Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Romantic And Sexual Intimacy During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brooke E. Weinmann

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Previous studies show that pandemics have an impact on individual’s health, social life, finances, livelihood, and overall well-being. But how do pandemics impact intimacy? Very little research has sought to examine the ways in which a pandemic impacts sexual and romantic intimacy, precisely the aim of this study. Through an online Qualtrics open-ended survey (n=229) and a convenience sample of three in-depth semi-structured interviews, this thesis seeks to answer, “How have people managed romantic and sexual intimacy during the COVID-19 pandemic?” The data collected shows that respondents reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened loneliness and difficulty to engage in …