School of Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
School of Social Work, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14215, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 29;20(1):588. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010588.
Sexual health communication is an important feature of healthy intimate relationships; however, some couples may avoid discussing difficult matters (e.g., HIV/STI testing, sexual satisfaction) to minimize interpersonal conflict. From October 2018 to May 2019 in New York State, we conducted a multi-method descriptive pilot study to characterize Black heterosexual couples' (N = 28) sexual health conversations. Partners individually completed an online sexual health/relationship survey before engaging in-person for a joint dyadic qualitative in-depth interview. Quantitative descriptive statistics demonstrated that most absolute score differences among couple's preferences for sexual health outcomes, communal coping and sexual relationship power were mainly small, but greatest regarding extra-dyadic sexual behaviors. A qualitative descriptive approach discerned, motivation and norms for sexual health conversations, and communication patterns. Thematic and content analysis revealed two central themes: , and . Integrated findings indicate that couples possess varied communication patterns that operate with motivations for sexual health conversations toward subsequent sexual health promotion. Equitable and skewed communication patterns emerged as relationship assets that can be leveraged to optimize sexual health. There is also opportunity for future work to address communication regarding extra-dyadic behavior and preferences. Asset-based considerations are discussed.
性健康沟通是健康亲密关系的一个重要特征；然而，有些夫妇可能会避免讨论困难的问题（例如，艾滋病毒/性传播感染检测、性满意度），以尽量减少人际冲突。2018 年 10 月至 2019 年 5 月，我们在纽约州进行了一项多方法描述性试点研究，以描述黑人异性恋夫妇（N=28）的性健康对话。伴侣们在进行面对面的联合二元定性深入访谈之前，分别完成了一份在线性健康/关系调查。定量描述性统计数据表明，夫妻双方对性健康结果、共通应对和性关系权力的偏好的绝对分数差异主要较小，但在额外性行为方面最大。定性描述方法辨别出，性健康对话的动机和规范，以及沟通模式。主题和内容分析揭示了两个中心主题： ，和 。综合研究结果表明，夫妇之间存在不同的沟通模式，这些模式的动机是为了进行性健康对话，以促进随后的性健康。平等和倾斜的沟通模式是关系资产，可以加以利用，以优化性健康。也有机会开展未来的工作，解决关于额外性行为和偏好的沟通问题。讨论了基于资产的考虑因素。
