Experienced research assistants from a survey firm recruited 215 heterosexual couples from Hungary. The eligibility criteria were that couples should: 1) have been cohabitating for at least one year, 2) be between 25 and 65 years old, 3) have no previous history of psychiatric disorders in the past five years, and that 4) at least one spouse has active working status. Two couples were excluded from the analysis for not meeting at least one of the criteria. For our final sample, 148 couples were available for the second wave of the study, while 65 couples refused or were unavailable.
The mean age was 39.72 years for men (SD = 10.40) and 38.57 years for women (SD = 10.00). The average relationship length was 17.10 years (SD = 9.99 years). Regarding relationship status, 64 couples (43.24%) were cohabiting without marriage, and 84 were married (56.75%). More than two-thirds (70.27%) of men and 68.92% of women reported to having at least one biological child (m = 1.41 for men and m = 1.42 for women, respectively). 18.07% of participants had earned college diplomas (16.89% of men and 19.26% of women), 63.85% had earned a high-school diploma (66.22% of men and 61.49% of women) and 16.89% had completed only primary education (20.95% of men and 12.84% of women).
Prior to the data assessment we acquired ethical approval from Semmelweis IRB (SE TUKEB). Potential participants were contacted at their homes. After both partners provided their informed consent, which included their inclusion in a one-year follow up, the interviewer administered the questionnaire pack and explicitly instructed the spouses to complete the assessment procedure separately. Then the interviewer left participants to fill out the survey by themselves, and recollected completed questionnaire pack at a later date agreed by phone. All data collected were handled confidentially. All partners that participated in the study voluntarily and received a book voucher for their contribution (6000 HUF, ~ US$20 per couple) in each wave of the study. Data sampling occurred from 2013 to 2014, which makes the sample unaffected by COVID-19 pandemic.
The same procedure was repeated one year later. To examine potential drop-out bias, we compared the sample of retained to lost couples. There were no differences in the goal-related or well-being variables under analysis at baseline. Regarding the demographic variables, we detected no difference in age, relationship status, numbers of children, or level of education, but couples who withdrew from the study had relationships shorter by three years on average (t(182) = -2.236, p = 0.027).
The mean age was 39.72 years for men (SD = 10.40) and 38.57 years for women (SD = 10.00). The average relationship length was 17.10 years (SD = 9.99 years). Regarding relationship status, 64 couples (43.24%) were cohabiting without marriage, and 84 were married (56.75%). More than two-thirds (70.27%) of men and 68.92% of women reported to having at least one biological child (m = 1.41 for men and m = 1.42 for women, respectively). 18.07% of participants had earned college diplomas (16.89% of men and 19.26% of women), 63.85% had earned a high-school diploma (66.22% of men and 61.49% of women) and 16.89% had completed only primary education (20.95% of men and 12.84% of women).
Prior to the data assessment we acquired ethical approval from Semmelweis IRB (SE TUKEB). Potential participants were contacted at their homes. After both partners provided their informed consent, which included their inclusion in a one-year follow up, the interviewer administered the questionnaire pack and explicitly instructed the spouses to complete the assessment procedure separately. Then the interviewer left participants to fill out the survey by themselves, and recollected completed questionnaire pack at a later date agreed by phone. All data collected were handled confidentially. All partners that participated in the study voluntarily and received a book voucher for their contribution (6000 HUF, ~ US$20 per couple) in each wave of the study. Data sampling occurred from 2013 to 2014, which makes the sample unaffected by COVID-19 pandemic.
The same procedure was repeated one year later. To examine potential drop-out bias, we compared the sample of retained to lost couples. There were no differences in the goal-related or well-being variables under analysis at baseline. Regarding the demographic variables, we detected no difference in age, relationship status, numbers of children, or level of education, but couples who withdrew from the study had relationships shorter by three years on average (t(182) = -2.236, p = 0.027).
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