A qualitative case study of poststroke sexuality in a woman of childbearing age.

OBJECTIVE

To explore perceptions of poststroke sexuality in a woman of childbearing age.

DESIGN

Qualitative case study.

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANT: A 36-year-old married mother of two children with a history of acute ischemic stroke 7 months prior to interview.

METHODS

A semistructured interview guide was used to gather data during a single face-to-face interview. Data consisted of an audio-recorded interview and verbatim transcription, field notes, and demographic information. The inductive approach of qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Four main categories, Slow to Get Back to the Sexual Life, The Vulnerable Body, Crushed by the Stroke and The Inadequate Self, were used to describe how the emotional trauma of having a stroke at a young age affected the participant's sense of self. Issues with sexuality were related to her perception of her poststroke body as vulnerable. Stage of life informed the participant's perceptions of pre- and poststroke sexuality.

CONCLUSION

A stroke during childbearing years may affect a woman's perception of herself as a sexual being and her ability to carry out gender roles.