Description:
The Sexual Health Laboratory and the CESAR laboratory conducted the SYNC study, which examined how couples adapt to stress. The aim of the study was to improve our understanding of how different individual and relational factors, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, intimacy and attachment, influence how couples respond to stress biologically and psychologically.
We collected data from 118 couples of all sexual orientations and gender identities.
Participation in the study involved completing online questionnaires at home which took 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and a visit to the Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal’s Research Center which lasted 2:00 to 2:30 hours. The visit also included completing questionnaires, providing saliva samples, participating in a moderately stressful activity and engaging in couple discussions. As compensation, each member of the couple received $60 for their participation in the study ($120 per couple).
To be eligible, both partners had to agree to participate; be 18 years of age or older; have been in a relationship for at least one year; and live in the Montreal area or be able to travel there 1 time for the in-person lab session.
