| GPs in a facilitating role, not on an assembly line | Practical follow-up, the GP as a gateway or gatekeeper |
'Yes, the GP is a junction point, or ... a place to go, and then they refer you to other specialists you need.' | Participant 10, female, aged 61–70 years. |
| Partners |
'It is absolutely easier to bring this up in a GP consultation. Going to couples therapy is a very big step … So I think it would have been difficult to get him to come with me to that.' | Participant 16, female, aged 61–70 years. |
| Time squeeze or prioritising time | ' … I think that in twenty years, that is what I am going to remember. That my GP gave me the last appointment for the day because she knew she had extra time then.' | Participant 14, female, aged 51–60 years. |
| Navigating the 'elephant in the room' | A direct approach |
' … my GP had a direct approach, challenging the validity of my assessments and questioning my responsibility for the problems …'
| Participant 7, female, aged 51–60 years. |
| Engaged and interested GP |
'That they have time and that they make time, that they are connected, that they are interested and concerned ... I value their interpersonal competence more than their theoretical expertise.' | Participant 7, female, aged 51–60 years. |
| What is normal? |
'For him [the GP], as a man, I guess he is 45 years or something like that, things I have complained about, is really normal stuff. So, I have got feedback from my doctor that this, this isn’t something only you’re experiencing. Many people experience this. And I have known it. But still, it has been good to be comforted by my GP that this isn’t a crisis, then.' | Participant 4, female, aged 41–50 years. |
| The GP should see the whole picture |
' … she was really good at diseases. But it didn’t seem like she was comfortable with me digging into stuff like this. When that happened, she became quite detached.' | Participant 8, female, aged 61–70 years. |
| GPs as biomedically competent life witnesses | The GP as a life witness |
'It is not okay when we are having a family party and he has been drinking on the quiet, you know. It is so embarrassing ... having couple relationship problems feels really lonely.' | Participant 10, female, aged 61–70 years. |
| In sickness and health, and through relationship problems |
' … I get lots of support [from my GP] to stay at a rehabilitation institution for a period of time to achieve more energy I can bring back to make my couple relationship work better. This support has been really helpful to me.' | Participant 15, female, aged 61–70 years. |