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Christopher Sampson CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Wits Institutional Repository on DSPACE A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION OF MALE PARTNERS’ EXPERIENCE OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN SUFFERING FROM VAGINISMUS Christopher Sampson Master of Arts in Psychology by Coursework and Research Report Supervisor: Professor Gavin Ivey Department of Psychology University of the Witwatersrand TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION............................................................................................................................... 3 ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................................... 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 5 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................... 11 1.1 DEBATE AROUND THE CLASSIFICATION AND DEFINITION OF VAGINISMUS ... 12 1.2 UNDERSTANDING HOW VAGINISMUS DEVELOPS ........................................................ 18 1.3 MALE PARTNERS OF WOMEN SUFFERING FROM VAGINISMUS............................. 23 I. DESCRIPTION OF THE MALE PARTNERS ............................................................................. 23 II. HOW MALE PARTNERS EXPERIENCE VAGINISMUS ......................................................... 25 III. SEXUAL INTERACTION ............................................................................................................ 26 IV. MALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION............................................................................................... 28 V. NATURE OF THE INTERACTION BETWEEN THE COUPLE................................................ 29 VI. COUPLE DIFFICULTIES.............................................................................................................30 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHOD ........................................................................................... 33 2.1 AIMS OF THE STUDY...............................................................................................................33 2.2 SAMPLE....................................................................................................................................... 34 2.3 PROCEDURE .............................................................................................................................. 34 2.4 DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENTS .................................................................................. 35 2.5 DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................................... 35 2.6 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS................................................................................................ 38 I. VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION................................................................................................ 39 II. INFORMED CONSENT AND RIGHTS OF PARTICIPANTS.................................................... 39 III. CONFIDENTIALITY.................................................................................................................... 39 1 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION OF THE DATA ..................................................... 41 3.1 BACKGROUND OF THE PARTICIPANTS............................................................................ 41 3.2 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................. 49 I. SELF-DESCRIPTION OF THE MALE PARTNERS................................................................... 52 II. MALE PARTNERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF VAGINISMUS................................................... 58 III. IMPACT ON THE MEN AND THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR PARTNERS .................. 65 IV. SEXUAL INTERACTION ............................................................................................................ 74 V. COMMUNICATION AROUND SEX .......................................................................................... 81 VI. PRESENCE OF A COLLUSIVE BEHAVIOUR PATTERN........................................................ 85 VII. EXPERIENCE OF SEEKING TREATMENT .............................................................................. 89 VIII. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PARTICIPANTS.................................................................... 94 LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................ 95 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................... 96 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 103 TABLE 1: PARTICIPANT INFORMATION TABLE.................................................................... 109 TABLE 2: THEMES IN THE INTERVIEW DATA ....................................................................... 110 APPENDIX I: CLINIC INFORMATION SHEET .......................................................................... 111 APPENDIX II: PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET ............................................................. 113 APPENDIX III: INTERVIEW SCHEDULE ................................................................................... 115 APPENDIX IV: INFORMED CONSENT FORM TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY................. 116 APPENDIX V: INFORMED CONSENT FORM FOR RECORDING THE INTERVIEW.............. 117 APPENDIX VI: TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW: PARTICIPANT ONE......................................... 118 APPENDIX VII: TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW: PARTICIPANT TWO ....................................... 135 APPENDIX VIII: TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW: PARTICIPANT THREE .................................. 152 APPENDIX IX: TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW: PARTICIPANT FOUR ...................................... 162 APPENDIX X: TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW: PARTICIPANT FIVE.......................................... 175 APPENDIX XI: TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEW: PARTICIPANT SIX........................................... 185 2 DECLARATION I declare that this thesis is my own unaided work. It is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in Psychology by Coursework and Research Report in the Department of Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted for any other degree or examination at any other university or institution. 15th March 2007 Christopher Sampson 3 ABSTRACT There is extensive debate on how the condition of vaginismus is understood, classified and diagnosed. A significant amount of literature argues that no school of thought has adequately explained the condition, and no terminology sufficiently describes the experience of sufferers and their partners. This study explores the experiences and perceptions of male partners to contribute towards the understanding of the condition. The participants were volunteers, whose partners had sought treatment for vaginismus at a sexual and reproductive health clinic. Each participant consented to a semi-structured interview, which explored themes around their relationship and sexual interaction, and understanding of and response to vaginismus. The interview data was analysed using content analysis and various themes were drawn from the patterns identified. These themes provide a rich description of the experience of men in relationships with women diagnosed with vaginismus. There is some support for the literature findings on the male partners. The participants appear to have particular personality characteristics, which are sustained in the context of sexual and relationship difficulties associated with vaginismus. These aspects of the participants’ personalities and their social and cultural identities mediate their experience of their partner’s condition. In addition, the men’s understanding of sexual identity is strongly influenced by culturally defined norms. Although vaginismus may be conceptualised as a sexual difficulty, it can affect other aspects of the couple’s relationship. However, the condition also has the potential to amplify the importance of the relationship and lead to increased commitment. The period before seeking treatment varied considerably, and all the participants reported finding ways in which to manage the sexual difficulties. The couples’ main objective for seeking treatment was to have penetrative intercourse and/or conceive children. The process of obtaining treatment was hampered by inconsistent diagnoses and a lack of practitioners with specialized knowledge. It is recommended that future research focus on improving assessment and diagnosis of vaginismus. 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the following people for their assistance: Professor Gavin Ivey, my supervisor, for his extensive guidance, helpful commentary, and suggestions. Dr. Elna McIntosh, Glenda Bateman and the staff at the DISA clinic for their generosity of spirit, support, and time. All the participants who participated in this research for their willingness to speak candidly about their experiences. 5 INTRODUCTION The condition of vaginismus can appear inexplicable to the couple faced with its unexpected and unexplainable symptoms. "Ordinarily, when a woman is sexually aroused, the vaginal muscles relax
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