Strain and intimate relations

Abstract

Introduction Affectional expression plays an important role in the dyadic adjustment in couples. It measures the individual's satisfaction towards emotionality and sexuality expression in the relationship (1). This study aims to analyse the association between strain and affectional expression. Material and Method We selected 30 patients who declared themselves strained for the experimental group and 30 patients who declared not to be strained for the control group. We analysed the association between strain and agreement on sex relations and also the association between strain and feeling too tired for sex. Microsoft Excel and MedCalc were used for statistics Results The statistical analysis showed that subjects who declared themselves strained at the moment of evaluation had 14,5 more times disagreements with their partner regarding sex relations [OR=14,5, 95% CI (1,7177-122,4), P=0,0140]. Even though strained subjects were 1,96 times more tired for sex than subjects who did not consider themselves strained at the moment, the value did not reach statistical significance [OR=1,96, 95% CI (0,7023-5,4788), P=0,1986]. Conclusion The affectional expression is being disturbed by the current state of strain, especially the couples' agreement on intimate relations. In order to avoid separation and divorce, there is need of psychotherapy, support and campaigns targeting strain, anxiety, depression, work-life balance and importance of sleep.