Out of the shadow: Partners managing illness together

Abstract

AbstractIn this manuscript, we critically review existing studies of managing chronic illness within the context of intimate relationships to reveal future paths for this line of inquiry. Building on the combination of insights from previous studies and our own collaborative experiences managing chronic conditions together as relationship partners to one another, we outline some ways that intersectional analyses may broaden contemporary understandings of chronic illness management, and the ways people accomplish such management individually and collectively within varied concrete situations and social locations. Further, we reveal gaps in existing knowledge concerning, for example, sexual, gender, and relationship diversity and propose some ways that narrative and experience‐based analyses may begin to close these gaps. In conclusion, we outline a series of concrete directions for furthering study of chronic illness management within intimate relationships.