Perceived Effects of Tango Argentino on Couple Relationship Functioning in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease and Their Partners: Findings from a Qualitative Study

Abstract

This research focuses on the impact of Tango Argentino (TA) on the dynamics of relationships in couples who are dealing with Parkinson’s disease (PD). In particular, it investigates Neuro Tango Argentino Training as an intervention to explore its effects on participants and the potential benefits for the well-being and relationship dynamics of couples dealing with PD. By conducting semi-structured interviews with 13 individuals with PD and their partners, six main themes emerged. These themes include relationship quality and body awareness. The participants reported increased sensitivity and non-verbal communication within couples following the TA intervention. Additionally, the study demonstrated the adaptability of this intervention through the development of a 10-week TA program tailored for individuals with impairments. These findings suggest that TA can promote shared body awareness, facilitate meaningful experiences and encourage interaction among couples managing PD. In conclusion, this research indicates that TA holds promise as an intervention to enhance shared body awareness in couples affected by PD; however, further investigation is warranted to validate these findings.

Keywords:

• Tango Argentino
• Parkinson’s disease
• couple relationship

Acknowledgements

We would like to express our gratitude to the individuals who participated in the interviews and generously shared their experiences with us. We also extend our appreciation to the Argentine Tango instructors in Dortmund and Lünen (Simone Schlafhorst) and Hamburg for their valuable assistance throughout the study. The authors would also like to acknowledge the peer reviewers for their thoughtful and helpful reviews. We would like to acknowledge the use of ChatGPT, a language model developed by OpenAI, and DeepL for translating our qualitative research findings into English.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Fundings

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.