Percepciones de satisfacción marital a raíz de la pandemia de COVID-19 en médicos del Centro de Especialidades Médicas de la Universidad de Cuenca, en el periodo 2022-2023

Marital satisfaction is considered as the perception that an individual has within a relationship, in which each person evaluates it in relation to the degree of achievement of a goal, desire, marital pleasure, communication, time shared together, and structural aspects such as roles, compliance, and limits and rules establishment with respect to the marital relationship. This research aims to investigate the perceptions of marital satisfaction during the Covid-19 pandemic in the medical staff of the Center of Medical Specialties of the University of Cuenca. A qualitative study was conducted through the application of six semi-structured interviews. The data was processed adopting the principles of the Thematic Analysis in order to have a correct organization through codes, categories, and themes. The results showed that the participants' communication with their partners improved during the pandemic due to the time they dedicated to recreational activities, which allowed them to consolidate their marital relationship. The participants also mentioned that there was a decrease in sexual activity, but that this did not generate major conflicts because, through dialogue and mutual understanding, they were able to solve it. Finally, the participants stated that they gave more importance to the parental role than to the couple's relationship during the pandemic. Therefore, it can be concluded that marital satisfaction perceptions were positive for the medical doctors, despite the health emergency, because the confinement characteristics allowed them to consolidate their marital relationship.