[A clustered epidemic investigation of non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact of HIV in Zhejiang Province].

Objective: To identify the transmission relationship between HIV infection cases the non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact in Zhejiang Province. Methods: When HIV positive was informed during January 2020 to January 2022, the staff conducted an epidemiological investigation to collect cases information on sociodemographic characteristics, mobility information, past HIV testing history, high-risk sexual behaviors, sexual partners, and etcetera. At the same time, 6-8 ml of blood from the new diagnosis of people infected with HIV before antiviral treatment was collected to separate the bleeding plasma. pol gene was amplified by nucleic acid extraction and PCR, sequenced by Sequencer 5.0 software, and Cytoscape 3.6.0 software was used to draw HIV molecular transmission network. Results: From January 2020 to January 2022, 88 HIV infected individuals were found in Pujiang County, of which 74 were transmitted through heterosexual transmission, of which 31 were infected through non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact. Preliminary case studies have found that three female cases have engaged in unprotected non-marital non-commercial heterosexual contact with one male case. Among the 4 infected individuals, 2 of their spouses tested positive for HIV antibodies. Molecular transmission network monitoring was carried out on 65 newly diagnosed cases of heterosexual transmission with acquired sequences, forming 9 transmission clusters. The largest cluster contained 10 cases. A total of 11 HIV-infected individuals were involved in this HIV cluster epidemic. They were 3 males and 8 females, all over 50 years old and were farmers or rural housewives. They were traced to 7 sexual partners (6 negatives of HIV, 1 undetected). Among the 18 respondents' sexual social network relationships, there were 6 couples, 8 permanent partners, and 3 temporary partners. Among 11 HIV infected individuals, there were 9 cases of non-marital non-commercial heterosexual transmission and 2 cases of intramarital transmission. The epidemiological association between 7 non-married non-commercial heterosexual partners and case 2 (56-year-old male farmer), 3 cases confirmed by epidemiological investigation and molecular transmission cluster results, 3 cases confirmed by molecular transmission cluster and epidemiological investigation results, and 1 case confirmed by epidemiological investigation results. Conclusions: The transmission mode of this cluster epidemic was to spread HIV through heterosexual sex with a male case as the core, then cause the transmission within marriage and between fixed sexual partners. The combination of epidemiological investigation and molecular transmission network traceability survey supports the conclusion of this study.

Spatial distribution, magnitude, and predictors of high fertility status among reproductive age women in Ethiopia: Further analysis of 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: Women's health and welfare, as well as the survival of their children, are adversely affected by high fertility rates in developing countries. The fertility rate in Ethiopia has been high for a long time, with some pockets still showing poor improvement. Thus, the current study is aimed to assess the spatial distribution and its predictors of high fertility status in Ethiopia. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was used using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS). The Bernoulli model was used by applying Kulldorff methods using the SaTScan software to analyze the purely spatial clusters of high fertility status. ArcGIS version 10.8 was used to visualize the distribution of high fertility status across the country. Mixed-effect logistic regression analysis was also used to identify the predictors of high fertility. RESULT: High fertility among reproductive-age women had spatial variation across the country. In this study, a higher proportion of fertility occurred in Somali region, Southeastern part of Oromia region, and Northeastern part of SNNPR. About 45.33% (confidence interval: (44.32, 46.33) of reproductive-age women had high fertility. Education; no formal (aOR: 13.12, 95% CI: 9.27, 18.58) and primary (aOR: 5.51, 95% CI: 3.88, 7.79), religion; Muslim (aOR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.81) and Protestant (aOR: 1.48, 95% CI: 1.23, 1.78), age at first birth (aOR: 2.94, 95% CI: 2.61, 3.31), age at first sex (aOR: 1.70, 95% CI: 1.49, 1.93), rural resident (aOR: 3.76, 95% CI: 2.85, 4.94) were predictors of high fertility in Ethiopia. CONCLUSION: The spatial pattern of high fertility status in Ethiopia is clustered. Hotspot areas of a problem were located in Somali, Central Afar, Northeastern part of SNNPR, and Southeastern part of Oromia region. Therefore, designing a hotspot area-based interventional plan could help to reduce high fertility. Moreover, much is needed to be done among rural residents, reducing early sexual initiations and early age at first birth, and enhancing women's education. All the concerned bodies including the kebele administration, religious leaders, and community leaders should be in a position to ensure the practicability of the legal age of marriage.

Marital status independently predicts the overall survival in young adult patients with lymphoma: A population-based, propensity-matched study.

We predicted that marital status may have predictive effects on young adult patients with cancer. A total of 37,028 young adult patients (20-39 years old) newly diagnosed with lymphoma by positive histology between 1988 and 2015 were collected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients were separated into married and unmarried groups. Multivariate regression was utilized to explore the association between marital status and overall survival, and propensity score matching and an inverse probability of treatment weighting were applied to corroborate our results. Among 37,028 eligible lymphoma patients, 12,827 married patients, and 12,827 unmarried patients, had equal propensity scores and were eventually recruited in this research. Moreover, married patients reported enhanced 10-year overall survival in the original group and the matched cohort. The multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed a vital advantageous influence of married status on overall mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.54 (95% CI, 0.51-0.57, P < .001) and the association remained robust after propensity score matching (HR, 0.53, 95% CI 0.51-0.55, P < .001) and inverse probability of treatment weighting (HR, 0.53, 95% CI 0.51-0.56, P < .001) after adjusting for confounding factors. Marital status had predictive significance for overall survival in young adult patients with lymphoma.

Chapitre 13. D'un corps l'autre.

The evolution of bioethics laws reflects, in part, the evolution of French society’s view of the nature of the human body. In recent years, debates have focused on the consequences, in terms of filiation, of the 2013 law opening marriage to same-sex couples. In this particular context, this contribution examines how the development of stem cell research is disturbing our view of the very concept of the ordering of the human body. This concept is indeed central because it allows us to put ethics and democratic praxis into perspective.

Chapitre 3. À propos de la loi de bioéthique : processus législatif et démocratisation.

To what extent does the revised law transcribe new orientations and how will they be applied to take into account the human dimension of those to whom they are addressed? This therefore leads us to meet three perspectives. The first concerns the relationship that man has with science and technology. The second look, to which the reflection on limits leads us, is that of the law, this tracer of borders, which obliges us to exercise our freedom in a responsible way. A third look invites us to define our relationship to the World, as it is and as we are and not just as we want to appear by controlling it. I have, for my part, the certainty that this process of questioning cannot claim to give us in the moment all the answers that we expect from it but that we must have the patience to see how the standard will marry with the present realities. and to come.

Chapitre 16. Les effets de la loi sur la filiation.

The bioethics law of 2 August 2021 opened up MAP to couples of women, thus enabling a child to have two women as parents and overturning the law of filiation. The legislator has created a new tool for establishing filiation by blood, the joint recognition. Despite its name, this joint recognition only applies to the woman who has not given birth, creating unequal filiation between the two women, and does not fit easily into the common law of filiation by blood.

The association between sexual function, quality of marital relationship and associated factors in women with a history of ectopic pregnancy: a cross-sectional study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Ectopic pregnancy (EP) has many adverse effects on the relationship between couples. The present study aims to assess the association between sexual function (SF), quality of marital relationship (QMR) and associated factors in women with a history of EP. METHOD: This cross-sectional study was performed on 220 women with a history of EP in Kerman in 2022. Convenience sampling method was applied. Data were collected using the female sexual function index (FSFI) and the perceived relationship quality components scale (PRQC) questionnaires and were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics (median regression) in Stata software version 17. A P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Of the female participants, 20.4% had sexual dysfunction (SD). Longer duration of marriage (P = 0.045) and increase in the number of EPs (P < 0.001) were associated with a decrease in SF. A quarter of women experienced poor QMR. Increase in spouse age (P = 0.047), longer duration of marriage (P = 0.028), and increase in the number of EPs (P < 0.001) were associated with a decrease in QMR. There was a significant direct relationship between SF and the QMR (r = 0.857; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The present study showed a significant relationship between SF and the QMR in women with a history of EP. Therefore, SF and the QMR are necessary to be considered in future health promotion programs of these women.

Optimizing HIV case identification: investigating client characteristics predictive of HIV positivity from provider-initiated testing (PITC) in central Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Routine program data indicates positivity rates under 2% from HIV testing services (HTS) at sites supported by Centre for Health Solutions-Kenya in Central Kenya. Achieving the UNAIDS 95:95:95 goals requires continuous identification of people living with HIV in an environment of diminishing resources. We assessed non-clinical and clinical characteristics of persons who tested HIV-positive aimed at improving the process of HTS through Provider-Initiated HIV Testing & Counseling (PITC). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of routine PITC program data collected between October 2018 and September 2019 from six health facilities located in three counties in central Kenya. Stratification was based on county and facility volume. A multivariable logistic regression model, clustered adjusted for facility using robust standard errors, was used to determine predictors of a positive HIV result. RESULTS: The total sample was 80,693 with an overall positivity rate of 1.2%. Most, (65.5%), were female and 6.1% were < 15 years. Most clients, 55,464 (68.7%), had previously tested for HIV. Client characteristics associated with a higher odds of positivity on multivariable analysis included: being female (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] (1.03-1.57); adults 15 years and above compared to children < 15 years, divorced and married polygamous compared to married monogamous [aOR 3.98, 95% CI (2.12-7.29) and aOR 2.41 95% CI (1.48-3.94) respectively]; clients testing for the first time compared to repeat testers in less than 12 months [aOR 1.39, 95% CI (1.27-1.51)]. Similarly, repeat testers in more than 12 months compared to repeat testers in less than 12 months [aOR 1.90, 95% CI (1.55-2.32)]; presumptive TB clients compared to those without signs of TB [aOR 16.25, 95% CI (10.63-24.84)]. Clients tested at inpatient departments (IPD) were more likely to get a positive HIV result compared to those tested at outpatient departments (OPD), and other departments. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings highlight client characteristics such as age, marital status, HIV test entry point, first-time test, repeat test after 12 months, and TB status as factors that could influence PITC results and could be used to develop a screening tool to target eligible clients for HTS in low HIV prevalence settings.

Needs of family members of patients in intensive care and their perception of medical communication.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the perception of medical communication and needs of family members with loved ones in intensive care. METHODS: The study was mainly qualitative and exploratory, with thematic analysis of comments made by 92 family members with loved ones in intensive care units when answering in-person interviews comprising the Quality of Communication Questionnaire (QoC) and open-ended questions about their need for additional help, the appropriateness of the place where they received information, and additional comments. RESULTS: The participants' mean age was 46.8 years (SD = 11.8), and most of them were female, married and had incomplete or completed elementary education. The following themes were found: perception of characteristics of medical communication; feelings generated by communication; considerations about specific questions in the QoC; family members' needs; and strategies to overcome needs regarding communication. Characteristics that facilitated communication included attention and listening. Characteristics that made communication difficult included aspects of information sharing, such as inaccessible language; lack of clarity, objectivity, sincerity, and agreement among the team; limited time; and inadequate location. Feelings such as shame, helplessness, and sadness were cited when communication was inadequate. Family members' needs related to communication included more details about the loved one's diagnosis, prognosis, and health condition; participation in decisionmaking; and being asked about feelings, spirituality, dying and death. Others were related to longer visitation time, psychological support, social assistance, and better infrastructure. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to enhance medical communication and improve hospital infrastructure to improve the quality of care for family members.

"We're tolerant and they're prejudiced": Same-sex marriage supporters' and opponents' perceptions of supportive and oppositional claims.

The current research examined the proposition that debates over same-sex marriage are characterized, at least in part, by conflicting understandings about what is and is not prejudiced, normative and true. Toward this end, Australians' (N = 415) prejudice judgements of supportive and oppositional statements toward same-sex marriage were measured and analysed with analyses of variance. Unsurprisingly, same-sex marriage supporters perceived a supportive statement as unprejudiced, tolerant, truthful, in pursuit of individual liberty, and normative; oppositional statements were seen in precisely the opposite manner. Same-sex marriage opponents, however, disagreed, instead judging an oppositional statement as unprejudiced, tolerant, truthful, in pursuit of individual liberty, and normative; it was a supportive statement that was seen as relatively prejudiced. These effects remained even after controlling for independent expressions of in-group favouritism. The current data align with a collective naïve realism perspective, in which group members see their own views as veridical and those of disagreeing others as biased. We argue that prejudice-reduction efforts must be instantiated to facilitate a common in-group identity between supporters and opponents to enable consensus over facts and, ultimately, what is and is not prejudice. Without this consensus, each side of the political debate may simply hurl the pejorative label of "prejudice" against the other, with likely little opportunity for social influence and social change.

Factors related to subjective well-being among community-dwelling older adults living alone: A stratified analysis by sex and marital status from the JAGES.

BACKGROUND: Previous cross-sectional studies suggest that negative health outcomes such as mortality, social isolation, loneliness, and depression among older adults living alone vary by sex and marital status, with men often worse off than women and unmarried people worse off than married people. However, limited evidence exists from longitudinal studies regarding whether positive health outcomes such as subjective well-being (SWB) also vary by sex and marital status. The focus by sex and marital status on the positive health outcomes and diverse profiles of older adults living alone is important for public health in the near future. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify changes in SWB over time and its associated factors by sex and marital status among older adults living alone in the community using a longitudinal study in a representative population. METHODS: This was a longitudinal study using data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. This study is the first to reveal differences in SWB and related factors over 3 years among older adults living alone in the community (n = 8,579) who were stratified by sex and marital status (married men, non-married men, married women, and non-married women). RESULTS: Women moved to higher levels of SWB than did men, and married individuals moved to higher levels of SWB than did unmarried individuals. Independent functioning factors and interpersonal factors were significantly associated with SWB for married men and married women, but for unmarried women, the association by interpersonal factors was more pronounced, and for unmarried men, only limited emotional support and health promotion activities were significant among the interpersonal factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that among older adults living alone, changes in SWB over time and the independent functioning factors and interpersonal factors associated with this change varied by sex and marital status among older people living alone. These findings are useful for policy-making and guiding intervention activities to promote SWB in a society in which the environment for older adults living alone is changing dramatically.

MIESRA mHealth: Marital satisfaction during pregnancy.

The transition of a pregnant woman's role often causes emotional changes that have an impact on marital satisfaction. We develop MIESRA mHealth and evaluate its impact on satisfaction of husband-wife relationship during pregnancy. A quasi-experimental study was conducted on 82 couples of pregnant women and divided into control, single, and paired group. We implemented MIESRA mHealth for four weeks. In the couple group, the wife did mindfulness based on the information in the MIESRA mHealth together with her husband. In a single group, the wife sees the video as an initial guide to doing mindfulness. In the control group, respondents received programme interventions from hospitals which included education and consultation with obstetricians. Husband-wife relationship is evaluated using Compatibility of Husband-and-Wife Relationships / Kesesuaian Hubungan Suami Istri (KHSI) questionnaire and the generalised estimating equations (GEE) was used to analyse the data. The women's KHSI scores in the couple and single intervention groups (ß = -7.46, p = 0.002; ß = -9.11, p = 0.001) were better than the control group. The husbands' KHSI scores in the paired and individual intervention groups (ß = -7.04, p<0.001; ß = -3.74, p = 0.024) were better than the control group. Nursing interventions to build emotional bonds between parents and foetuses based on mHealth can be a promising intervention for marital harmony during the perinatal period. MIESRA m-Health is a promising intervention on marital satisfaction during pregnancy and can be implemented as a part of the antenatal care programme to increase marital satisfaction.

Perceptions and attitudes toward partners support for cervical cancer screening among married men in Ghana.

OBJECTIVES: The majority of literature on cervical cancer (CC) and cervical cancer screening (CCS) focused on women all over the world. However, research has indicated that men's involvement in CCS can lead to improved health outcomes for women. Despite this, there is limited information available in the literature regarding men's attitudes toward CCS. This highlights the need for further study on the subject to increase understanding and improve outcomes. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the perceptions and attitudes toward partners' support for CCS among married men from the Adentan Municipality. STUDY DESIGN: An exploratory descriptive qualitative approach was used in the study to explore the perceptions of married men about male involvement in CCS. METHODS: Thirty-four married men were purposively selected to be part of the interviews. A semistructured interview guide was used to collect data, which were recorded. The tape-recorded data were reproduced verbatim, and content analysis was carried out to generate the themes and subthemes. RESULTS: Three themes and nine subthemes were constructed from the data analysis. The study revealed that the perceptions of males about cervical cancer had a positive or a negative influence on women's behaviors toward CCS. It was interesting that some men constantly reminded their wives to participate in CCS. However, some barriers to men's support included fear of trauma to the wife's vagina during screening and concerns about exposure to the wife's nakedness. CONCLUSION: It was therefore recommended that healthcare facilities should roll out sustainable programs and policies to involve men in CC prevention. In addition, health workers should devise innovative ways to make male involvement in CCS more attractive to men.

Descent, marriage, and residence practices of a 3,800-year-old pastoral community in Central Eurasia.

Our understanding of prehistoric societal organization at the family level is still limited. Here, we generated genome data from 32 individuals from an approximately 3,800-y-old burial mound attributed to the Bronze Age Srubnaya-Alakul cultural tradition at the site of Nepluyevsky, located in the Southern Ural region of Central Eurasia. We found that life expectancy was generally very low, with adult males living on average 8 y longer than females. A total of 35 first-degree, 40 second-degree, and 48 third-degree biological relationships connected 23 of the studied individuals, allowing us to propose a family tree spanning three generations with six brothers at its center. The oldest of these brothers had eight children with two women and the most children overall, whereas the other relationships were monogamous. Notably, related female children above the age of five were completely absent from the site, and adult females were more genetically diverse than males. These results suggest that biological relationships between male siblings played a structural role in society and that descent group membership was based on patrilineality. Women originated from a larger mating network and moved to join the men, with whom they were buried. Finally, the oldest brother likely held a higher social position, which was expressed in terms of fertility.

The development of pressure scale toward marriage and fertility in social structure.

In some cultures, giving birth and marriage adds value to women, while being single can cause women to be exposed to social and individual pressures. There are currently no instruments available in the literature for assessing how pressure women feel to be married and have children. This study aimed to develop the Marriage and Fertility Pressure Scale (PSMF) by measuring the marriage and fertility pressure on single women. The study contacted 360 single women via women's health and social groups on social networking sites. Cronbach's alpha values of the marriage pressure and fertility pressure were 0.94 and 0.82, respectively. The factor analysis of the marriage and fertility pressure subscales revealed a six-dimensional structure explaining 59.26 percent and 60.54 percent of the total variance, respectively. In conclusion, this study was important in developing a highly reliable and valid PSMF measurement tool to measure the pressure on women in terms of marriage and fertility. The widespread use of the scale in public health research will increase the sensitivity and awareness of the people about the pressure on single women. Moreover, this scale will contribute to the evaluation of the social and individual pressure differences in the research to be carried out on marriage and childbirth between societies.

Socio-demographic correlates and trends in the timing of the onset of parenthood among women of reproductive age in Ghana: evidence from three waves of the demographic and health surveys.

BACKGROUND: Childbearing is one of the central events in a woman's life and the age at which this event occurs has important health, socioeconomic and fertility implications for her.   Methods: We used three waves of the Ghana Demographic and Health Surveys (GDHS) from the individual files of married women aged 15 to 49 years old to explore the trends in the timing of the onset of parenthood among women in Ghana. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the effect of socio-demographic factors on the birth experience of women.   Results: Results showed the median age of the women increases from 17 years in 1998 to 19 years in 2014. Further, results showed that women with secondary education had 0.67, 0.89- and 0.77-times lower hazard risk of early birth than women without any formal education in 1988, 1998, and 2014 respectively. The hazard risk of early childbirth consistently decreased as age increased in all the years of surveys except in the case of the age group 40-44 in 1988, 1998 and 2014.   Conclusions: This study showed that the timing of first childbirth is changing in the direction of a late childbirth regime in Ghana and could facilitate improvement on individual health, job stability and higher level of education. Efforts should be channeled to sensitizing women on the importance of delaying childbearing.

Community perception of the determinants of unmet needs of family planning among married women in Buea Health District, Southwest Region, Cameroon.

Introduction: in Cameroon, and more specifically in the Buea Health District of the Southwest Region, there are still a few unmet family planning needs. Many women desire to avoid getting pregnant, but do not use an effective form of birth control. A focus group discussion among married women in the Buea health district was necessary to explore the determinants of unmet family planning in order to promote access to and use of long-acting modern contraceptive methods because most research studies have only focused on the quantitative aspect. Methods: focus groups were held in the community and in the medical facilities as part of the study's qualitative exploratory strategy. To invite the participants, invitations were sent out. A qualitative survey of 10-12 respondents was carried out by the researcher, in each Focus Group the discussed topics included factors that encourage the use of FP methods, making the switch from traditional to modern FP methods, family planning methods decision-making, accessibility of FP in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each focus group discussion lasted 1 hour 30 minutes, the perception was collected in an audiotape recorder and later transcript verbatim. The team conducted 10 Focus Group Discussion (FGD) (four of each of the topic areas). The FGD team provided participants with light refreshments. Results: a total of 10 focus groups were conducted, reaching a total participant of 107. The N-Vivo analysis software was used to analyze the data. The following are some of the key participant perceptions that have been reported. Perceptions of family planning; for health reasons as well as social expectations and pressures, having children earlier in marriage was a wise decision. While there are certain issues with having children early in life, such as the mother's maturity and financial stability, having a kid as soon as feasible is the best option. It is best to have children within the first two years of marriage, with a three-to-five-year gap between them. Reasons for changing from traditional to modern family planning; The most significant issues with current birth control techniques (such as condoms, pills (postinor-2), implants, injectables, and IUDs) are those that affect a woman's body. Regardless of the issues, they experience with contraception, there are some benefits to utilizing it. Both modern and classic FP methods have the potential to fail. Making family planning decisions; extended families, particularly mothers-in-law, have a strong influence on family planning and size decisions, and family members assist in resolving FP issues and challenges. Participants want to know about the adverse effects of current birth control techniques, especially in the long run, and how contraceptives affect a future pregnancy. Accessibility of FP in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; participants have mixed perceptions of whether the COVID-19 context influences their accessibility to family planning. Conclusion: the focus groups demonstrated that participants have a nuanced and sophisticated awareness of pertinent topics that significantly impact them. While cultural and social conventions surrounding family planning difficulties and decision-making continue to put pressure on women, traditional and modern family planning methods are well-known. Participants also reported a strong desire to learn more about family planning alternatives, the effects of different methods on their bodies, and to have access to a wider selection of general and specialized family planning services. Fear was produced by the backdrop of COVID-19, but women are rapidly overcoming these fears to have access to family planning.

Longitudinal Examination of Which Married Young Women Use Contraception to Delay a First Pregnancy in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India.

Early marriage and childbearing put young women and their babies at risk of poor health and well-being. This study uses two rounds of longitudinal data from young women ages 15-19 in 2015-2016 and followed in 2018-2019 to determine factors associated with contraceptive use before a first pregnancy among young, married women in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India. Discrete time hazard models were used to analyze time to first use starting from the month of marriage. Overall, use of contraception prior to a first pregnancy was low in this sample (between 12 to 20% used before a first pregnancy). Young women who reported that someone discussed the importance of delaying a first birth at the time of marriage were significantly more likely to have used a method of family planning (FP) before a first pregnancy than those who did not receive this information. Further, women who discussed FP with their husband before a first pregnancy were more likely to use contraception. Finally, among recently married young women, those who experienced pressure to have a child were less likely to use before a first pregnancy. As young women recognize the advantages of delaying a first birth and adopt FP to meet their needs, social norms around early childbearing will slowly adjust and early use to delay a first pregnancy will become more normative.

Relationship between emotional divorce and alexithymia among married women in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Emotional divorce occurs when a couple continues to live together due to necessity and coercion but they do not have a positive or constructive relationship, which negatively affects the stability of married life. Due to the low social acceptance of a formal divorce in the Saudi society, emotional divorce is common in several families. The rigidity of feelings and emotions within the family and the inability to express them may indicate the presence of alexithymia, which could result in the collapse of the family system and place the people involved at risk of mental health problems such as depression. Therefore, it is important to determine the prevalence of emotional divorce among married women in Saudi Arabia and to examine the relationship between emotional divorce and alexithymia. METHODS: Data were collected from 305 married women in Saudi Arabia (Mage = 33.24 years; SDage = 4.87 years), using the Emotional Divorce Scale and the Alexithymia Scale. RESULTS: Results revealed that 78.36% of the participants experienced moderate to severe levels of emotional divorce. Working women, those who had been married for more than ten years, and those with five or more children exhibited a higher incidence of emotional divorce as compared to their counterparts. A linear regression analysis indicated that alexithymia was significantly associated with emotional divorce in this sample. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the need for examining the negative consequences of emotional divorce on the family and society. Additionally, it is important to educate young individuals of marriageable age about the nature of married life, and ways to deal with problems that occur. Finally, couples should be encouraged to express their positive and negative emotions with their spouse to build the marital relationship, and achieve compatibility and marital satisfaction.