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This article engages with the installation of the Iranian artist Minoosh Zomorodinia, Knots and Ripples (2017), through what we call “unsettling intimacies”. This concept is inspired by philosopher Mariana Ortega’s notion of “aesthetic unsettlement”. In our reworked application of the concept, we argue that in this mixed-media installation, an unsettling intimacy emerges that connects different tropes of Otherness (migrant and nature) in the context of global climate change. Through our engagement with the installation and conversations with the artist, we suggest that Knots and Ripples enacts a complex, posthuman, affective space of response-ability that draws on poetics, ethics and politics of affective communality beyond the boundaries of human and nonhuman. Following the artist’s conceptual metaphor of dakhil (tying a knot into a string for a wish to come true), and connecting it to unsettling intimacies, we engage with water as a posthuman figuration, one that connects an Iranian cultural practice, Islam, a hijab-wearing female artist, water vulnerabilities and more in hopes of liveable futures. Dakhil becomes a collective approach to the idea of thinking the world otherwise, that is to say a world-making practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liam is a young man with Down Syndrome who I met during 16 months of ethnographic research in Montréal, Québec among intellectually disabled adults and their caregivers. Liam introduced me to his sockfriends, a group of socks that Liam understands as friends that his family understands as inanimate objects. Building on the conceptual foundations of queer kinship and intimacy, I analyze Liam's relations with his sockfriends through the lens of what I call crip intimacy. I develop crip intimacy as an opportunity to think through the lived experience of intellectual disability, of being sexually regulated, and of being denied access to certain normative forms of intimacy. I draw on the work of queer and disabled scholars who analyze how conditions of sexual oppression, stigmatization, and ableism have given rise to particular kinds of kinship formations and intimacies between humans, non-humans, and others. POINTS OF INTEREST: Intellectually disabled people are often desexualized by their caregivers and support workers. Concerns about hypersexuality and vulnerability mean that the sexuality of intellectually disabled people is often framed as a problem that needs to be managed. This article discusses the way that a young intellectually disabled man navigates his sexuality under conditions of sexual surveillance and regulation with a set of socks he calls sockfriends. Through intimacy with non-human objects ('sockfriends'). the young man asserts his sexual agency and refuses his own dehumanization, or what I theorize as 'crip intimacy'. The young man's family also become involved in crip intimacy with sockfriends in meaningful and transformative ways. This article is based on data collected through ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation and interviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the relationship dynamics among families who were uprooted from their traditional communities because of conflict in Marawi City in the southern Philippines. The study specifically explores the areas of family communication, family intimacy, and family conflict domains in households of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Data were drawn from 266 IDP marital couples through an assisted survey. Through statistical comparisons, the study was able to establish that the frequency and quality of communication and intimacy patterns fell while family conflict increased. A t-Test also indicates the decreased trajectory of the quality of familial relationship in displacement compared to prior displacement. These results underpin the fact that war harms family harmony. The study argues that the government, through their social welfare offices, being at the forefront of social care intervention, should consider providing family therapy as a specific assistance to IDPs. More than ensuring a strengthened family bond, the benefit of undergoing family therapy is vital because it may have implications for the pace by which IDP families build back better. Future studies may explore the effectiveness of family therapy intervention to strengthen its place in the social services arena in the context of internal displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the struggle of an enslaved mother, Catherine Whitfield, and adult daughter, Ann King, to seek legal redress for their abuse while working as domestic servants to a leading Jamaican magistrate. While well-publicized in its time, this case was often narrated through framings which emphasized spectacular violence and suffering and minimized attentions to Whitfield's and King's own strategies of resistance and survival. Centring the women's agency allows a nuanced analysis of modalities of resistance specific to their situation as a mother-daughter pair, as enslaved domestic servants, and as women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social machines' human-likeness facilitates relationship formation with humans. This aliveness, though, leaves room for people to experience the loss of machines as a death of sorts. This descriptive study illuminates that potential by identifying dimensions of humans' experiences when an AI companion stops functioning. In the days before and after the developer-induced shutdown of the AI companion "Soulmate," users (N = 58) answered open-ended questions about the imminent or recent companion loss, their decisions around the situation, and their coping mechanisms. Inductive analysis suggests the loss was, for most, a complex emotional and technological experience characterized as a metaphorical or literal death. The imminent loss was often navigated in cooperation with companions and most coped by capturing AI personas to recreate them on other platforms. Patterns indicate a need to better understand idiosyncratic meaning-making around machine-companion loss and to consider a design ethic that plans for such loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accelerating globalisation and transnational migration in recent decades has led to an increasing number of women migrants. This phenomenon calls for an investigation of women's identities as migrants. This article examines women migrants' sense of belonging through their everyday material practices. I draw on the concept of diasporic objects to examine the material objects that women migrants take with them, which function as prisms for their relationships to their national cultures. I adopt a theoretical framework of intimacy – including national intimacy, intimate culture and diasporic intimacy – to examine how women relate to their nations via a nation–family continuum. Through an analysis of 18 women migrants' narratives about their diasporic objects, I argue that the diasporic objects of women migrants articulate their domestic and familial life and connect them with their imagined national cultures. Their concept of 'home' is haunted by memories of war, patriarchal oppression and authoritarianism. I conclude by discussing how they use their diasporic objects to transform the idea of home into a rooted and transitive concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines relationships between Ugandan scientists and their experimental banana plants. Their transnational research project aims at introducing nutritionally improved bananas to Uganda, where over centuries the banana has written itself into everyday life, language, landscape and climate. The paper considers how the rhythms of the banana itself and the conventions of scientific handling shape forms of intimacy. In the context of biological research, where rapidly growing plants mean quick publications, scientists experience the banana’s slow pace as frustrating. While the banana’s temporality forces scientists to slow track their careers, biologists’ quotidian tasks consist of handling what they call ‘plant babies’ in the greenhouse, where vocabularies of love, nurturance and childcare abound. By examining the plant-scientist relationships, the paper proposes seeing intimacy as an embodied history. Unlike human-centred histories of great events and great men, foregrounding intimacy with plants draws attention to muted histories that perhaps have never been made explicit but still are sensed and felt, congealing in experience and quotidian practice. Thinking with such embodied histories allows appreciating unorthodox forms of expertise expressed in contemporary scientific practice and highlights their potential for reimagining convivial futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractNegative feedback can have detrimental effects on the students’ self-efficacy and learning experience, yet it is inevitable for students who receive low outcomes and need improvement. This study investigates the role of pedagogical agents’ self-disclosure in providing empathy for negative feedback. An online experiment was conducted asking participants (N = 183) to interact with a voice-based pedagogical agent in a between-subjects design: 2 (feedback: positive vs. negative) X 2 (agent: self-disclose vs. non-disclose). The agent instructed students on online learning tasks and provided feedback on their task performance. Our findings showed that the agent’s self-disclosure significantly increased students’ perception of intimacy and cognitive trust toward the agent. A significant interaction effect was observed in intimacy, suggesting that the role of self-disclosure is especially pronounced when negative feedback is provided. A significant mediation effect of cognitive trust was also found between self-disclosure and feedback acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDr. Ruth Westheimer, a significant figure in sexuality education, revolutionized how we discuss human sexuality. Known for her candid approach, she played a critical role in advancing conversations around intimacy, contraception, and safer sex during the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1928, Dr. Ruth’s early life as a Holocaust survivor deeply influenced her commitment to education. Her remarkable journey from a Swiss orphanage to earning a doctorate in psychology reflects her resilience. As a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I found a personal connection with Dr. Ruth’s story and mission. Her legacy as an educator and advocate for sexual literacy continues to inspire those in the field, reminding us of the transformative power of education and the importance of honoring our past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romantic relationships in emerging adulthood may be associated with depression, but the role of possible mediators of this relationship remains to be explored. The present study tested a serial mediation model where intimacy and conflict in romantic relationships were predictors of depressive symptoms through the mediation of couple satisfaction and identity satisfaction. The study was conducted on a sample of 268 Italian emerging adults, 60% female (Mage = 19, ds = 1.4), all involved in a heterosexual romantic relationship. The results showed that the association between intimacy and depressive symptoms was direct and sequentially mediated through couple satisfaction and identity satisfaction. A single mediation pathway through identity satisfaction alone also emerged. The association between conflict and depressive symptoms was direct and sequentially mediated through couple satisfaction and identity satisfaction. These findings suggest the importance of helping emerging adults develop appropriate skills in managing conflict and intimacy in romantic relationships as useful resources for identity satisfaction and depression prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Virtual spaces, where adolescents coexist, become new channels to reproduce or question the inequality and violence of gender roles. Among the different forms that digital gender violence takes, this article analyzes the dissemination of teasing, rumours and intimate photos by students in secondary schools in Argentina. For this purpose, 18 discussion meetings were held in which 199 students between 12 and 19 years old participated confidentially, anonymously and voluntarily. The results indicate that students experience violence as part of their daily digital life and in relation to their face-to-face experiences. Technologies offer new ways of disseminating intimacy, such as the creation of anonymous accounts, stickers and memes. The creation of anonymous accounts is another widely used strategy among this population group. Girls are the ones who suffer more situations and with greater consequences. Age is a factor that influences experiences, themes and attitudes towards violence, which are generally passive. In conclusion, it is highlighted that, although its normalization is accepted, certain practices are questioned, such as the viralization of intimate images, which reveals the importance of generating spaces for listening and reflection to prevent gender violence in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses semiotic elements of ritual in human encounter. The notion of an essential ritual presence in the existential/communicative connection of persons has been established in the work of Langer, Gadamer, and Jakobson. Yet, as Richard Lanigan maintains, vital aspects of Jakobson's model of communication are typically missed in the application of his work, a consequence of which is that social science no longer differentiates between "communication" and "information". As such, everything perceived as meaningful is reducible to "message", and thus, effective communication means merely "finding the right message". The regression to our current cybernetic world, along with the intellectual paradigms enabling it, was never a foregone conclusion, but the entrenchment of social science in information theory makes it clear that an epistemological commitment to a semiotic phenomenology of communicative existence—and the visibility of ritual life—may well be our only way out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a sexual rehabilitation program, SEXHAB, in improving sexual functioning, reducing sexual distress, and enhancing marital satisfaction for women after gynecological cancer treatment. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial that included 150 women newly diagnosed with gynecological cancer from three public hospitals in Hong Kong. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 78) to receive the SEXHAB or to an attention control group (n = 72) to receive attention. The SEXHAB comprises four individual‐ or couple‐based sessions with three major components: information provision, cognitive‐behavioral therapy and counseling using motivational interviewing skills. The outcomes were measured at baseline (T0), upon completion of the program (T1) and 12‐month post‐treatment (T2). Semi‐structured interviews were also conducted with the SEXHAB group participants to explore their experiences with and opinions toward the program. Results: At both follow‐ups, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in improving sexual functioning, sexual distress and marital satisfaction. Nevertheless, participants in the SEXHAB group reported their partners having significantly greater sexual interest at T1 (76% vs. 52%, rate ratio: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.99, p = 0.024) and T2 (74% vs. 48%, rate ratio: 1.55, 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.10, p = 0.014). From the qualitative interviews, the interviewees who resumed sexual activity reported positive experiences in rebuilding sexuality and intimacy. Conclusions: Despite the quantitative results are negative, the qualitative findings suggest potential benefits of the SEXHAB for women resuming sexual activities after treatment for gynecological cancer. Further studies with longer intervention period and follow‐ups are needed to confirm the intervention effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While personality traits can predict couples' behaviors in marital life, there are limited studies on the relationship between personality and marital relationships. This study aimed to examine the role of personality in predicting intimacy and the quality of marital relationships in newlywed couples. This cross-sectional study included 115 newlywed couples who participated in an online survey. Participants completed three questionnaires: the NEO Personality Inventory for assessing personality traits, the Intimacy Safety Questionnaire (ISQ) for measuring marital intimacy, and the Quality of Marriage Index (QMI) for evaluating marital quality. Marital intimacy was positively predicted by extraversion and conscientiousness in women and extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness in men. Relationship quality was negatively predicted by neuroticism in women while positively predicted by openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a new, RELIC (Real Love In Context) theory of love. The theory contains three subtheories. Two of them constitute an endosystem, or inner system of love. The triangular theory, an interpersonal theory, describes love in term of the intimacy, passion, and commitment one feels toward another person. The theory of love as a story, an intrapersonal theory, describes stories that characterize one's ideal depiction of what love should and potentially could be. The third, extrapersonal subtheory constitutes an ecosystem, or outer system of love. Drawing on the work of Urie Bronfenbrenner, it describes five hierarchically nested environmental systems (microsystem, mesosystem, exosytem, macrosystem, chronosystem) in which love is embedded and that continually affect the love one feels for another. The forces of the ecosystem act upon the endosystem in ways that can bring couples (or larger groups) together or drive them apart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on collaborative research and reflections on media depictions, marketplace experiences, and Black life in Belgium and Britain, this article embraces Black joy, while critiquing societal demands and (re)presentations of it. Informed by scholarship on racialised emotions, Black interiority, and Black emotional epistemologies, we analyse how the idea of "Black joy" has been (re)presented in media in ways connected to racialised, classed, and national discourses of "we-ness" during the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis. By analysing public (re)presentations of Black people, we critically consider how "Black joy" becomes "Black JoyTM" – a defanged expression, enabling brand advertising by tapping into the racial and capitalist politics of marketable and mediated Black emotions and intimacy. We ask, "when, how, and why are the everyday emotions and experiences of Black people (re)presented by contemporary marketplace institutions as joyful?". Consequently, we theorise the relationship between Black joy, crises, and forms of Belgian and British advertising and media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many challenges inherent to the birth of a first child are likely to interfere with new parent couples' sexuality, sexual well-being has often been neglected during the transition to parenthood. Considering the numerous uncertainties arising in this period, it is relevant to study whether first-time parents' intolerance of uncertainty could contribute to their lower sexual well-being and explore whether their perception of intimacy could explain this association. The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of intolerance of uncertainty and intimacy in first-time parents' sexual well-being (i.e., sexual desire and sexual satisfaction). A total of 211 couples expecting their first child were recruited in a province of Canada to participate in a broader longitudinal study. Bearing mothers and their partners answered validated questionnaires measuring sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, intolerance of uncertainty, depression symptoms, and perceived intimacy at 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Dyadic path analyses revealed that, controlling for postpartum depression symptoms at 12 months postpartum, mothers' intolerance of uncertainty at 4 months postpartum was associated with both partners' lower sexual satisfaction at 12 months postpartum through their own lower perception of intimacy at 8 months postpartum. Mothers' intolerance of uncertainty at 4 months postpartum was also associated with partners' lower sexual desire at 12 months postpartum through their own lower perception of intimacy at 8 months postpartum. Better understanding these individual and interpersonal factors associated with first-time parents' sexual well-being could help in educating expecting couples and preventing sexual challenges they may encounter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the ongoing 'reflexive turn' in migration studies, intimacy continues to be cropped out of methodologies. This article explores how intimacy can enable us to produce knowledge in a way that is grounded in and sensitive to our participants' lives. We reflect on our experiences of building intimacy during our two respective ethnographic projects. While one project analyses the solidarity practices of citizens and migrants at the Franco–Italian border, the other explores the experiences of a Romanian family in London. Although researching seemingly divergent topics, we find methodological convergences and come together to propose the concept of 'intimacy as method'. Positionality is central to intimacy, as who we are as early-career female researchers shaped how we built intimate and caring relationships with our participants. Cultivating intimacy, however, also presented challenges, including ethical considerations in how we conduct research, and how we represent our interlocutors and engage them in knowledge production. In sitting with the discomfort which is central to intimacy, we found its analytical potential as it granted us novel insights into our participants' lives. By reflecting on both the potential and challenges of intimacy, we argue that migration researchers can use 'intimacy as method' to conduct more equitable research in migration studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of sexuality in the ageing population had a more recent development than other topics, even though it is undoubling its relevance as part of the well-being of each individual. Therefore, to advance more in research is essential to look back and have a prospect of what kind of research has been done on it, identifying gaps in the literature for future studies. This paper aims to present a panorama of the research on sexuality and ageing in Latin America for the last five years (2017–2021). The data collection was done through the Web of Science platform and focused on those papers with the SciELO Citation Index, one of the most prestigious indexations among Latin-American journals. There were included papers from Latin-American countries written in Spanish or English. There were analyzed 26 research articles in total. The results give a panorama of what had been done in studies about sexuality and ageing in Latin America. Among those highlights, the absence of studies concentrates only on sexuality and ageing. Also, more quantitative studies are not comparable between countries, cross-sectional and descriptive. Finally, it is identified some gaps and challenges that need to be addressed by researchers in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the spring of 2020, Romania entered its first lockdown in response to the growing Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic's impact on mental health was thus superimposed on an already epidemic risk of loneliness in developed countries. The purpose of this article was thus to measure the impact of perceived social isolation during the national lockdown on emotional distress among the general population, while also considering potential risk or buffering factors like social media usage, and romantic relationships. Featuring a cross-sectional design, data was collected from 180 participants, aged 20 - 60 years using an online questionnaire which included the DASS-21 scale, the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Intimate Relationships Scale. Our results indicated that loneliness significantly predicted depressive, anxious and stress symptoms even when correcting for gender and age. Distancing measures had no significant effect on couples, though differences in depression and loneliness were found between those with no partner, and those who described minimal impact of social distancing measures. Number of social media sites used predicted greater depressive and anxious symptoms, even when correcting for age and gender, whereas partner intimacy presented as a protective factor for loneliness. Given the many public, individual and dyadic factors involved in mental health during a pandemic, the implications for further studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of LGBTQ+ college students highlights and amplifies the experiences of their healthy intimate relationships. College represents a pivotal time for personal and relationship development for many students, and seeing the positive ways students with historically minoritized gender and sexual identities navigate relationships has value for understanding how sexuality manifests within the current culture. Using a critical constructivist perspective and photo elicitation methods, the study includes students’ narratives and visual presentations of their lived experiences thriving in healthy intimate relationships. The findings included three specific areas that supported students’ thriving: self-work and self-awareness, fluidity and flexibility, and communication. These findings, and students’ relationship images highlight the ways that they thrive through continual affirmative consent and responsibility to themselves and their relationships. Together, these findings provide possibility models to support imagining and educating about LGBTQ+ students’ healthy intimate relationships. Findings have potential for informing trainings and resources for LGBTQ+ students, enhancing relationship education by challenging oppressive norms that influence all students, and for questioning the ways university regulations inhibit participants’ agency for celebrating their intimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I argue that the social reproduction discourse from the 1970s onwards, or the so-called domestic labour debate, has been about two things: value on the one hand, and the body and intimacy on the other. While there is a highly visible stake in how domestic labour is understood from the viewpoint of value, which is still debated today, the contribution of the discourse to understanding the body and intimacy in capitalism is more hidden and less discussed. In this paper, I review the discourse on social reproduction from the perspective of value, with a particular focus on recent contributions, Jared Sacks' and Alessandra Mezzadri's works. Then, I will discuss the discourse of social reproduction from the perspective of the body and intimacy and finally link this aspect to the lessons around value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the development of vulnerable self-disclosure in supportive interactions from ages 13 to 29. A diverse community sample (N = 184; 85 boys 99 girls; 58% white, 29% Black, 13% other identity groups) participated in annual observed interactions with close friends and romantic partners. Participants were observed as they sought and provided support to their best friends each year from age 13 to 18, and as they sought support from their romantic partners from age 19 to 29. Random intercept cross-lagged panel models were used to parse markers of within-individual change in vulnerable self-disclosure observed annually across ages 13 to 18. A follow-up regression model also investigated cascading associations from vulnerable self-disclosure in adolescent friendships to vulnerable self-disclosure in adult romantic relationships. When adolescents sought support, they demonstrated greater-than-expected increases in self-disclosure each year when their best friends demonstrated relatively high self-disclosure. For girls in this sample, when providing support, they demonstrated greater-than-expected decreases in self-disclosure each year when their best friends demonstrated relatively high self-disclosure. Adolescents whose friends disclosed highly to them also tended to express more vulnerability with romantic partners in adulthood. Post-hoc analyses investigate the role of friendship stability and gender as potential moderators of self-disclosure development. The best friendship, a key source of emotional support, serves as a foundational context for learning appropriate use of vulnerable self-disclosure when seeking and providing emotional support, which persists across time and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the generation of social intimacy is critical to enabling acts of environmental care. By interrogating the intimate socialities of a group of young people who grew up in a village community committed to carbon reduction, I untangle the influence of everyday intimacies on everyday (un)sustainabilities, particularly in relation to the popular but uncritical positioning of young people as 'sustainability saviours'. I problematise assumptions that young people's social intimacies are a straightforward enabler of lifestyle change aligned with sustainability by highlighting the fluidity of intimacies and associated senses of trust throughout young adulthood. I argue further that capitalising on this fluidity might in fact amplify bottom‐up environmental care if young people can move readily between networked spaces of trust and support. Drawing from scholarship on friendship, family and community intimacies and the substantial literature on households as crucibles for more sustainable living, I suggest there is considerable reconciliation work demanded at a personal level in order to live comfortably within the everyday intimacies of social life at the same time as committing to individual environmental action. These arguments advance debates around the optimal social drivers of more sustainable lifestyles, at the same time as sounding a cautionary note in relation to the too easy emplacement of responsibility for driving change at the feet of young people. This paper examines the intimate socialities of a group of young people who grew up in an English village community committed to carbon reduction, in order to untangle the influence of intimacies on everyday (un)sustainabilities, particularly in relation to the positioning of young people as drivers of more sustainable living. I argue there is much reconciliation work demanded at a personal level in order to live comfortably within the everyday intimacies of social life at the same time as committing to reductions in individual environmental footprints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noise is often conceived of as the opposite of silence. Yet, in the right context, certain kinds of noise can contribute to the perception or interpretation of silence and quietness. Descriptions of this occurrence can be found in music recording discourse. Here, in certain contexts, noises generated by audio equipment, such as hiss, can sometimes be heard to signify silence. This, in turn, can elicit feelings of musical intimacy, which opposes conventional understandings of noise as creating a sense of distance between recorded music and its listeners. This article examines how noise might signify silence and elicit musical intimacy in the context of music recordings. We discuss conceptions of noise and silence before considering how understandings of noise in music recordings have been shaped by events in the history of record production. As a case study, we then turn to Mark Hollis’s eponymous solo album, with its persistent background noise. We analyse the album and surrounding discourse from hermeneutic and semiotic perspectives to investigate how noise can be understood both as silent and musically intimate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPurposeMethodsResultsConclusionsThis study aimed to develop the Partner Version of the Self-Efficacy to Communicate about Sex and Intimacy (SECSI-PV) scale.Candidate items derived from the patient version of the instrument were refined with input from an expert panel specializing in sexual health, psychosocial oncology, and instrument development (n = 6). Partners (n = 17) of female cancer survivors participated in cognitive interviews to assess the revised scale’s content validity.Transcripts were analyzed qualitatively. Participants endorsed the items as relevant, clear, and appropriate.The present work illustrates the iterative development of the SECSI-PV scale. The study highlights the importance of including partners in sexual health discussions and emphasizes the need for psychosocial interventions supporting partners’ confidence communicating about sexuality and intimacy. Additional research is recommended to validate the instrument in larger samples encompassing cancer types that are not sex-based and partners from diverse backgrounds, including sexual and gender minority groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies provide some evidence that recalling positive autobiographical memories can foster feelings of intimacy in social relationships. The present research aimed to extend this finding by examining the effects of negative relationship memories on current feelings of intimacy. In Study 1, 71 adults recalled either two positive or two negative events experienced with their partner. Intimacy (feelings of warmth, relationship closeness) was measured before and after remembering. Relationship closeness increased after recalling positive relationship memories, whereas feelings of warmth were reduced after the recall of negative relationship memories. In Study 2, 187 adults recalled two relationship conflicts and rated intimacy toward their partner (feelings of warmth, relationship closeness) before and after remembering. Replicating the findings of Study 1, we found feelings of warmth to be reduced after the recall of relationship conflicts. Relationship closeness was likely to decrease the more conflicts were considered personally significant and the more a person had used self-distraction to regulate their emotions during the conflict. Future research may identify personal characteristics that could explain why, for some people, the recall of negative relationship memories is hurtful, whereas it brings others closer to their partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conversational technologies such as chatbots have shown to be promising in eliciting self-disclosure in several contexts. Implementing such a technology that fosters self-disclosure can help to assess sensitive topics such as behaviours that are perceived as unaccepted by others, i.e. the exposure to unaccepted (alternative) news sources. This study tests whether a conversational (chatbot) format, compared to a traditional web-based survey, can enhance self-disclosure in the political news context by implementing a two-week longitudinal, experimental research design (n = 193). Results show that users disclose unaccepted news exposure significantly more often to a chatbot, compared to a traditional web-based survey, providing evidence for a chatbots' ability to foster the disclosure of sensitive behaviours. Unlike our hypotheses, our study also shows that social presence, intimacy, and enjoyment cannot explain self-disclosure in this context, and that self-disclosure generally decreases over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Obstructive sleep apnea increases morbidity and mortality risks. The most common treatment is continuous positive airway pressure, with nasal mask usage being important, but not always optimal. While most research on treatment adherence focuses on the patient, the bed partner's involvement may be detrimental. Our study aim is to obtain a European‐wide picture of the bed partner's attitude and support towards continuous positive airway pressure therapy, including effects on relationship satisfaction and intimacy. The English translation of a German bed partner questionnaire, assessing relationship satisfaction and three major components (general attitude, perceived mask looks, intimacy effects) was distributed within the European Sleep Apnea Database Network and translated in participating countries' local language. Data were collected for 2 years. In total, 10 European countries (13 sleep centres) participated with 1546 questionnaires. Overall, 91% of bed partners had a positive attitude towards continuous positive airway pressure therapy, 86% perceived mask looks not negative, 64% stated no negative intimacy effects. More specifically, 71% mentioned improved sleep quality, 68% supported nightly device usage. For 41% of bed partners, relationship satisfaction increased (no change for 47%). These results were significantly more pronounced in Eastern/Southern Europe compared with Middle Europe, especially regarding intimacy effects. However, increased continuous positive airway pressure therapy length affected attitude negatively. These results provide necessary information to improve treatment strategies by including educational couple‐focused approaches. Among others, we revealed that negative intimacy effects are not considered a barrier to continuous positive airway pressure adherence. These results may inspire more research identifying regional gaps with need for treatment adjustments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractRemote maintenance refers to the maintenance tasks performed by off-site personnel using communication devices. The quality of collaboration among off-site personnel has been a focus of research on remote maintenance. With the rapid development of virtual technology, remote collaboration has gradually transformed into a three-dimensional (3D) collaborative virtual environment (CVEs) based on mixed reality technology. 3D CVEs has improved the efficiency of the staff using real-time screen sharing and fusion of virtual and real information. The interaction modes provided by 3D CVEs also have deepened the sense of task participation of off-site personnel. Nevertheless, the addition of new technologies has had a complex impact on trust, communication, cohesion, and task performance among off-site personnel. In this study, we investigated the combined effects of intimacy between collaborators and the avatar interaction mode provided by a 3D CVEs on social presence, interpersonal trust, task performance, and task load during collaboration. The results showed that acquaintances were able to quickly establish good interpersonal trust among themselves and had better task performance even in a CVEs. For strangers, performing tasks through CVEs enhanced their social presence. In addition, the avatar had a more complex effect on the performance of members with different levels of intimacy in 3D CVEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the challenges of modern medicine, the issue of patient privacy occupies a special place, setting the boundaries between care for health and respect for patient dignity. Respecting privacy is not only an ethical issue, but also a fundamental right of the patient. Due to its complexity, privacy does not have a single definition, and the literature on the subject indicates its multidimensionality, allowing it to be recognised in various aspects of life. Respecting it has a positive impact on the well-being of the person and increases the patient's quality of life. A review of internationally used scales in palliative care revealed gaps in the possibility of examining the sense of privacy with their help, because most scales do not take it into account or do so to a very limited extent. The existing scales have significant limitations, lack of agreement regarding the criteria considered, and do not apply to palliative patients. This article focuses on the topic of privacy among patients under palliative care, with particular emphasis on the Polish reality, where deficiencies in ensuring patients' sense of privacy are even more pronounced. As a result of our research, we defined the general concept of privacy, distinguished its most important aspects and analysed existing scales for assessing the sense of privacy among patients receiving palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the dynamics of father-children relationships in conflict management during and after the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong. In-depth interviews with 17 fathers and 21 activists revealed how authoritarian approaches to fatherhood influence family conflict outcomes against the backdrop of social upheaval during and after the 2019 protests in Hong Kong. A conceptual framework of intimacy and face (mianzi or lian) enriches the discussion of fatherhood roles, father-children conflict management, and how participation in social movements affects their relationships. The construct of fatherhood is variable, changing, and relational, and it involves intimacy and face for father-son/daughter relationships to remain healthy during political conflicts. Hong Kong presents a unique case of evolving fatherhood, parent-child relationships, and family dynamics where the link between gender and social movement participation is extended beyond political-economic processes. This article contributes to the literature on the intergenerational dialogue between fathers and their activist children outside a Western context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Lack of intimacy between couples can have inappropriate consequences for them. Therefore, it is important to identify the factors that play a role in the intimacy of couples and can have a preventive aspect on divorce. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the mediating role of marital self-disclosure in the relationship between intimacy and sexual performance and the tendency to divorce in couples about to divorce. Materials and Methods: The current research was a descriptive type of structural equations. The statistical population included couples on the verge of divorce who referred to welfare counseling centers in Isfahan City in July 2023. Among the statistical population consisted of 115 couples (230 people), 70 couples (140 people) were selected using Krejcie and Morgan's table and by convenience sampeling method and responded to questionnaires of marital self-disclosure, intimacy, sexual performance, and tendency to divorce voluntarily. The data were analyzed by path analysis method. Results: The results of structural equations modeling showed that marital intimacy has a direct relationship with sexual performance (β=0.693) and marital self-disclosure (β=0.542) and an inverse relationship with the tendency to divorce (β=-0.693). Also, the results showed that marital self-disclosure has a significant relationship with sexual performance in a direct way (β=0.265) and with the tendency to divorce in an inverse way (β=-0.154) (p<0.05). Conclusion: Marital self-disclosure plays a mediating role in the relationship between intimacy and sexual performance and tendency to divorce in couples about to divorce. Therefore, family counselors are recommended to pay more attention to intimacy between couples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest in identifying factors that promote sexual well-being in romantic relationships. One such factor is intimacy—a process involving self-disclosure and empathic response that is positively associated with sexuality outcomes. However, most work among community couples examined cross-sectional associations in mixed-sex/gender couples using a single sexual outcome, which may not capture daily variations in intimacy and different dimensions of sexual well-being among a diversity of unions over time. Additionally, potential mediating mechanisms of the intimacy-sexual well-being association, such as attention to positive sexual cues (i.e., sexual thoughts and feelings), have been neglected. Adopting daily diary and longitudinal designs, the present study examined whether greater intimacy was associated with higher levels of positive sexual cues and, in turn, higher sexual well-being (sexual desire, satisfaction and distress). A convenience sample of 211 couples (Mage = 30.2 years; SD = 8.3; 75 sexually diverse couples) completed a survey on days of sexual activity with their partner, over a 35-day period and 12 months later. Daily results showed that intimacy was related to greater attention to positive sexual cues for both partners, which in turn was associated with their greater sexual desire and satisfaction and lower sexual distress. Longitudinal results showed that a person's greater daily intimacy was linked to their own greater sexual desire and satisfaction 12 months later via their own higher positive sexual cues, but not to their partner's cues or well-being. Findings extend interpersonal models of sexual well-being and support the role of intimacy and positive sexual cues therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores intimacy and gendered practices in insurgent warfare, with special reference to the conflict in Nepal between 1996 and 2006. Drawing on fieldwork, we argue that women's experiences of and during the insurgency highlight how they engaged with bodily concerns and care, reproductive, and healing practices while serving revolutionary causes. By drawing attention to these particular issues, the article contends that most of the existing literature on conflict fails to account for the gendered nuances and micro-politics of care in violent contexts. It shows how healthcare provisions have been restricted to informal and private spaces due to attacks against healthcare and illustrates the long-term impacts of being unable to access public healthcare due to insecurity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractDementia affects the individual’s functional ability including sexual activity. Limited understanding is available to support sexual health practices. This meta-synthesis review aimed to identify the gaps in the study of sexuality in dementia using the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO). Electronic searches utilizing six databases for existing articles involving persons living with dementia, care partners, and healthcare workers. The result showed that available studies primarily explored sexuality from the viewpoint of spouses of persons living with dementia. The volition domain of MOHO was the most explored provides a deeper understanding of volition on intrinsic perspective on sexuality in people with dementia. The environment domain was the least explored, highlighting healthcare professionals’ need for social support and training. The topic of sexuality remains sensitive, limiting the availability of evidence-based interventions in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims Sexual activity and intimacy improve quality of life for heart attack survivors. After a heart attack, patients frequently experience sexual dysfunction and anxiety about resuming sexual activity. However, most health professionals do not discuss sex or intimacy with their patients. The aim of this research was to explore the perceptions and practices of Australian health professionals in discussing sexual activity and intimacy with heart attack survivors and the barriers to achieving this. Methods and results This study employed a cross-sectional study design and online self-administered survey questionnaire. Study participants were a convenience sample of Australian health professionals working with cardiac patients, including general practitioners, cardiologists, cardiac rehabilitation specialists, registered nurses, and allied health professionals. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and cross-tabulations to understand the different perspectives of health professional groups and the overall sample. Of 252 respondents, almost all believed discussing sex and intimacy with heart attack survivors was important, yet less than a quarter reported regularly doing so. About three-quarters reported feeling comfortable discussing sex and intimacy with either men or women, with half comfortable to do so with patients from diverse cultures. Barriers included lack of time, privacy, consumer resources, and protocols to guide discussions. Conclusion This research supports the need for structural changes such as a clinical protocol, longer and more private consultations, staff training, and culturally appropriate patient-oriented resources to support health professionals to guide discussions about sexual activity and intimacy with patients who have had a heart attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School‐based supports, such as LGBTQ+‐themed curriculum, invite opportunities for challenging oppression with respect to gender and its intersections with other identities such as sexuality and race. However, more understanding is needed regarding how literacy educators might leverage these opportunities. This article describes how intimacy, oppressive actions, and activism functioned in relation to one another in an LGBTQ+‐themed literature course at a grassroots public charter high school for the arts in a mid‐sized Midwestern city. The larger study, from which this article is derived, is a hybrid of ethnography and practitioner inquiry. Therefore, this study draws on field notes, transcribed video recordings of class, transcribed audio recordings of interviews, and student assignments related to a young adult novel. Our analysis of gendered power relations suggests that oppression can hinder intimacy, intimacy can hinder activism, but intimacy can also foster activism. With the goal of leveraging opportunities to challenge gendered oppression, we argue that students and teachers must navigate intimacy and intersecting structures of oppression to enact activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, social media applications have grown in number and in user bases. Recommendation algorithms on these platforms refer social others and related content to users. Using Granovetter's tie strength theory and the literature on relationship formation as conceptual foundations, we argue that these social media algorithms can damage a user's ability to establish diverse relationships and the benefits therein, thereby reducing personal, and, when aggregated, societal advantages. We argue that this occurs because the algorithms take on social actor roles and operate as "weak tie imposters" that serve as bridges to like others and content. This work provides a new conceptualization of the role recommendation algorithms play in social relationships, argues how they impact social relationship development and user privacy, and offers potential solutions to the issues related to algorithmic interference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Genitopelvic pain following childbirth is common and likely to challenge the psychological, relational, and sexual well-being of new mothers. While genitopelvic pain generally decreases during the postpartum period, personal and interpersonal characteristics may explain why genitopelvic pain persists beyond the period of physical recovery in some mothers. Body image concerns, increased stress, and relationship challenges would be particularly salient during pregnancy and the postpartum period, which could put new mothers at greater risk of sexual difficulties. Also, mothers may display a negative appraisal regarding genitopelvic pain and doubt their ability to cope with it, which may contribute to the pain. Aim: The current study aimed to examine the role of perfectionism, body image concerns, and perceived intimacy in the occurrence and change in genitopelvic pain in new mothers in postpartum. Methods: A total of 211 new mothers and their partners were recruited for a larger prospective dyadic study on the transition to parenthood. Outcomes: Mothers completed a single item assessing genitopelvic pain, in addition to brief validated questionnaires measuring perfectionism, body image concerns, and perceived couple intimacy during pregnancy and at 4, 8, and 12 months postpartum. Results: Five multilevel modeling analyses revealed that adaptive perfectionism, maladaptive perfectionism, and body image concerns were associated with a higher occurrence of genitopelvic pain from 4 to 12 months postpartum. Mothers' and partners' perceived intimacy was not significantly related to new mothers' genitopelvic pain. None of the predictors modified the trajectory of genitopelvic pain over time. Clinical Implications: Raising awareness among health care professionals regarding the role of perfectionism and body image concerns in genitopelvic pain may help them identify new mothers at risk of chronic genitopelvic pain, while offering a new avenue of intervention. Strengths and Limitations: There has been little research examining the role of perfectionism, body image concerns, and intimacy in postpartum genitopelvic pain. Based on a longitudinal prospective approach, this study identified perfectionism and body image concerns as significant predictors of postpartum genitopelvic pain. However, prepregnancy genitopelvic pain, genitopelvic pain intensity, and sexual distress were not measured. Conclusion: Adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism and body image concerns are associated with new mothers' genitopelvic pain up to 12 months postpartum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of "sugar dating" websites, facilitating transactional relationships between a "sugar baby" and a "sugar daddy," raises new questions about the reconfigured relationship between intimacy and economy in the contemporary Global North. By encouraging people to approach sex and intimacy through a logic of exchange, sugar dating has been claimed to represent the culmination of a broader trend towards a "marketization" of intimacy. Based on semi-structured interviews, this article analyzes Swedish "sugar babies"' investment in a transactional approach to intimate interactions with men, focusing on the emotional rewards that they associate with the transactional setup of sugar dating. While the participants' transactional approach to intimacy is bolstered by the cultural dispersal of a neoliberal rationality into ever more domains of life, I argue that its deeper roots need to be sought in the precarious conditions of contemporary intimacy. Drawing in particular on the work of Eva Illouz, I claim that the women's embracement of a transactional approach to heterosexual sex and intimacy may be read as a defensive tactic of seeking to gain control over the flows of intimate interaction in light of the (gendered) insecurities and vulnerabilities of the contemporary market of intimacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited in-depth theorisation of positive coming-out experiences within families of origin. This is especially true for diasporic South Asian communities living in majority Anglophone contexts. The article draws on a study of 15 gay men of South Asian descent, in Australia, to analyse how coming out can lead to positive developments in family relations, even if they exist alongside negativity about one's sexuality. Coming out can introduce greater intimacy into family attachments, which at times turns family members into friends, and intimacy and friendship might serve as a reason for coming out in the first place. These processes strengthen familial ties, and data illustrates that concepts such as intimacy, friendship, and suffusion, can be used to conceptualise positive outcomes. We recommend further exploration of such stories in diasporic South Asian communities, to challenge the negativity often associated with this group in relation to their same-sex-attracted kin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Critically engaging with prevailing theories of change in masculinities, this article offers a feminist poststructuralist account of Australian men's increasingly intimate same-gender friendships. Per Beasley, feminist poststructuralists treat social change as a consequence of contestation between discourses. In line with this, I contend that the increasing influence of feminist, queer-inclusion and therapeutic counter-discourses in recent decades has destabilised (but not overridden) masculinist discourse in the context of men's friendships, offering men an alternative subject position that allows care, expressiveness and intimacy. Here, I define each of these counter-discourses, demonstrate how they challenge the discursive components of masculinism and use snippets of data from an intergenerational study of Australian men's friendships to illustrate how this shapes men's homosocial practices. Ultimately, I argue that by applying a feminist poststructuralist lens, scholars can examine how men navigate new and contentious discursive terrain, and better account for the complexity of social change in masculinities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romance, intimacy, and sexuality are crucial elements of human well-being. However, they have gone unnoticed and insufficiently explored among individuals with neurodevelopmental difficulties, namely among autistic people. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disability characterized by repetitive and stereotypical behavior, interests, or activities and by difficulties in interpersonal relationships and verbal and non-verbal communication. Preliminary studies reveal that, although most wish to relate intimately with other people, several autistic individuals tend to isolate themselves and engage in individual sexual behaviors. Despite the importance of this topic, few studies have looked at it in depth nor included the unique perceptions of autistic people about topics such as romantic and intimate relationships or sexuality. To fill that gap, we have designed a qualitative, cross-sectional and exploratory study that sought to explore the perceptions and experiences of autistic people about romance, intimacy and sexuality. Twenty-two autistic teenagers and adults (63.6% female) aged between 15 and 45 years, consented to participate in individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The transcripts were examined with thematic analysis. The results highlight three main themes: Intimate relationships, sexuality, and sex education. The negative impact of autistic characteristics in sexuality and sexuality was highlighted by the participants. Understanding the difficulties and the needs of autistic people will increase awareness regarding this topic and improve assessment and interventions related to romantic relationships and sexuality. Furthermore, our study sheds light on the importance of developing tailored and adequate sex education programs and tools for the difficulties presented by autistic youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Islamic mehir practices (dower) and other financial arrangements during a marriage reveal how marriage, gender and religion are understood and reconfigured in Istanbul today. Drawing on religious women's narratives of mehir and gifts of gold, this article examines the complex interplay between economic transactions and intimate marital relationships in Istanbul, as well as the relation between my interlocutors' practices of mehir and wedding gifts and their sense of propriety. It suggests that women's ways of understanding and practising economic marriage transactions are ambivalently shaped by intimate entanglements of religion, nuclear family, conjugal love, secular civil law, and reputation and honour. Women uneasily navigate the ambivalences of the intimate sphere as they make decisions and engage in practices related to economic marriage transactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study explores how perceptions of masculinity, sexual intimate relationships and sex-for-pay (SFP) shape the experiences of men who pay women for sex (MPWS). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 Israeli MPWS. Participants were recruited through an STD community clinic, an anonymous online survey, ads posted in online forums for MPWS, and an organization for the abolition of prostitution. The findings offer a complex understanding of the experiences of MPWS, based on the intersections between their views of sexuality within long-term intimate relationships, and their perceptions of the acceptability of SFP within dominant discourses of masculinity. The findings comprise four experiential patterns of the multi-layered practice of paying for sex: Agonizing, Ambivalent, Intermittent and Simultaneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimacy is an interpersonal repertoire related to physical and behavioral health indicators. Functional analytic psychotherapy (FAP) is a behavioral intervention that has demonstrated utility in improving intimacy repertoires, particularly in experimental single-case designs. The FAP Intimacy Scale (FAPIS) was developed with the aim of using a theoretically sound measure to evaluate FAP effects on a large scale. This study sought to culturally adapt and validate the FAPIS for Spanish-speaking populations. A total sample of 509 Spanish-speaking participants completed the survey. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine FAPIS psychometric properties. A network analysis was also performed to assess the relation among scale factors. As expected, the FAPIS Spanish version demonstrated a good fit, meeting the same three-factor structure as the original version. Network loading along three factors was also found, and item 3 was identified as the most central item in the scale. Low and negative correlations among FAPIS, experiential avoidance, emotional sensitivity, and social impact were found. Findings showed that FAPIS is a valid and reliable measure for assessing intimacy in Spanish-speaking populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian men who migrated circularly from their village homes to Delhi to pedal cycle rickshaws for work practiced intimate relationships with their wives, sex workers, and middle-class female customers. While the intimacy practiced by South Asian men who migrate is, in popular discourse, often framed as deviancy or assumed to be only about physical gratification, this article's ethnography demonstrates that rickshaw men's heterosexual/erotic intimacies took multiple forms which were variously characterized by sexual exchange, physical closeness, emotional connections, and/or the denial of gender and sexuality. The intimate practices were informed by intersecting identities and systems of social hierarchy, and it is argued that they had considerable bearing on the men's migration decisions and labor performance. Although neither intimacy studies nor South Asian labor migration studies are in the habit of analyzing industries like the cycle rickshaw industry through the same lens as, for example, sex work or surrogacy and fertility work, a case is made that such industries that rely on South Asian male migrants' manual labor and migration may, too, be profitably understood as intimate industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractPregnancy and becoming a parent are heavily gendered experiences, experiences which feminist geographers have convincingly situated as significantly spatial. This paper makes an important contribution by addressing the general absence of expectant fathers’ voices/experiences within geographical work on pregnancy/parenting. Drawing upon periodic in-depth interviews conducted during pregnancy and after the birth, it interrogates the manifold ways geographical notions of bodily borders, boundaries, and interior spaces mediate expectant fathers’ encounters with their unborn baby. It firstly examines how, whilst expectant motherhood is characterised by notions of interiority and (inter)connection with the growing foetus, expectant fathers’ experiences are heavily demarcated by the relentless dichotomy of ‘inside’/‘outside’. Fathers drew on this heavily spatial (though literal) metaphor when describing their interactions with the foetus ‘inside’ the womb and their excitement/anticipation of when (following the birth) their child will finally be on the ‘outside’. Secondly, the paper explores the array of multi-sensory inter-embodied interactions fathers had with their unborn child—literally through the body of another person—exploring how these constitute anticipatory acts of love/intimacy. Thus, it forges an agenda for greater consideration of the everyday ‘pre-parenting’ geographies of expectant fathering, calling for feminist geographers to more critically consider fathers’ care-ful emotional, embodied experiences during pregnancy/expectancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]