WOMEN WITH COMPLETE SPINAL-CORD INJURY - A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF SEXUALITY AND RELATIONSHIP EXPERIENCES

The phenomenological study described in this paper examines the sexual ity and relationship ''lived experiences'' of 15 adult women who susta ined complete spinal cord injury between the levels of T6 and L2 verif ied by a physiatrist. Audiotaped, semi-structured interviews were cond ucted by an interdisciplinary team of investigators. A set of themes a nd sequentially consistent patterns emerged from post-injury data that were labelled: Cognitive-genital dissociation, sexual disenfranchisem ent, sexual exploration, and sexuality reintegration. Sexuality and re lationship issues in women with complete SCI are discussed, and indica tions for future studies and educational implications are presented.