Intimacy and Emotional Well-Being in Partners Living With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Women
Abstract
Objective. PCOS is a persistent medical condition that can act as a vulnerability to psychological
well-being and reduce marital satisfaction. Chronic illness that makes an individual vulnerable to poorer
health greatly reduces marital satisfaction and intimacy in a relationship. This study aimed to find out the
association between emotional intimacy, social intimacy, and emotional well-being in partners living with
PCOS women.
Method. The study used a correlational cross-sectional research design. The sample consisted of N=76
couples of PCOS women and their husbands. Emotional Intimacy Scale (Sinclair & Dowdy, 2005), Miller
Social Intimacy Scale (Miller & Lefcourt, 1982), and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (Teede,
et al. 2018)were used for data collection from men and PCOSQOL Scale(Williams, et al. 2018) was used for
assessment of HRQOL from women.
Results. Pearson product-moment correlation analysis revealed that HRQOL of women is significantly
positively correlated with emotional intimacy, social intimacy, and emotional well-being of partners living
with PCOS women. Furthermore, it was revealed that Emotional intimacy and social intimacy are
significantly positively correlated with emotional well-being. Hierarchal regression analysis found emotional
intimacy and social intimacy as significant positive predictors of emotional well-being.
Conclusion. It was a unique contribution to the field of health, family, and counseling psychology. It can
help in understanding problems associated with management and adherence in PCOS women. It also
highlights the impact of these types of metabolic chronic illnesses on the family members and their spouses.
It is a very initial study that could act as a groundwork that could help healthcare providers to raise awareness
about the psychological well-being of couples where women are suffering from PCOS, and design and create
couple-based interventions for PCOS women and their partners.
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References
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