Finding ways to maintain a long-distance relationship

The number of couples in long-distance relationships is on the rise, owing primarily to the decrease in job security that means many couples have to spend time apart if both are to remain employed and/or create stability of location for their family. Ease of travel, plus the fact that many young adults already in a relationship choose to go to university mean that rates are particularly high for couples in their 20s and 30s.

So what factors differentiate long-term relationships from those where couples live together or nearby, and are those in LDRs more likely than others to split up?

The factors that matter most to individuals in a relationship - trust, mutual commitment, good communication, comfortable levels of independence for each, and mutually satisfying levels of intimacy - are the same whether couples live together, nearby or far apart. There are, however, unique challenges faced by those in LDRs. Brooks Aylor at La Salle University reviewed the relevant literature and found four factors that set LDRs apart from other relationships.