Prior research has focused on couples who were successful in maintaining a long-term relationship. However, there is a knowledge gap in what characterizes late-life long-term partnerships and what holds them together. Using the grounded theory, we analyzed 29 interviews with 65+ year olds (11 men, age median = 72) who were in relationships of 25+ years. We explored the present state of the relationship, looking beyond the understanding that long-term relationships, by virtue of being long, are successful. Older people saw their partnerships as indivisible, without implying that they were satisfied and, despite challenges, preferred to sustain them (a) because alternatives were perceived as poor, (b) too much would be lost, and (c) to maintain the status quo and maintain calm at every cost. Feeling indivisible implied "entrapment" to some. Others felt that peace-eliciting stability and security were enhanced by the accumulated joint experience of the partners. The findings challenge the view that later life long-term relationships are the outcome of success and point to mechanisms that keep couples together at older age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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超越成功：了解老年长期关系的特征。

之前的研究主要集中在成功维持长期关系的夫妇身上。然而，对于晚年长期伙伴关系的特征以及将它们维系在一起的因素，存在知识差距。使用扎根理论，我们分析了 29 名 65 岁以上的人（11 名男性，年龄中位数 = 72）的访谈，他们的恋爱关系年限超过 25 年。我们探讨了这种关系的现状，超越了“长期关系之所以成功”的理解。老年人认为他们的伙伴关系是不可分割的，但这并不意味着他们感到满意，尽管面临挑战，但他们更愿意维持这种伙伴关系：(a) 因为替代方案被认为是糟糕的，(b) 会损失太多，以及 (c) 维持现状现状并不惜一切代价保持冷静。对某些人来说，不可分割的感觉意味着“陷入困境”。其他人则认为，通过合作伙伴积累的共同经验，可以增强和平带来的稳定与安全。这些发现挑战了“晚年长期关系是成功的结果”的观点，并指出了让夫妻在老年时保持在一起的机制。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2023 APA，保留所有权利）。