Project investigator Dr. Terri Orbuch interviews EYM participants
In 1986, we began the Early Years of Marriage Study (EYM) at the University of Michigan's Survey Research Center. We interviewed people in the Detroit Metropolitan Area in the first year of marriage, and in many cases, in subsequent years as well. We just finished our 18th year of the project. We have long-term information on over 740 individuals! The respondents in our study are White American and Black American individuals who all married in the Detroit Metropolitan area.
This study has become one of the most important surveys on marriage and family life. We continue to analyze the information we have collected in previous interviews, while at the same time plan for future interviews.
By looking at what people told us about their lives together, we are able to see what early adjustments contribute to a stable or happy marriage. In addition, as we interview divorced individuals about their lives, we can begin to look at adjustment and coping to divorce. What factors predict better adjustment and well being after divorce?
We also have been exploring the influence of children, the economy, women's work outside the home, in-laws, courtship patterns, conflict and love on marriages. Many of our respondents had children by the third year of marriage. The birth of a child or additional children raises new issues and concerns. In spite of the burdens and responsibilities that children may bring, they also became a source of fulfillment. Further, today more than ever, married couples must have two wage earners in the family to survive or be comfortably situated. When both husband and wife work, this may create additional issues for the couple to confront. In particular, it raises challenges for many about who does what around the house. We find that womens employment outside the home is not as problematic as was once thought, although it often depends on whether women work outside the home mostly for the money or for the satisfaction that working may bring. These are just a few of the many topics and issues that we have explored using the data from the Early Years of Marriage Project.
There have been many articles, chapters and books published using information from the Early Years of Marriage Project. Please visit our publications page to see those references. Many of you know that there have been two books published from the findings of this study. The first is Marital Instability , published by Greenwood Press. It describes many factors that influence the stability of marriages in the early years. The second book, Thrice Told Tales: Married Couples Tell Their Stories, was published by Lawrence Erlbaum Publishing. We are now in the process of writing a third book.
You are so important to the continuation of our research. To help in preparation of planned future surveys, we want to keep in touch with all of our respondents. Those of you who have participated in this study in the past are invaluable to our research. If you are visiting this website and have changed your address or place of residence, please complete the on-line update form. This website will continue to operate for quite some time and will be a good place for you to check back about the current status of the study or to update us when you move. Also, if you have experienced a new transition in your life (e.g., new child, new job, divorce), please use the on-line update form to let us know about your transition. In addition, we send out yearly newsletters to all respondents. An updated form will help us send the newsletter to you!
We also want to assure you that we have continued to take elaborate measures to ensure each participant's privacy and confidentiality. Each of our professional interviewers and researchers is required to sign a yearly Oath of Confidentiality. Results from our study are only reported in statistical form which will not permit any identification of individuals participating in our study.
We will continue to update you about our project. In the meantime, please complete the on-line update form. This information is vital to our project. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you for your continued participation!!!
If you need to contact a therapist, you might seek assistance from one of the local community health centers listed below.
Crisis Centers and Community Health Centers
Macomb County
Crisis Center
(586) 307-9100
Phone only -- 24 hours
Oakland County
Common Ground/Sanctuary
(248) 456-0909 Phone & Walk-in 24 hours
(800) 231-1127
St Clair County
Center for Human Resources
(888) 225-4447
Phone-- 24 hours Walk-in M-F 9-5
Wayne County
Community Behavioral Health
(313) 224-0522
(313) 224-7000
Phone only-- 24 hours TD
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Updated on 31 August 2006 by C. Talaska