Krapf Sandra
Institute of Sociology and Social Psychology, University of Cologne, Greinstr. 2, 50939 Cologne, Germany.
Eur J Popul. 2017 May 24;34(3):313-336. doi: 10.1007/s10680-017-9428-2. eCollection 2018 Aug.
Most romantic relationships start with a living apart together (LAT) phase during which the partners live in two separate households. Over time, a couple might decide to move in together, to separate, or to remain together while maintaining their nonresidential status. This study investigates the competing risks that partners in a LAT relationship will experience the transition to coresidence or to separation. We consider the amount of time LAT partners have to travel to see each other to be a key determinant of relationship development. For our statistical analyses, we use seven waves of the German Family Panel Pairfam (2008/2009-2014/2015) and analyze couples in the age group 20-40 years. We distinguish between short-distance relationships (the partners have to travel less than one hour) and long-distance relationships (the partners have to travel one hour or more). Estimating a competing risks model, we find that couples in long-distance relationships are more likely to separate than those living in close proximity. By contrast, the probability of experiencing a transition to coresidence is lower for LAT couples in long-distance than for those in short-distance relationships. Interaction analyses reveal that distance seems to be irrelevant for the relationship development of couples with two nonemployed (unemployed, in education or other inactive) partners.
大多数浪漫关系始于“分开同居”阶段，在此期间，伴侣双方生活在两个独立的住所。随着时间推移，情侣可能会决定搬到一起住、分开，或者保持非同居状态继续在一起。本研究调查了处于“分开同居”关系中的伴侣向同居或分居转变时面临的竞争风险。我们认为“分开同居”伴侣见面所需的出行时间是关系发展的一个关键决定因素。在统计分析中，我们使用了德国家庭小组Pairfam的七轮数据（2008/2009 - 2014/2015），并分析了年龄在20至40岁之间的情侣。我们区分了短距离关系（伴侣出行时间少于一小时）和长距离关系（伴侣出行时间为一小时或更长时间）。通过估计一个竞争风险模型，我们发现处于长距离关系中的情侣比住得近的情侣更有可能分开。相比之下，与短距离关系的“分开同居”情侣相比，长距离关系的“分开同居”情侣向同居转变的概率更低。交互分析表明，对于双方均无工作（失业、在接受教育或处于其他非活跃状态）的伴侣组成的情侣，距离似乎与关系发展无关。
