Andrew Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow, Demography and Population Studies, Schools of Public Health and Social Sciences, Faculties of Health Sciences and Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Department of Demography and Social Statistics, College of Business and Social Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Reprod Health. 2017 Jul 28;14(1):90. doi: 10.1186/s12978-017-0341-2.
Systematic studies on the association between men's sexual dysfunction (low sexual desire, ejaculation disorders, erectile dysfunctions, genital ulcers, testicular disorders, prostate cancer or sexually transmitted infections) and marital conflict are emerging. However, the coping strategies adopted by wives in such circumstances are not commonly reported in the literature. Male sexual functioning is vital to the marital relationship, lack of it can result in intolerable cohabitation or relationship breakdown, and could also cause infertility, infidelity, and arouse stigma in Nigeria. The understanding of coping strategies by female partners could guide in the counselling and treatment of men's sexual health problems. Effective coping has the potential to lessen or prevent negative outcomes, and thereby could reduce marital conflict.
This study examined the coping strategies adopted by women whose husbands have reproductive health challenges in two of the five states with the highest proportion of divorce/separation in Nigeria.
Four focus group discussions were conducted in two local government areas. The women were recruited from a quantitative couple-study for men with sexual health problems. Focus group responses were transcribed and analysed using systematic-content-analysis with thematic organisation of the summaries and systematic typologies of participants' responses.
The results revealed the coping strategies employed by women in this environment: seeking guidance from their religious leaders and family doctors, physical-sexual-therapy, abstinence and concubinage. The participants indicated that they encountered difficulties in discussing their husbands' sexual health problems with a third party.
The study concludes that husband's sexual ability is crucial to the sustenance of the marital relationship. Religious leaders and family doctors often serve as mediators to husband-wife conflict management. Counselling is recommended in cases of sexual health problems. Husbands should be encouraged to seek treatment and share their sexual challenges with their spouse. The medical officers and religious leaders could also be trained in family-conflict management.
男性性功能障碍（性欲低下、射精障碍、勃起功能障碍、生殖器溃疡、睾丸疾病、前列腺癌或性传播感染）与婚姻冲突之间的关联的系统研究正在出现。然而，在这种情况下，妻子所采取的应对策略在文献中并不常见。男性的性功能对婚姻关系至关重要，缺乏性能力可能导致无法忍受的同居或关系破裂，也可能导致不育、不忠，并在尼日利亚引起耻辱。了解女性伴侣的应对策略可以指导男性性健康问题的咨询和治疗。有效的应对策略有可能减轻或预防负面后果，从而减少婚姻冲突。
本研究调查了尼日利亚五个离婚/分居率最高的州中的两个州中，丈夫患有生殖健康问题的女性所采取的应对策略。
在两个地方政府区进行了四次焦点小组讨论。这些女性是从一项针对有性健康问题的男性的夫妻定量研究中招募的。对焦点小组的回应进行了转录，并使用系统内容分析进行了分析，对摘要进行了主题组织，并对参与者的回应进行了系统分类。
研究结果揭示了女性在这种环境中采用的应对策略：寻求宗教领袖和家庭医生的指导、身体-性-治疗、禁欲和姘居。参与者表示，他们在与第三方讨论丈夫的性健康问题时遇到了困难。
研究得出的结论是，丈夫的性能力对维持婚姻关系至关重要。宗教领袖和家庭医生经常充当调解夫妻冲突的中间人。建议在出现性健康问题时进行咨询。应鼓励丈夫寻求治疗并与配偶分享他们的性挑战。也可以对医务人员和宗教领袖进行家庭冲突管理方面的培训。
