Barriers to recruitment in psycho-oncology: unique challenges in conducting research focusing on sexual health in female survivorship

Body image and sexual function in women after treatment for anal and rectal cancer

“…As persistent sexual side effects may be distressing for survivors, even if general quality of life (QOL) is preserved , it is worthwhile to examine modifiable risk factors that lead to or exacerbate sexual difficulties. Although effective sexual health interventions exist, accrual and compliance rates are notoriously low , and both survivors and couples often have difficulty navigating sexual rehabilitation on their own . Targeting body image concerns may be one way to improve engagement in sexual interventions and complement medical strategies (e.g., instruction in the use of vaginal dilators and lubricants).…”

Why did we fail? Challenges recruiting parents with cancer into a psycho‐educational support program

“…Superficially, SUPER was terminated because of low accrual rates. Indeed, recruitment difficulties have been documented in other psycho‐oncology studies . A deeper examination of the circumstances surrounding this study revealed the key role of inopportune timing.…”

Barriers to participation in a sexual health intervention for men following treatment for rectal and anal cancer

“…Of those men consented and randomized to the intervention, half did not participate. Given that This intervention was also delivered among female survivors, 7,9 and recruitment challenges differed between genders. Providers were more likely to screen out men (28%) than women (5%) for participation in the study.…”

“…4 Male survivors of rectal and anal cancers have expressed strong interest in treatments to address sexual problems, 5 yet such interventions show even greater recruitment and retention difficulties than other psycho-oncology interventions. [6][7][8] The current study examines recruitment and retention for a sexual health intervention pilot for male rectal and anal cancer survivors.…”