ABSTRACT Familial separation due to incarceration present numerous challenges to the enactment of relational maintenance behaviors. This study explored self-reported maintenance behaviors and perceptions of barriers that hinder feelings of connectedness for non-incarcerated women who have a relational partner in jail. Responses from an open-ended questionnaire of 124 non-incarcerated women with relational partners in jail were analyzed to highlight issues of long-distance relational maintenance. Results from an inductive exploratory analysis yielded twelve maintenance behaviors and seven perceived barriers that the women in this study perceive factor into relational maintenance with an incarcerated partner. I organize the relational maintenance strategies in this context by intrapersonal, dyadic, and network-level behaviors. Openness, assurances, and future planning were reported as frequent behaviors utilized by non-incarcerated women to maintain connectedness with an incarcerated partner. These women also identified a lack of intimacy and communication as barriers to relational maintenance with an incarcerated partner. Findings indicate a strong parallel in maintenance behaviors enacted by women with deployed spouses and the women of incarcerated partners. In this context, the restrictions of prison policy and stigma affects the women of incarcerated partners from exploring network involvement as a way to stay connected to an incarcerated relational partner.

中文翻译：

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爱情被锁住：伴侣被关押的女性的关系维持和感知障碍的探索

摘要由于监禁所致的家族分离对制定相关的维持行为提出了许多挑战。这项研究探讨了自我报告的维持行为以及障碍的感知，这些障碍阻碍了有关系伴侣在监狱中的非被监禁女性的连接感。分析了来自124名非监禁妇女和关系伴侣在监狱中的不限成员名额调查问卷的回答，以强调长途关系维持的问题。归纳性探索性分析的结果产生了十二种维持行为和七种感知障碍，该研究中的女性感知到与被监禁伴侣关系维持的因素。在这种情况下，我通过人际，二元和网络级别的行为来组织关系维护策略。公开，保证，据报道，未来的计划是非监禁妇女为了维持与被监禁伴侣之间的联系而经常使用的行为。这些妇女还发现缺乏亲密感和沟通障碍是与被监禁伴侣保持关系的障碍。调查结果表明，配偶妇女和被监禁伴侣的妇女在maintenance养行为上有很强的相似性。在这种情况下，监狱政策和污名化的限制会影响被监禁伴侣的妇女探索网络参与作为与被监禁的关系伴侣保持联系的一种方式。这些妇女还发现缺乏亲密感和沟通障碍是与被监禁伴侣保持关系的障碍。调查结果表明，配偶妇女和被监禁伴侣的妇女在maintenance养行为上有很强的相似性。在这种情况下，监狱政策和污名化的限制会影响被监禁伴侣的妇女探索网络参与作为与被监禁的关系伴侣保持联系的一种方式。这些妇女还发现缺乏亲密感和沟通障碍是与被监禁伴侣保持关系的障碍。调查结果表明，配偶妇女和被监禁伴侣的妇女在maintenance养行为上有很强的相似性。在这种情况下，监狱政策和污名化的限制会影响被监禁伴侣的妇女探索网络参与作为与被监禁的关系伴侣保持联系的一种方式。