Relationship distress monitor: estimating levels of adult couple relationship distress across the UK

Summary

Evidence shows that good quality relationships are central to good health and wellbeing – for adults and children – while distressed relationships are major risk factors for poor mental and physical health.

However, until now, we have lacked detailed national data on levels of relationship distress. This report provides new analysis of data from the Understanding Society survey to estimate the proportion and number of people nationally who are in relationships which would be characterised within clinical practice as ‘distressed’. It finds nearly 1-in-5 (18%) people (2.87 million) are in relationships which could be characterised as ‘distressed’.