Sexuality and body image following treatment for early-stage vulvar cancer: a qualitative study

Title
Sexuality and body image following treatment for early-stage vulvar cancer: a qualitative study
Publication Date
2014
Author(s)
Barlow, Ellen
Hacker, Neville F
Hussain, Rafat
Parmenter, Glenda
Type of document
Journal Article
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Place of publication
United Kingdom
DOI
10.1111/jan.12346
UNE publication id
une:15676
Abstract
Aim. To describe women's experiences of sexuality and body image following treatment for early-stage vulvar cancer. Background. There is limited information available on sexual function following treatment for early-stage vulvar cancer. A review of the literature has shown a lack of qualitative investigation into this topic. This study was undertaken to address this deficiency and to add to the existing body of knowledge describing the psychosexual outcomes for these women. Design. Qualitative interview study. Methods. A qualitative approach based on interpretive phenomenology was used to interview a purposive sample of 10 women (mean age 58 years) who had previously been treated for an early-stage vulvar cancer. Interviews were conducted from June–October 2009. Data were generated from verbatim transcription of the semi-structured in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis of these data revealed themes that were common to the women's experiences of sexuality and body image. Findings. Four themes were identified that described the structure of the experience. Only two of these themes, sexuality and body image, will be discussed in this paper. Conclusions. Findings from this study indicated that the majority of women experienced little to no long-term disruption to sexuality and body image following conservative treatment for early-stage vulvar cancer. Intimacy and relationship status were more closely linked to women's sexual satisfaction than physical arousal. Factors contributing to women experiencing negative emotions were radical vulvar excision, multiple vulvar procedures and/or the development of lymphoedema.
Link
Citation
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(8), p. 1856-1866
ISSN
1365-2648
0309-2402
Start page
1856
End page
1866

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