce the risk of depression and that disagreements within a relationship are common causes of disconnection. (Image: Jacob Lund / fotolia.com)

A strong partner can prevent depression

"Together with our Canadian partners, we have been able to better disclose the interaction between self-esteem and depression within a relationship," Neyer explains. Although low self-esteem often strengthens a person's depression, a partner with greater self-esteem may well have a positive effect on the other partner, thus cushioning the higher risk of developing depression. Such information may help to better understand the development of mental illness.

Important relationship questions

Why do some couples spend a whole life together and others split up again? "Without a long-term study such as Pairfam, such a problem can hardly be clarified," explains Christine Finn. Only then can the development of a relationship from the beginning to the eventual failure be considered from the perspective of the two partners. The team around Finn found that the perception of the individual's needs within a relationship is critical to the course of the common path. If, for example, a person within a relationship is anxious to maintain independence, then it would be an advantage if the partner also sees it that way.

An imbalance can contribute to failure

"If there is an imbalance and someone feels he is coming too short, it will most likely not last long," explains Finn. By contrast, according to Finn, couples who agree are developing in sync and "rocking in one by one". Often not crucial crisis situations are responsible for a separation, but personal characteristics that are fixed from the beginning.

The results could contribute to shaping the society

According to Neyer, such scientific findings can help to shape society. His colleagues were able to use the information from the long-term study to find out how the views on the division of labor within a partnership have changed after the introduction of parental allowance. The scientists are particularly excited about the evaluation of the younger vintages around the turn of the millennium and how the Internet, for example, affects partnerships. (Vb)