Table 2.
Predisposing factors for couple interdependence
| Characteristic | Exemplar text | Participant identifier |
|---|---|---|
| Communication and trust | ||
| Mutual respect | “The respect that she has allows me to be free with her … If you take a keen look at your wife, you can find that she is a little sincere. This can encourage you to be free. You cannot understand each other or discuss anything if there is no respect between the two of you.” | Male partner #17, HIV-positive |
| Listening ability | “One can have an opinion but the other partner looks down upon it. Such things cannot encourage discussions in the family. In a family, one should be able to listen to what is being said so that they can all participate.” | Male partner #20, HIV-negative |
| Humour | “We discuss issues like recently we were discussing the number of children that we would want to have. Then he said five, but I said five is too many and asked him who would carry all those [pregnancies] … he just laughed and never said anything. We always joke with each other.” | Pregnant woman #19, HIV-negative |
| Spending time together | “[Getting more time as a couple] will bring peace to our family. You will never know what your partner thinks about the marriage unless you take your time to sit down with him or her for a conversation.” | Male partner #13, HIV-negative |
| Willingness to resolve conflicts | “Despite the fact that issues and quarrels must always be there in the house, we always sit and discuss … if it reaches a point that we can't communicate to each other because of small issues here and there then we will jeopardize our relationships [and] we may start being unfaithful to each other.” | Male partner #04, HIV-negative |
| Faithfulness in marriage | “The most important thing is faithfulness. I have never been unfaithful to my wife. But I do have a problem with the guys who want her… But I still trust her that there is no relationship between her and other men.” | Male partner #05, HIV-negative |
| Having a mediator/counsellor | “You know a woman and her husband cannot talk and agree on something that already got spoilt. But people's experiences from outside [the marital relationship] can make someone listen and this can bring peace in their house … someone from outside can teach you and you take these teachings and agree with each other.” | Pregnant woman #26, HIV-positive |
| Shared children | “[Marriage] is all about having children… You must be happy when the wife is pregnant. She is going to add another member of the family.” | Male partner #14, HIV-negative |