Couple Relationships In Persons With Schizophrenia: Intimacy, Passion, And Commitment

Couple relationships are a normative, yet crucial, aspect of human existence. They are a need shared by all mankind and thus serve as a powerful rehabilitative and beneficial tool among populations with special needs, including persons with mental illnesses. In the present study, 30 partners with chronic schizophrenia were compared to 20 normative partners regarding three aspects of couple relations - intimacy, commitment, and passion. Additionally, participants were asked to rate these three aspects in both their actual relationship and an ideal relationship. The schizophrenia cohort rated its actual relationships as lower in intimacy, commitment, and passion compared to the normative cohort. Also, disparities between perceptions of the aspects in both actual and ideal relationships were greater for the cohort with schizophrenia. Implications for practitioners are discussed with regard to their work in the couplehood field with persons with serious mental illnesses as well as in consciousness work among the normative community.