A randomized pilot trial of a couple-based intervention addressing sexual concerns for breast cancer survivors

Reese, Jennifer Barsky; Smith, Katherine Clegg; Handorf, Elizabeth A.; Sorice, Kristen; Bober, Sharon L.; Bantug, Elissa; Schwartz, Stanley; Porter, Laura S.

doi:10.1080/07347332.2018.1510869

Cited by 41 publications

(70 citation statements)

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“…Moreover, increases in sexual health communication were not accompanied by decreases in patients' satisfaction, suggesting that clinicians need not worry that discussing sexual health will be off putting to patients. Finally, research has shown that worse sexual problems are associated with worse psychological distress for breast cancer survivors, and that addressing their sexual concerns may reduce psychological distress . Future studies could investigate whether a sexual health communication intervention improves not only patient sexual health and function but also psychological outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, research has shown that worse sexual problems are associated with worse psychological distress for breast cancer survivors, 31,32 and that addressing their sexual concerns may reduce psychological distress. 33,34 Future studies could investigate whether a sexual health communication intervention improves not only patient sexual health and function but also psychological outcomes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A brief intervention to enhance breast cancer clinicians' communication about sexual health: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes

et al. 2019

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Objective Sexual concerns are often unaddressed for breast cancer patients; one reason is inadequate clinician training. We examined the feasibility, acceptability, and potential benefits of a novel intervention, improving Sexual Health and Augmenting Relationships through Education (iSHARE) for breast cancer clinicians. Methods Clinicians received training in communicating about sexual concerns with breast cancer patients. Intervention feasibility and acceptability were measured through enrollment/participation and postintervention program evaluations, respectively. Intervention effects were assessed through (1) clinician self‐reported beliefs about sexual health communication, assessed at baseline, post‐intervention, and 1‐ or 6‐month follow‐up, (2) clinical communication coded from audio recorded, transcribed clinic encounters at preintervention or postintervention, and (3) patient satisfaction with clinical care, reported immediately after the clinic visit. Patients also reported sociodemographic characteristics and level of sexual concerns. Results Seven breast cancer clinicians enrolled (88% participation), completed the intervention, and were audio recorded in clinic encounters with 134 breast cancer outpatients (67 each at preintervention or postintervention). Program evaluations supported intervention acceptability. Effect sizes suggest iSHARE increased clinicians' self‐efficacy (d = 0.27) and outcome expectancies for communicating about sexual concerns (d = 0.69) and reduced communication barriers (d = −0.14). Clinicians' sexual health communication behaviors increased from baseline to postintervention, including for raising the topic (28% vs 48%), asking questions (33% vs 45%), and offering information (18% vs 24%). Neither patient satisfaction nor duration of sexual health communication changed (mean duration less than 1 minute at both time points). Conclusions The iSHARE intervention was feasible and well received by clinicians and may change breast cancer clinicians' beliefs and communication behaviors regarding sexual health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A brief intervention to enhance breast cancer clinicians' communication about sexual health: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes

et al. 2019

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“…We initially conducted a randomized pilot trial of the IE intervention in a sample of breast cancer survivors and their intimate partners and found support for the intervention's feasibility and acceptability as well as promising effects on key sexual and psychosocial outcomes [55]. We thus planned the current full-scale trial to evaluate the IE intervention's efficacy, investigate mediators of treatment effects, and explore potential intervention moderators.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating a couple-based intervention addressing sexual concerns for breast cancer survivors: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Reese

Zimmaro

Lepore

et al. 2020

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Background Sexual concerns are distressing for breast cancer survivors and interfere with their intimate relationships. This study evaluates the efficacy of a four-session couple-based intervention delivered via telephone, called Intimacy Enhancement (IE). The IE intervention is grounded in social cognitive theory and integrates evidence-based techniques from cognitive behavioral couple therapy and sex therapy to address survivors’ sexual concerns and enhance their and their partners’ sexual, relationship, and psychological outcomes. Methods This trial is designed to evaluate the efficacy of the IE intervention in improving survivors’ sexual function, the primary study outcome. Secondary outcomes include survivors’ sexual distress, partners’ sexual function, and survivors’ and partners’ relationship intimacy and quality as well as psychological distress (depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms). Additional aims are to examine whether treatment effects on patient sexual function are mediated by sexual communication and self-efficacy for coping with sexual concerns and to explore whether survivor age and race/ethnicity moderate intervention effects on survivors’ sexual function. Eligible adult female breast cancer survivors reporting sexual concerns and their intimate partners are recruited from two academic sites in the USA and are randomized to either the IE intervention or to a control condition of equal length offering education and support around breast cancer-related health topics (Living Healthy Together). The target sample size is 120 couples. Self-report outcome measures are administered to participants in both conditions at baseline (T1), post-treatment (T2), 3 months post-treatment (T3), and 6 months post-treatment (T4). Discussion Evidence-based interventions are needed to address sexual concerns for breast cancer survivors and to enhance their and their intimate partners’ sexual, relationship, and psychological well-being. This randomized controlled trial will allow us to examine the efficacy of a novel couple-based intervention delivered via telephone for breast cancer survivors experiencing sexual concerns and their intimate partners, in comparison with an attention control. Findings of this study could influence clinical care for women with breast cancer and inform theory guiding cancer-related sexual rehabilitation. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03930797. Registered on 24 April 2019.

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“…Cabe mencionar que, aunque se mantienen las mejoras en el tiempo, en el estudio mencionan que se obtienen mejores resultados en parejas jóvenes. Sin embargo, observando los resultados relacionados con las intervenciones en cáncer de mama es más difícil extraer un resumen de la eficacia pues o encontramos una muestra pequeña (Baucom et al, 2009) (16) o algún seguimiento que parece insuficiente (Barsky Reese et al, 2018) (8) , y estos aspectos no nos permiten obtener una conclusión generalizable. A partir del estudio de Manne et al (2017) (10) se menciona algo tan obvio (que a veces olvidamos) pero a la vez tan importante, como es la utilidad de un grupo de apoyo en parejas con mayor malestar emocional o en el lado opuesto, la utilidad de intervenciones más estructuradas en parejas que presentan menos malestar.…”

Section: Participantesunclassified

Eficacia de la terapia de pareja con pacientes con cáncer: una revisión sistemática

Viniegra

Cruzado

2020

PSIC

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Recibido: 15 de febrero de 2020 / Aceptado 2 de marzo de 2020 Resumen: Objetivo: Conocer la eficacia o utilidad de la terapia de pareja en casos donde uno de los miembros de la pareja padece cáncer. Así como conocer en qué casos o en qué momentos puede ser más útil este tipo de terapia. Método: Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática en las bases de datos electrónicas: Scopus, Pubmed y PsycInfo, utilizándose palabras clave, tales como: Couple sex therapy, Cancer, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Couple psychological therapy, Intimacy, Clinical trial y Efficacy; y sus múltiples combinaciones. Se han incluido artículos en inglés de entre los años 2007 y 2019. Resultados: Los 11 estudios seleccionados únicamente trataban de cáncer de mama y próstata y la mayoría de ellos se lleva a cabo con una media relativamente pequeña. La mayoría de los tratamientos se aplica desde la corriente cognitivo-conductual y existen mejores resultados si el tratamiento está manualizado. En los casos de cáncer de próstata se trata con más normalidad aspectos relacionados con la sexualidad que en casos de cáncer de mama. Se observan mayores mejoras en cáncer de próstata ya que tienen que ver con aspectos sexuales además de psicológicos (pese a que con tiempo se pierdan dichas mejoras). Conclusiones: Se aprecia eficacia inicial en lo que a satisfacción de la relación y problemas sexuales en la pareja se refiere, pero estos resultados no se mantienen a lo largo del tiempo. Por lo que en general hablaríamos de una eficacia real baja. Palabras clave: Terapia de pareja; cáncer; tratamientos psicológicos; eficacia.[en] Efficacy of couple-based intervention with cancer patients: A Systematic Review Abstract: Objective: To know the efficacy or usefulness of couples therapy in cases where one of the partners has cancer. As well as knowing in which cases or at what times this type of therapy may be more useful. Method: A systematic search was caried out in the electronic databases: Scopus, Pubmed and PsycInfo, using keywords such as: Couple sex therapy, Cancer, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Couple psychological therapy, Intimacy, Clinical trial and Efficacy; and its multiple combinations. Articles in English from 2007 to 2019 have been included. Results: The 11 selected studies only dealt with breast and prostate cancer and most of them are carried out with a relatively small mean. Most treatments are applied from the cognitive-behavioral current and there are better results if the treatment is manualized. In prostate cancer cases, sexuality-related aspects are treated more normally than breast cancer. Further improvements in prostate cancer are observed since they have to do with sexual aspects as well as psychological aspects (although these improvements are lost in time). Psicooncología ISSN: 1696-7240 https://dx.doi.org/10.5209/psic.68242 ARTÍCULOS González Viniegra N; Cruzado, J.A. Psicooncología 2020; 17(1): 73-89 74Conclusions: Initial efficacy is appreciated in terms of satisfaction of the relationship and sexual problems in the couple, but th...

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A randomized pilot trial of a couple-based intervention addressing sexual concerns for breast cancer survivors

Cited by 41 publications

References 47 publications

A brief intervention to enhance breast cancer clinicians' communication about sexual health: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes

A brief intervention to enhance breast cancer clinicians' communication about sexual health: Feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes

Evaluating a couple-based intervention addressing sexual concerns for breast cancer survivors: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Eficacia de la terapia de pareja con pacientes con cáncer: una revisión sistemática

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