Romantic relationships are of particular importance to young people, and play a key role in the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Psychosis typically develops during late adolescence or early adulthood, a crucial period for gaining romantic experience. The significance of these relationships for young people with psychosis has never been explored. Eight participants were interviewed about their experiences and perceptions of romantic relationships using a semi-structured interview. The research was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Five overarching themes emerged, suggesting that participants experienced conflict regarding romantic relationships, as they considered such relationships incompatible with psychosis, whilst they also associated them with normality and recovery. Relationships were perceived to be “risky”, and participants were concerned with strategies for reducing these risks. Respondents typically perceived themselves to have a relative lack of experience and resources, making it more difficult for them to engage in romantic relationships. As romantic relationships are associated with a range of personal and social benefits, young people who have experienced psychosis may benefit from services supporting them in negotiating stigma and facilitating their involvement in romantic relationships.
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic & statistical manual of mental disorder (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author .
2.
Argyle, M. ( 1987). The psychology of happiness. Harmondsworth : Penguin.
3.
Birchwood, M., & Trower, P. ( 2006). The future of cognitive-behavioural therapy for psychosis: Not a quasineuroleptic. British Journal of Psychiatry, 188, 107-108.
4.
Brunnell, A., Pilkington, C., & Webster, G.D. ( 2007). Perceptions of intimacy in dating couples, conversation and relationship quality. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , 26, 93-117.
5.
Castle, D.J., McGrath, J., & Kulkarni, J. (Eds.) (1998). Women and schizophrenia. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press.
6.
Collins, W.A., & Sroufe, L.A. ( 1999). Capacity for intimate relationships. In W. Furman, B.B. Brown , & C. Feiring (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence (pp. 125-147). New York: Cambridge University Press.
7.
Connolly, J., Pepler, D., Craig, W., & Costa, M. ( 2001). The interpersonal context of romantic autonomy in adolescence . Journal of Adolescence, 24, 365-377.
8.
Corrigan, P.W. ( 2000). Mental health stigma as social attribution: Implications for research methods and attitude change. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 7, 48-67.
9.
Davidson, L., Stayner, D., & Haglund, K.E. ( 1998). Phenomenological perspectives on the social functioning of people with schizophrenia. In K.T. Mueser, & N. Tarrier (Eds.), Handbook of social functioning in schizophrenia (pp. 97-120). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
10.
Donald, M., Dover, J., & Correaludez, I. (2006). Risk and protective factors for medically serious suicide attempts: A comparison of hospital based and population based samples of young adults. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 40(1), 87-96.
11.
Duck, S. ( 1991). Friends, for life - The psychology of personal relationships (2nd ed.). London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
12.
Duck, S. ( 1994). Dynamics of relationships. Understanding relationships processes (Vol. 4). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
13.
Erikson, E. ( 1968). Adolescence as identity synthesis: Erikson’s psychosocial approach. In J. Kroger (Ed.), Identity in adolescence (pp. 15-52). London: Routledge Press.
14.
Fennell, M. ( 2001). Overcoming low self-esteem. Oxford : New York University Press.
15.
Furman, W., Brown, B.B. , & Feiring, C. (Eds.) ( 1999). The development of romantic relationships in adolescence . New York: Cambridge University Press.
16.
Furman, W., Ho, M.J., & Low, S. ( 2007). The rocky road of adolescent romantic experience: Dating and adjustment. In C.M.E. Engels, M. Kerr, & H. Stattin (Eds.), Friends, lovers and groups: Key relationships in adolescence (pp. 61-80). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
17.
Gergen, K.J., & Gergen, M.M. ( 1988). Narrative and the self as relationship. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 17-56.
18.
Hafner, H. ( 2003). Gender differences in schizophrenia. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 28, 17-54.
19.
Hall, P.L., & Tarrier, N. ( 2004). Short term durability of a cognitive behavioural intervention in psychosis: Effects from a pilot study. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 32, 117-121.
20.
Harrop, C., & Trower, P. ( 2003). Why does schizophrenia develop at late adolescence: A cognitive developmental approach to psychosis. Chichester : Wiley.
21.
Hauser, S.T., Allen, J.P., & Golden, E. ( 2006). Out of the woods: Tales of resilient teens. Harvard: Harvard University Press.
22.
Hinde, R.A. ( 1997). Relationships: A dialectical perspective. East Sussex: Psychology Press.
23.
Jablensky, A. ( 1999). People living with psychotic illness: An Australian study 1997-1998. An overview: Canberra 1999National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, 1.
24.
Jablensky, A., & Cole, S.W. ( 1997). Is the earlier age of schizophrenia in males a confounded finding? British Journal of Psychiatry, 170, 234-240.
25.
Jablensky, A., Satorius, N., Ernberg, G., Anker, M., Korten, A., Cooper, J.E., et al. (1992). Schizophrenia: Manifestations, incidence and course in different cultures. A World Health Organization ten-country study. Psychological Medicine, Monograph Supplement, 20. Cambridge University Press.
26.
Joyner, K., & Udry, J.R. ( 2000). You don’t bring me anything but down: Adolescent romance and depression. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour , 41, 369-391.
27.
Knight, M.T.D., Wykes, T., & Hayward, P. ( 2003). "People don’t understand": An investigation of stigma in schizophrenia using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) . Journal of Mental Health, 12(3), 209-222.
28.
Malmberg, A., Lewis, G., & David, A. ( 1998). Premorbid adjustment and personality in people with schizophrenia . British Journal of Psychiatry, 172, 308-313.
29.
Mueser, K., & McGurk, S. (2004). Schizophrenia. The Lancet, 363, 9426, 2063-2072.
30.
Murray, S.L., & Derrick, J. ( 2005). A relationship specific sense of felt security. How perceived regard regulates relationship enhancement processes. In M.W. Baldwin (Ed.), Interpersonal cognition (pp. 153-179). New York: Cambridge University Press.
31.
Pilkington, C., & Richardson, D.R. (1988). Perceptions of risk in intimacy. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 5, 503-508.
32.
Reid, K., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. ( 2005). Exploring lived experience. The Psychologist , 18(1), 20-23.
33.
Richards, M.H., Crowe, P.A., Larson, R., & Swarr, A. ( 1998). Developmental patterns and gender differences in the experience of peer companionship during adolescence. Child Development, 69, 154-163.
34.
Riecher-Rossler, A., & Hafner, H. ( 2000). Sex differences in schizophrenia, a review of the literature . Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 101(401), 3-38.
35.
Seiffge-Krenke, I., & Shulman, S. ( 2001). Adolescent romance: Between experience and relationships . Journal of Adolescence, 24, 417-428.
36.
Seltzer, M.M., Greenburg, J., Kruass, M., & Hong, J. ( 1997). Predictors and outcomes of the end of co-resident care-giving in aging families of adults with mental retardation or mental illness. Family relations, 46, 13-22.
37.
Shulman, S., & Kipns, O. ( 2001). Adolescent romantic relationships: A look from the future . Journal of Adolescence, 24, 337-351
38.
Smith, J.A. ( 2003). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. London: SAGE Publications.
39.
Smith, J.A. ( 2005). Advocating pluralism: Invited commentary on "Qualitative interviews in psychology: problems and perspectives" by Jonathan Potter and Alexa Hepburn. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2, 309-311.
40.
Smith, J.A., & Eatough, V. ( 2006). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In G.M. Breakwell, S. Hammond , C. Fife-Schaw, & J.A. Smith (Eds.), Research methods in psychology (3rd ed., pp. 322-341). London: SAGE Publications.
41.
Williams, K. ( 2003). Has the future of marriage arrived? A contemporary examination of sex, marriage, and psychological well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 44, 470-487.
42.
Willig, C. ( 2001). Introducing qualitative research in psychology: Adventures in theory and method. Buckingham: Open University Press.
43.
Wilson-Shockley, S. ( 1995). Gender differences in adolescent depression: the contribution of negative effect. Unpublished masters thesis. University of Illinois at Urban-Champaigne, Champaigne, IL. Cited in C.M.E. Engels, M. Kerr, & H. Stattin (Eds.) (2007). Friends, lovers and groups: Key relationships in adolescence. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
44.
Zimmer-Gembek, M.J., Siebenbruner, J., & Collins, W.A. ( 2001). Diverse aspects of dating: associations with psychosocial functioning from early to middle adolescence. Journal of Adolescence , 24, 313-336.
