The Impact of STI Stigma on Sexual and Romantic Relationships
What’s the impact of stigma between sexual and romantic partners when one partner has an STI (like herpes)? Researchers, Newton & McCabe (2005), found three areas of focus:
1. Partners’ behavior towards STIs (how does a partner’s STI diagnosis impact/change sexual behaviors in the relationship (if at all)?)
2. Partners’ feelings about STIs. (Did it change the relationship? Is the partner who has an STI feeling guilty or sad about disclosure? Is there a fear around the relationship’s future?)
3. Partners’ attitudes about STIs (aka how much of the social stigma around STIs does this person hold and/or feed into?)
Each of these three sectors differs depending on the relationship type, expectation, longevity, etc. Despite these variances, I find that the separation of behaviors, feelings, and beliefs to be helpful in our self-reflection and awareness.