Tracing Relationship Commitment, 1992-1998

This dataset comes from a longitudinal study of a random sample of 232 coupled partners (464 individuals) in heterosexual, dating, romantic relationships. All participants were never-married, dating someone of the opposite sex, and between the ages of 19 to 35. Due to the random sample, the ethnicity and SES of the participants was reflective of the population of Austin, Texas, USA which was where the sample was drawn. The average age was approximately 23. The sample was 69% White, 7.5% African-American, 16.4% Hispanic or Latino, and 5.8% Asian or Pacific Islander. See attached demographic fact sheet for more information. We collected data once per month for nine months as well as a brief 5-year follow-up. During one of the phases, we also conducted a daily diary over 9 days. Data were collected with face-to-face interviews with each partner separately. Phase 1 was a 2-3 hour interview. Phase 2 consisted of interviews lasting 15-30 minutes once per month for seven months. Phase 3 was a 2-3 hour interview that replicated Phase 1. Phase 4 was 5-year follow-up on breakup, marriage, and cohabitation. The project also includes a full version of a commitment graphing procedure described in the referenced Ogolsky, Surra, and Monk, 2016 citation. The study was approved by the University of Illinois IRB #17875