Sexual Decision Making, 2013

Participants were recruited through online postings and classroom visits at a small Canadian university and through online postings on the websites Kijiji and Craigslist in the Greater Toronto Area. To be eligible to participate, both members of the couple had to agree to take part in the study and be over the age of 18. Eligible couples also had to see their partner several times a week and be sexually active. Interested participants who met the eligibility criteria emailed the researchers for more information about the study. After couples agreed to participate, each partner was e-mailed a unique link allowing them to access the online surveys. A total of 101 couples (95 mixed-sex, 6 same-sex) ranging in age from 18 to 53 years (M 26 years, SD 7 years) participated in the study. Nearly half the participants were cohabiting (29%), married (17%), or engaged (3%); the remaining participants were in a committed relationship, but not living together. Participants reported being involved their current relationship between 6 months and 22 years (M 4.45 years, SD 3.76 years) and identified as a diverse variety of ethnic backgrounds; 67% were White, 8% were Asian, 7% were Black, 4% were South Asian, 4% were Latin American, 4% were South East Asian, 1% were Arab/West Asian, and 5% identified as multiethnic or “other.” On the first day of the study, participants completed a 30-min background survey. Then, each day for 21 consecutive days, participants completed a 5- to 10-min daily survey. Participants were asked to begin the study on the same day as their romantic partner and to refrain from discussing their responses with their partner until the completion of the study. Each participant was paid up to $40 CAD (in gift cards) for completing the background and daily surveys; payment was prorated based on the number of daily diaries completed. Participants completed an average of 18 (of 21) daily surveys (M 18.48, SD 5.06, range 1–21). Participants also completed a 3 month follow-up survey.