The importance of romantic relationships for people over the age of 60 is currently being investigated and participants are required for the research.

"We are hoping to identify the most important elements of successful romantic relationships, and how these factors influence one another,' explained Kate Burke, a trainee clinical psychologist at NUI Galway.

Ms Burke has created a questionnaire about this topic and is looking for at least 200 people to participate. Participants must be over the age of 60 and be in a romantic relationship, or have been in one in the last 10 years.

While it is already known that successful romantic relationships benefit both psychological and physical wellbeing, research in this are is usually carried out using younger couples.

"Older adults are largely neglected when it comes to this kind of research, with the focus being on younger people and newlyweds. However, I think older people have a lot of experience and can offer a different perspective that younger people can't," Ms Burke explained.

She has already starting researching this topic using both younger and older people.

"So far, in testing this research area, we think that older people see honesty as being the fundamental driver of all other elements of successful romantic relationships.

"Honesty is an interesting concept as it involves self-disclosure and risks putting an individual in a vulnerable position, and yet the ability to disclose honestly can facilitate a deeper level of intimacy in the relationship," she explained.

She said that the older group were able to draw on their experiences and recognise honesty as being critical to the long-term success of a romantic relationship.

For younger adults, communication and trust were found to be key and all age groups recognised the importance of intimacy.

However, there were also differences between the two groups when it came to identifying what makes a relationship a success.

Older adults placed more importance on religion, respect and companionship, while younger adults placed more importance on love, compatibility and attraction.

"The survey will hopefully build on our previous findings and provide some statistical information about this interesting topic, allowing us to learn more about what's important in loving relationships for older people," Ms Burke said.

The survey should only take about 30 minutes to complete. Anyone wishing to participate can log onto https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MBNJ9CL

Alternatively, you can obtain a survey form by calling Ms Burke on 087 945 1299 or emailing kateburke85@gmail.com