ArticleBMC cancer2013
Constructions of sex and intimacy after cancer: Q methodology study of people with cancer, their partners, and health professionals.
Article in BMC cancer, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 88 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors of sexual quality of life in gynaecological cancers: a systematic literature review.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2021Pooled it
- A randomized trial of a minimal intervention for sexual concerns after cancer: a comparison of self-help and professionally delivered modalities.BMC cancer · 2015Trial
- Sexual Embodiment and Sexual Renegotiation Post-Cancer for LGBTQ People with a Cervix.Archives of sexual behavior · 2025Article
- Discussing male sexual and reproductive health in the rheumatology outpatient clinic: a Q-methodology study.BMC rheumatology · 2024Article
- Posttreatment health interventions for adult cancer survivors and their families: an integrated review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Review
- Contextualizing Measurement: Establishing a Construct and Content Foundation for the Assessment of Cancer-Related Dyadic Efficacy.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2024Article
- Sexual quality of life after gynaecological cancer: what young women want.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Knowledge, practice and communication barriers for oncology doctors in Chile when addressing the sexuality of their patients.Ecancermedicalscience · 2024Article
- Management of psychiatric disorders in patients with cancer.Indian journal of psychiatry · 2022Article
- Managing sexual dysfunction for women with breast cancer: the perspective of healthcare providers in North East Malaysia.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Article
- A scoping review of Q-methodology in healthcare research.BMC medical research methodology · 2021Article
- The correlation between intimate relationship, self-disclosure, and adaptability among colorectal cancer enterostomy patients.Medicine · 2021Observational
- Sexual Pleasure and Healthcare Settings: Focusing on Pleasure to Improve Healthcare Delivery and Utilization.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2021Article
- The World Association for Sexual Health's Declaration on Sexual Pleasure: A Technical Guide.International journal of sexual health : official journal of the World Association for Sexual Health · 2021Article
- Using Q-methodology to understand the perspectives and practical experiences of dermatologists about treatment difficulties of cutaneous leishmaniasis.BMC infectious diseases · 2020Article
- The Self-Efficacy to Communicate about Sex and Intimacy (SECSI) scale: psychometric assessment in women treated for cancer.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Article
- Sexual desire of French representative prostate cancer survivors 2 years after diagnosis (the VICAN survey).Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2019Article
- Prostate cancer in sexual minorities and the influence of HIV status.Nature reviews. Urology · 2019Review
- Effective patient-provider communication about sexual concerns in breast cancer: a qualitative study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2017Article
- Culture Clash? Investigating constructions of sexual and reproductive health from the perspective of 1.5 generation migrants in Australia using Q methodology.Reproductive health · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe increasing number of individuals living with cancer has led to a focus on the quality of life of survivors, and their families. Sexual wellbeing is a central component of quality of life, with a growing body of research demonstrating the association between cancer and changes to sexuality and intimacy. However, little is known about patient and professional understanding of cancer and sexuality post-cancer. This study was designed to explore the complex perspectives that people with personal and professional experience with cancer hold about sexuality in the context of cancer.
methodsAn interview study using Q methodology was conducted with 44 people with cancer, 35 partners of a person with cancer and 37 health professionals working in oncology. Participants were asked to rank-order 56 statements about sexuality and intimacy after cancer and asked to comment on their rankings in a subsequent semi-structured interview. A by-person factor analysis was performed with factors extracted according to the centroid method with a varimax rotation.
resultsA three-factor solution provided the best conceptual fit for the perspectives regarding intimacy and sexuality post-cancer. Factor 1, entitled "communication - dispelling myths about sex and intimacy" positions communication as central to the acceptance of a range of satisfying sexual and intimate practices post-cancer. Factor 2, "valuing sexuality across the cancer journey," centres on the theme of normalizing the experience of sex after cancer through the renegotiation of sex and intimacy: the development of alternative sexual practices. Factor 3, "intimacy beyond sex," presents the view that even though sex may not be wanted, desired, or even possible following cancer, quality of life and relationship satisfaction are achieved through communication and non-genital intimacy.
conclusionsThis study has demonstrated the complexity of perspectives about sexuality and intimacy post cancer, which has practical implications for those working in cancer care and survivorship. Therapists and other health professionals can play an important role in ameliorating concerns surrounding sexual wellbeing after cancer, by opening and facilitating discussion of sexuality and intimacy amongst couples affected by cancer, as well as providing information that normalizes a range of sexual and intimate practices.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.