Internet Infidelity and Attachment Injury in a Romanian Women Sample: A Qualitative Study of the Online Sexual Infidelity Dimension
Keywords:
Sexual online infidelity; attachment injury; divorce; Romanian women; qualitative analysisAbstract
Sexual online infidelity dimension can have a devastating impact on the couple’s relationship, as well as the individual’s life. Studies show that many Romanian couples ask for divorce after experiencing sexual infidelity. This qualitative study explores the effects of sexual infidelity on Romanian attachment injured women asking for divorce. In this cultural study, 27 women with betrayal experience were interviewed. All interviews were transcribed word by word and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results show the impacts of sexual betrayal, as an attachment injury, can be classified into four themes including 1) emotional effects, 2) cognitive effects, 3) behavioral effects, and 4) sexual relationships. It has been demonstrated that attachment injury caused by infidelity damages the cultural foundation of mutual trust within partners. Infidelity as an attachment injury is also discussed.
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