CITATION LIBRARY
Research & Sources
The Relational Intelligence™ framework is an educational model informed by independent, published research. These are the institutions whose work it builds on — and that we point readers toward.
How we use sources
When this platform makes a factual claim — about menopause, midlife health, or relationship outcomes — it should trace back to a primary, independent institution rather than to our own materials. The sources below are the reference set we hold ourselves to.
These organizations are independent of Connected Through Change. Listing them here is not an endorsement of this platform by them — it is our commitment to grounding educational content in established research instead of opinion.
Everything here is educational. It is not medical advice, not therapy, and not a substitute for care from a qualified professional.
MENOPAUSE & MIDLIFE HEALTH
The Menopause Society
menopause.org
Patient-facing education and clinical guidance from the leading nonprofit dedicated to menopause research and care.
Visit sourceHOW THIS INFORMS THE FRAMEWORK
Their clinical guidance shapes how the framework talks about the menopause transition — as a physiological season with real relational consequences, not a personality change. When our content names what is happening in the body, this is the reference set it defers to.
National Institute on Aging
nia.nih.gov
The U.S. federal research institute's plain-language overview of the menopause transition and its health implications.
Visit sourceHOW THIS INFORMS THE FRAMEWORK
The NIA's plain-language account of the transition anchors our stage language. It is why our materials describe perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause as distinct phases with different demands — and why we treat 'which stage are we in?' as an orientation question, not a diagnosis.
Office on Women's Health
womenshealth.gov
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' consumer guide to menopause — symptoms, treatment options, and long-term health.
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Their symptom and treatment overviews define the boundaries of our content: what education can responsibly explain, and what belongs with a clinician. When a topic crosses into treatment decisions, our materials point here rather than offering guidance of our own.
RELATIONSHIP & FAMILY RESEARCH
The Gottman Institute
gottman.com
Four decades of published research on what makes relationships succeed or fail — the evidence base behind modern couples work.
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Decades of observed couple interaction — especially the work on bids, turning toward, and the patterns that predict breakdown — underpin the framework's core claim: relationships erode through repeated micro-patterns, not single events. Our communication tools translate that research into daily practice.
Pew Research Center — Gray Divorce
pewresearch.org
The data behind 'gray divorce': divorce rates have roughly doubled for Americans over 50 since the 1990s.
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The gray-divorce data is the statistical backdrop for this entire platform: divorce rates for adults over 50 have roughly doubled since the 1990s even as overall rates fell. That trend is why the framework treats midlife as a distinct relational risk window that deserves its own tools and language.
Research explains what is happening. Orientation helps you see what it means for your relationship.
Explore the Context & Language →