The role of Psychosexual Counseling Program in Improving Sexual Health of Married Women with Breast Cancer

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to assess changes on psychological and sexual life of women with Breast Cancer (Br Ca) after the diagnoses and during different modalities treatment plus to investigate whether provision of psychosexual group counseling program for wives with Br Ca, can improve the quality of their psychological and sexual life. Methodology used in this study was the quasi-experimental methodology of three groups. The study was conducted in Radiation and Isotopic Center (RICK) where a total of 89 Breast cancer women were enrolled to either the experiential intervention group (n=59) with subdivision as (E1) who had the whole intervention program (n=29) and (E 2) who had only the educational materials (n=30) or (C) which represent the control group that had only the standard medical treatment (n=30) All groups completed; Watts Sexual Function Questionnaire (WSFQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in addition to researcher own constructed questionnaire. The intervention program which composes of seven sessions with seven different topics and the educational materials were given only to (E1). The main hypotheses of this study were that (E2) will have a significant statistical improvement in the post test psychosexual measures after reading the educational materials unlike control group who are not and that (E1) will have an improvement in post test scores psychosexual measures, unlike women assigned to (E2) and also women who assigned to (C) (control group). Results indicated that women participated in the intervention program (E1 and E2) benefited from the program unlike women who did not (C) On the other hand when applied the T test for the independent two groups (E.1 And E.2) significant difference was found in regard to psychosexual function scores in favor of (E2) but no significant difference was found between (E1 and E3) More over, significant difference was found between (E2 and E3) in regard to HADs scores but not WSFQ. Implications for the content and delivery of future psychosexual interventions with breast cancer patients were discussed