Exploring Couples’ Lived Experience of the Absence of Sexual Intimacy During the Early Years of Marriage
Keywords:
Sexual intimacy, early years of marriage, couples, lived experience, qualitative research, TehranAbstract
This study aimed to explore the lived experience of couples in Tehran regarding the absence of sexual intimacy during the early years of marriage and to identify the emotional, relational, and meaning-making patterns underlying this experience. This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological design. Participants consisted of 15 couples, equal to 30 individuals, living in Tehran, whose marriages had lasted between one and five years and who reported a decrease or absence of sexual intimacy for at least six months. Participants were selected through purposive sampling with maximum variation in age, duration of marriage, education, and employment status. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; saturation occurred with the thirteenth couple, and two additional couples were interviewed to ensure data adequacy. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo software. Data analysis led to the identification of five main categories: sexual silence and shame at the beginning of married life, emotional–bodily disconnection and reduced relational safety, transformation of sexual relations into marital duty, inequality in sexual desire, initiation, and responsiveness, and ineffective help-seeking with delayed professional referral. Participants’ experiences showed that the absence of sexual intimacy was not limited to reduced sexual frequency; rather, it was intertwined with the disappearance of intimate dialogue, perceived rejection, performance anxiety, hidden anger, bodily avoidance, and negative redefinition of the self and the spouse. The absence of sexual intimacy in the early years of marriage is a multidimensional, relational, and gradual phenomenon shaped by cultural shame, weak couple communication, emotional insecurity, gendered expectations, and delayed help-seeking. The findings highlight the need for couple therapy interventions focused on sexual communication, emotional responsiveness, and modification of dysfunctional sexual beliefs among newly married couples.
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