Abstract

HIDALGO-BALSERA, Agustín  and  CANTABRANA-PLAZA, Begoña. Illness and relationship. Rev Med Cine [online]. 2022, vol.18, n.4, pp.391-404.  Epub Mar 20, 2023. ISSN 1885-5210.  https://dx.doi.org/10.14201/rmc.30625.

The disease, especially chronic and serious diseases, can be overwhelming not only for the patient but also for the couple and the family environment. It is not surprising, then, that dissensions occur in intra-family relationships that cover the entire possible spectrum, from divorce to reconciliation. This article is an approach to some of the situations that can occur in this difficult balance generated by the outbreak of a real or imaginary disease. The basis of the article are stories taken from literature, although some illustrative anecdotes taken from everyday life are included, some real event that adds plausibility to many fictional stories. Specifically, stories related to couples that do not form due to the appearance of illnesses, couples that break up very early without opportunities to consolidate are discussed. Other times, it is the patient's rejection of his own environment that breaks the couple's relationship. But there are also couples that are formed despite the disease or because of it, or couples at risk of separation that are consolidated when the disease appears, without a double behavior being anecdotal: initial breakup and subsequent reconciliation. So complex is the couple's relationship and so much anxiety brings the disease to it.

Keywords : illness; relationship; marital breakdown; care; emotional support.

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