Open Research Projects

Open Relationships Study

The Open Relationship Study is being conducted by PhD student Lauren McRae to learn more about the experiences of individuals in open relationships. Lauren and grad student Shulamit Sternin interviewed 12 participants about how their relationships began, their boundaries, communication, support, and sense of community. Lauren aims to better understand the motives individuals have for initiating their open relationships, and the strategies they use to maintain their relationships, and the challenges they face in doing so. This project is the basis of Lauren's PhD dissertation work. 

Consensual Non-Monogamy Study

We are conducting a study to learn about the experiences of people who are in ethical (sometimes called consensual) non-monogamous (ENM) relationships. We interviewed participants about their relationship history, family, friends, experiences of stigma, sexual experiences, and their identity as individuals in ENM relationships. We are particularly interested in how individuals in ENM relationships foster satisfaction with their partners, and how they manage support, conflict, and jealousy. Based on the analysis of the interviews, we will develop measures of relationship and sexual quality that are based on the experiences of individuals in ENM relationships.