Factors related to romantic relationships in serious mental illness: An exploratory study in Japan

Abstract

Introduction:

Romantic relationships represent a meaningful domain of occupational participation. Although individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) commonly desire romantic relationships, stigma, sexual dysfunction, economic constraints, and limited social participation may hinder engagement. Quantitative studies integrating these factors remain scarce. This study aimed to clarify how community-living individuals with SMI in Japan perceive the skills, resources, and attitudes required to establish and maintain romantic relationships and to examine their associations with related factors.

Method:

Thirty-nine adults with SMI attending psychiatric day-care services completed a cross-sectional survey including the Romantic Relationship Functioning Scale (RRFS), Perceived Devaluation-Discrimination Scale, Nagoya Sexual Functional Questionnaire, Recovery Assessment Scale, and Temple University Community Participation Measure (Japanese version). Correlation analyses were conducted using RRFS scores as the primary outcome.

Results:

Participants reported comparatively lower perceived interpersonal skills and resources related to romantic relationship functioning. Recovery was the only factor significantly associated with romantic relationship functioning (r = 0.571, p < 0.01).

Conclusion:

Romantic relationship functioning appears to represent a distinct domain of occupational participation requiring explicit consideration within occupational therapy assessment and intervention. These findings provide preliminary quantitative evidence regarding relational skills and resources among individuals with SMI in Japan.