Experiences Of Intimate Relationships Research Articles

Parental role in intimate relationships: Comparing adults with and without intellectual disabilities

ABSTRACT Background Adults with intellectual disabilities experience higher rates of exploitative intimate relationships. Parents of these adults play important roles in their lives. This study examined the role of parents in the intimate relationship experiences of adults with intellectual disabilities. Method A mixed methods design was utilised. Parents compared experiences between their adult child with intellectual disabilities and typically developing adult child. An online survey was completed by 50 parents in the United States, and follow-up phone/video interviews were completed concurrently with a subset of 20 parents. Results Parents reported increased involvement in relationships of their adults with intellectual disabilities. They discussed different barriers and expectations for these relationships compared to typically developing children. Parents struggled to determine appropriate levels of involvement in the romantic relationships of their children with intellectual disabilities. Conclusion This study highlights the need for coaching and mentoring for parents to help them navigate experiences successfully.

The Intimate Relationship Experiences of Women Engaged in Transactional Sex Work in Barbados.

This phenomenological study, consisting of individual interviews with a sample of 30 women engaged in sex work, examines the intimate relationships of women engaged in sex work in Barbados. Participants often entered relationships with men they met while engaged in sex work. Most experienced relationships that became transactional, abusive, and exploitative. Intimate partner violence (IPV) challenged their ability to negotiate condom use with intimate partners placing them at risk for HIV. A cycle emerged of entering relationships to exit the violent conditions of sex work and then re-entering sex work to escape IPV. Implications for mental health, HIV prevention, IPV, and empowerment services are described.

Closeness-inducing discussions with a romantic partner increase cortisol and testosterone

Despite progress in understanding the social neuroendocrinology of close relationship processes, most work has focused on negative experiences, such as relationship conflict or stress. As a result, much less is known about the neuroendocrine implications of positive, emotionally intimate relationship experiences. In the current study, we randomly assigned 105 dating or married couples to a 30-minute semi-structured discussion task that was designed to elicit either high or low levels of closeness. Participants provided pre- and post-task saliva samples (to assess cortisol and testosterone) and post-task reports of self-disclosure, closeness, attraction, positive and negative affect, and stress. Participants found the discussion conditions comparably positive and enjoyable, but those in the high-closeness condition reported that they disclosed marginally more and felt marginally closer to their partners than those in the low-closeness condition. Participants also showed larger increases in cortisol and testosterone during the high (versus low) closeness discussion, and self-reported disclosure mediated these increases in cortisol and testosterone. Self-reported closeness and other theoretically plausible mediators, such as sexual attraction and excitement, did not mediate changes in either hormone. Taken together, the current findings contribute to our understanding of neuroendocrine changes associated with emotionally intimate relationship experiences. We consider possible explanations for the hormone changes we observed and offer directions for future research on the neuroendocrine implications of close relationship experiences.

Experiences of intimate relationships, stigma, social support and treatment adherence among HIV-positive adolescents in Chiredzi district, Zimbabwe

This study explored experiences of intimate relationships, stigma, social support and treatment adherence among HIV-positive adolescents in Chiredzi district, Zimbabwe. The study adopted an interpretive qualitative methodology to explore the intricacies of living with HIV as an adolescent. Thirty (N = 30) adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years participated in this study. They were recruited while attending social support or during their routine visits to collect antiretrovirals. In-depth interviews were conducted to generate data. Adolescents were asked about their romantic lives and the difficulties they faced while living with HIV. Findings revealed that adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) are confronted with stigma and discrimination. They also grapple with emotional issues such as dealing with disclosure. However, social support minimises the risk of harbouring suicidal thoughts. To the various challenges ALHIV face, most of them (particularly males) adopt several coping mechanisms. These include (but are not limited to) non-disclosure of their seropositive status to sexual partners, thereby risking reinfection and exposing their partners to HIV. Non-disclosure of seropositive status contributed to either poor antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence or defaulting on HIV medication. A life-cycle approach to HIV prevention and management is crucial to mitigating the challenges faced by ALHIV because risks of HIV infection, challenges of access to HIV services and solutions to these challenges change at different stages of someone’s life. This scenario justifies the necessity of a holistic bio-psychosocial approach to managing HIV among adolescents, not only limited to the client, but also involving appropriate education programmes for the broader community.

"The Strength to Leave": Women With Disabilities Navigating Violent Relationships and Occupational Identities.

Being in an intimate relationship is a desired occupation for many people, in particular for women living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where relationships can provide material support, intimacy, and social integration and increase chances of survival. To explore accounts of navigating intimate relationships from women with disabilities in Sierra Leone. A qualitative study was conducted, guided by a critical occupational approach and informed by feminist disability scholarship. Data were generated through interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Community-based across four districts of Sierra Leone. Thirteen women with disabilities were recruited by means of snowball and purposive sampling. Four themes were generated that illuminated the women's experiences of intimate relationships as viewed through the lens of gender and disability dimensions. The overarching theme, "violence in intimate relationships," describes the incidences of violence and abuse they experienced. "Becoming a wife" explores the women's occupational identity wishes. "Leaving as an occupational rupture" illuminates the actions the women took to end the relationship. "Mothering as an occupational identity and resource" focuses on the women's role as mothers and transitions in their occupations. Taking their unique narratives into account draws attention to how the women have met their occupational needs and resisted occupational injustices, enabled by social and structural supports, including their children, disability social benefits, and their engagement in the disability rights movement. Implications are directed at socially committed occupational therapists to address systemic issues of disability- and gender-based violence. What This Article Adds: This study adds much-needed knowledge in an area in which there is a paucity of research: the experiences of women with disabilities being in an intimate relationship as a social occupation in an LMIC. The results illuminate the importance of considering the systemic issues that affect the social occupations of women with disabilities, particularly in light of the shift within occupational therapy practice toward developing a socially transformative focus.

Love and Romantic Relationships in the Voices of Patients Who Experience Psychosis: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis.

Love is a universal experience that most people desire. A serious, long-term, and stigmatized illness makes entering and maintaining close relationships difficult, however. Ten persons, who have been diagnosed with schizophrenia, and lived with their illness for between years and decades of their lifetimes, shared their stories. They reported how the illness has influenced their emotional experiences regarding love and their intimate relationship experiences. We present here a qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of their narratives. This analysis has been done with an explicit intention to give voice to the patient’s perspective. The results highlight how illness adjustment and hospitalizations have an alienating effect on relationships through stigmatization and self-stigmatization; how illness creates psychological obstacles to love, such as diminished trust toward oneself and others; and how long-term patients experience practical difficulties in creating and sustaining relationships, such as poverty. Moreover, we show how patients experience changes in sexuality and the risks involved in it and discuss possible coping strategies from their perspectives.

Love in Crisis? How Young Women’s Ideas and Experiences of Intimate Relationships are Reshaped by Conditions of Economic Austerity in Greece

This study seeks to examine intimate relationships and attitudes towards such ties, among Greek young women (n = 36). In the wake of challenging structural situations surrounding the effects of economic austerity in Greece, the accounts of these young women are understood with reference to their options on finding and sustaining intimate relationships. It is argued that these accounts are filtered by the conditions of austerity, leading some women to question traditional ideas of patriarchy, gender norms and the desirability of maintaining ties with economically inactive men. However, the language through which the young women articulated experiences and attitudes towards intimate relations is highly individualising. These issues are assessed in the context of research on emerging adulthood focusing on how attitudes and practices relating to intimacy can be re-shaped through economic contexts.

(No) time for love: Reflecting on relationships in psychotherapy

ABSTRACTThis paper presents a response to the six papers comprising this special issue on Love, Sex and Psychotherapy in a Postromantic Era. The theme of temporality is explored in reading the papers: specifically, time in terms of self-other development and the capacity to relate to others as a separate subjectivity, the social and cultural context in which we are situated, and temporality in psychotherapy. In responding to the papers, it is argued that psychoanalysis perhaps never was a ‘romantic’ endeavour, recognising as it does the fantasies and fictions involved in the idea of unconditional, and everlasting love. Rather, it recognises the role of being able to tolerate love and hatred in the experience of intimate relationships, whatever its forms.

Love with HIV: A Latent Class Analysis of Sexual and Intimate Relationship Experiences Among Women Living with HIV in Canada.

Love remains hidden in HIV research in favor of a focus on risk. Among 1424 women living with HIV in Canada, we explored (1) whether eight facets of sex and intimacy (marital status, sexual activity, physical intimacy, emotional closeness, power equity, sexual exclusivity, relationship duration, and couple HIV serostatus) may coalesce into distinct relationship types, and (2) how these relationship types may be linked to love as well as various social, psychological, and structural factors. Five latent classes were identified: no relationship (46.5%), relationships without sex (8.6%), and three types of sexual relationships-short term (15.4%), long term/unhappy (6.4%), and long term/happy (23.2%, characterized by equitable power, high levels of physical and emotional closeness, and mainly HIV-negative partners). While women in long-term/happy relationships were most likely to report feeling love for and wanted by someone "all of the time," love was not exclusive to sexual or romantic partners and a sizeable proportion of women reported affection across latent classes. Factors independently associated with latent class membership included age, children living at home, sexism/genderism, income, sex work, violence, trauma, depression, HIV treatment, awareness of treatment's prevention benefits, and HIV-related stigma. Findings reveal the diversity of women's experiences with respect to love, sex, and relationships and draw attention to the sociostructural factors shaping intimate partnering in the context of HIV. A nuanced focus on promoting healthy relationships and supportive social environments may offer a more comprehensive approach to supporting women's overall sexual health and well-being than programs focused solely on sexual risk reduction.

Autistic women’s experience of intimate relationships: the impact of an adult diagnosis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of intimate relationships of women who have been diagnosed with Autism in adulthood. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were used to interview eight participants. The data were transcribed and analysed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. Findings Four overall themes were identified. These included “Response to the diagnosis and receiving more information about Autism”, “Factors influencing dating behaviour”, “Sex and sexual experiences” and “Experience of intimate relationships as a person with Autism”. Research limitations/implications The results of this study have implications for both research and clinical practice as it highlights the areas in which women newly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could benefit from support. Practical implications The study hopes to add to the limited existing research on adult women with ASD. Originality/value To date no similar research has investigated the same phenomenon through a similar method.

This is Abuse?: Young Women\u2019s Perspectives of What\u2019s \u2018OK\u2019 and \u2018Not OK\u2019 in their Intimate Relationships

This Welsh study explored young women’s understandings of what it means to have a healthy relationship, including the negotiations of their identity and behaviour within their intimate relationships. This study was completed in seven schools in North Wales. An attitudinal questionnaire (n = 220) was used in order to explore their gendered attitudes, followed by a series of semi-structured interviews with 25 young women aged 15–18, focused on evaluating their experiences of intimate relationships, including the impact of everyday forms of harassment and abuse experienced in schools and beyond. The results indicate that there was a general resistance to, and justification of, somewhat subtle forms of coercion, harassment and control. The findings from the questionnaire and the interviews diverge; however, the journey on both paths reveals an image of young women unable to draw on a narrative of choice in order to assert their voices, their individual needs or negotiate their pre-determined relationship script. Overall, the young women lacked the power to operationalise their egalitarian attitudes in order to engage in relationships that adhere to the description of what they expect, want or desire within a ‘healthy relationship’. This study contributes to the debate on how young women negotiate the conflicts inherent in the contemporary constructions of gender and intimate relationships. The findings suggest the importance of a comprehensive educational approach, with young people focused on promoting gender equality and healthy relationships.

Relational Resilience: Intimate and Romantic Relationship Experiences of Women with Serious Mental Illness

AbstractThe present qualitative study was conducted with 20 women with serious mental illness (SMI) in order to better characterise their romantic and intimate relationship experiences. Grounded theory methodology directed the identification of intimate and romantic relationships themes for women with SMI, which included the following:function matching, pathologising problems, symptom interference, dating deal breakers, sexual foreclosure, dating deprioritised,andrelational resilience strategies.Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Sexuality and intimacy among people with serious mental illness: a qualitative systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the best available qualitative evidence on the experiences and support needs of people with serious mental illness (SMI) regarding sexuality and intimacy within hospital and community settings. The objectives were to explore intimate relationship experiences of people with SMI, to uncover potential obstacles to the expression of sexuality and to present recommendations for mental health policy, education, research and practice. Mental health services worldwide have seen major transformations in recent years through deinstitutionalization programs and more enlightened ways of organizing and providing mental health care. However, in terms of social and emotional wellbeing, issues persist for people with SMI, particularly relating to intimacy and the expression of sexuality. This systematic review may assist service providers to determine ways that they may better support people in establishing and maintaining satisfying intimate relationships and the full expression of their sexuality. This review explored the intimacy and sexuality experiences, perceptions and concerns of people over the age of 18 years who were living with a SMI in hospital or community settings. This review considered studies that focused on qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research and feminist research. The databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase and Web of Science were utilised in the review. The search included studies published from 1995 up to and including February 6, 2018 and were limited to those in the English language. Each paper was assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Any disagreements that arose between the reviewers were resolved through discussion. Data extraction was conducted by two independent reviewers using the standardized qualitative data extraction tool from JBI. The qualitative research findings were pooled using JBI methodology. The JBI process of meta-aggregation was used to identify categories and synthesized findings. Based on the thematic findings from the 21 studies, three synthesized findings were extracted from 10 categories and 83 findings: 1) the complexity of individual sexual experiences, 2) the clinical constructs of sexuality and 3) family and partner involvement. Having fulfilling and satisfying sexual and relationship experiences is a fundamental human right that can enhance an individual's quality of life. Being aware of the potential stresses and challenges that having a SMI can have on a relationship and involving partners in the treatment, may help to promote intimacy and recovery. Practitioners can use these findings to guide future policy, education and developments in practice. Further research is required to develop and evaluate interventions that target the identified barriers and help people with SMI to fulfil their unmet sexuality and intimacy needs.

A qualitative study of female caregiving spouses' experiences of intimate relationships as cognition declines in Parkinson's disease.

Backgroundthe complex and progressive nature of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and cognitive impairment may necessitate a care provider, a role which is frequently undertaken by a spouse. Providing and receiving care related to dementia impacts on a couple’s partnership and may result in decreased intimacy and relationship satisfaction.Objectiveto explore the changes in long-term intimate relationships in Parkinson’s-related dementia, as perceived by spouses providing care to their partners.Methodsparticipants were identified using purposive sampling. Twelve female spouses whose partners had PD and mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), PD dementia (PDD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) completed semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Transcribed data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) were applied.Resultscouples’ relationship satisfaction, intimacy and communication had already reduced in the mild cognitive impairment stage of PD, but the decline in these domains was markedly greater with the emergence of dementia. Increased spousal care responsibilities resulted in partners spending more time together, but feeling emotionally more distanced. Several participants’ roles transitioned from spouse to caregiver and they reported feelings of frustration, resentment, anger, sadness and a worry for the future. Cognitive impairment was significantly harder to accept, manage and cope with than the motor symptoms of PD. Spouses acknowledged their marital commitments and exhibited acceptance, adjustment, resilience and various coping strategies.Conclusionthis is the first study exploring relationship satisfaction in Parkinson’s-related dementia and has provided valuable insight into the changing patterns of intimate relationships.

Sexuality and intimacy among people with serious mental illness in hospital and community settings: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

The aim of this review is to synthesize the best available qualitative evidence on the experiences and support needs of people with serious mental illness (SMI) regarding sexuality and intimacy within hospital and community settings. The objectives of the present study are.

Views and Experiences of People with Intellectual Disabilities Regarding Intimate Relationships: A Qualitative Metasynthesis

The aims of this review were to systematically identify, critically appraise and synthesize the results of existing qualitative literature exploring the views and experiences of intimate relationships amongst people with intellectual disabilities. Fourteen peer-reviewed articles were identified through a systematic search of eight databases, reference lists, citations, and relevant journals. The identified articles were appraised for quality, then synthesized using a metaethnography approach. No study met all quality criteria and references to ethical approval were often lacking. Interpretation of the findings suggested three key themes: the meaning of intimate relationships, external constraints and facilitators, and managing external constraints. Though many people with intellectual disabilities desire and benefit from intimate relationships, they experience restrictions that others do not, which can lead to isolation and loneliness. Intimate relationships are not always necessarily linked with sexual behavior; therefore, intimate relationships warrant their own focus in future research, as well as in education and training for people with intellectual disabilities and their caregivers. Within this, a commitment to transparency over research processes is needed, in particular with reference to how ethical approval was obtained, since this has been a shortcoming of research with this focus to date.

“Only in My Dreams Could Happen”- A Greek Gay Man’s Experience of Intimate Relationships in a Country that Has Just Passed a Same-Sex Union Law; a Qualitative Study Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

This study investigated how a Greek gay man experienced his homosexuality over the course of his life, while living in Greece. Research has shown that sexuality does not play an important role in variables such as intimacy, and love (Elizur - Mintzer, 2003; Wagner, Remien - Carballo-Dieguez, 2000). Social and cultural parameters however affect sexuality acceptance and psychological wellbeing (Bader, 2009; Wight, LeBlanc - Lee Badgett, 2013). In the Greek society many gay men over the years chose to conceal their sexual identity out of fear of harassment (Veremis et al, 2013). Greece however has just passed a new same-sex union law aiming at giving equal rights to homosexual couples. This study based on a single interview case, aimed at interpreting the participant’s reality under the premises of Interpretative phenomenological analysis. The participant, a 42 year old gay man, participated in an one hour semi-structured interview. Four themes emerged as a result of the transcript analysis; the need to be normal; time as a construct in his life; the importance of micro and macro environment; dealing with feelings and emotions. The participant’s need for safety and comfort, the emotional implication from lack of it, as well as his positive emotions as a result of intimacy, love and wide acceptance have emerged from the analysis of the theme “dealing with feelings and emotions”. The findings of the analysis are supported by existing literature. The nature of this qualitative study has helped the researcher to give voice to the participant and to analyze his experiences and concerns from a psychological perspective (Larkin, Watts, - Clifton, 2006).

The Experience of Intimate Relationships Among Homosexual Men in Malaysia

Malaysia is relatively conservative regarding topics like sex, and, especially, research on homosexual relationships is scarce. The current study aims to understand the experience of intimate relationships among homosexual men in Malaysia using a phenomenological qualitative approach. A total of 12 participants of various ethnic backgrounds (between 21 and 35 years of age) were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling via the Malaysian-based LGBT-friendly Facebook group. Thematic analysis was applied for data analysis, and themes emerged through looking into the perception and practice of intimate relationships. The findings of the current study reflect that the hetero-normative perception of intimate relationships is common among the participants, and is compatible with the cultural norms. However, in terms of sexual practices, the findings show similarities with more liberal parts of the world, as open relationships and casual sex is common among homosexual men. Hence, open relationships are being adopted as a strategy to improve the survivability of the relationship instead of just to satisfy sexual needs. The findings highlight the lack of a frame of reference for homosexual relationships in Malaysia. The current study adds to the scarce research on homosexuality in this country, which could assist professional helpers to better understand the different dynamics and beliefs of relationships among homosexual men and the challenges they may face.

Experiences of intimate relationships in young men who sexually offended during adolescence: interviews 10 years later

ABSTRACTIntimate relationships and sexuality are important, but often complicated, aspects of life. In this study we examined experiences of intimate relationships and sexuality in 20 young men, aged 22–31 years, who had sexually offended during adolescence. The participants were interviewed and the transcripts were thematically analysed. The main picture observed was that of young men with unfulfilled needs and a low capacity to meet those needs. Additionally, the men’s experiences of intimate relationships and sexuality seemed to be affected by their experience of having sexually offended. Some men longed for closeness with a partner but were afraid of getting too close. Others distanced themselves from relationships, claiming that they did not need others. These findings may demonstrate the men’s self-protective strategies for handling their identification as sexual offenders. These 20 men could also have been struggling with universal questions about closeness and sexuality while bearing other burdens, such as mistrust in others and feelings of shame, that interfered with this struggle.

The Experiences of Intimate Relationships by People with Intellectual Disabilities: A Qualitative Study

People with intellectual disabilities face attitudinal and service barriers when attempting to form intimate relationships. To date, their experiences and views are under-represented in the existing evidence base. The aim of this study was to carry out an interpretative phenomenological analysis exploring the experience of intimate relationships for nine adults with intellectual disabilities. Four main themes were identified: desiring relationships; expressing sexuality; having relationships; and who has control? Together these themes demonstrated that intimate relationships were desired and important to all participants, fulfilling a variety of their needs. In addition, participants faced a number of challenges related to intimate relationships. The findings raise questions about how best to support people with intellectual disabilities with sexuality and intimate relationships. Implications for caregivers and services are discussed.