Psychology, Health & Medicine

Parental disclosure of positive BRCA1/2 mutation status to children 10 years after genetic testing

The disclosure of genetic information is an important issue in cancer prevention. This study based on a French national cohort of

How does a single session group intervention improve sexual function in ovarian cancer survivors? A secondary analysis of effects of self-efficacy, knowledge and emotional distress

Although sexual dysfunction after ovarian cancer (OC) treatment is a common side effect, intervention for this issue remains largely unaddressed in the literature. To address this gap, we recently developed and tested a theory-driven psychosexual intervention that successfully improved sexual function in OC survivors. This study is a secondary analysis to determine whether the intervention effects were consistent with our theoretical model. We expected that improved self-efficacy, sexual knowledge and emotional distress would relate to improved sexual function, and that effects of sexual knowledge and self-efficacy on sexual function would be mediated by emotional distress. 46 OC survivors completed study measures prior to and two-months following the intervention. Results indicated that self-efficacy, sexual knowledge, and emotional distress improved significantly post-intervention. While self-efficacy and emotional distress were both directly associated with sexual function; contrary to expectation, change in knowledge was not. Results also demonstrated that the relationship between self-efficacy and sexual function was not mediated by emotional distress. Clinical implications underscore the importance of promoting self-efficacy and decreasing emotional distress in the context of sexual rehabilitation treatment for OC survivors. Next steps include refining the intervention based on these findings and testing in a larger, randomized trial of gynecological cancer survivors.

Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with cervical cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cervical cancer (CC) is a common malignant gynaecological tumour. However, as survival rates have improved, increasing attention has focused on the quality of the survivors' sex lives. We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the prevalence and severity of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in women with CC. We searched the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wang Fang databases, and extracted data from all studies published up to December 2020 that evaluated sexual dysfunction in patients with CC with the female sexual function index (FSFI). Studies were screened according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the qualities of the included studies were evaluated. Sixteen studies with a total of 2009 women with CC, including 1306 women with FSD, were included in the meta-analysis. Among patients with CC, the incidence of FSD was 80% (95% confidence interval (95%CI) 0.74-0.87) and the average FSFI score was 20.25 (95%CI 18.96-21.53). These results revealed a high prevalence of FSD and poor sexual function among women with CC, suggesting a need to assess sexual function regularly in these women with CC to improve early recognition of FSD and thereby allow appropriate interventions to enhance the sex life of affected patients.

Effects of personal cancer history and genomic risk information on mothers’ psychological adaptation to inherited breast/ovarian cancer syndrome

This study aimed to understand long-term coping responses of mothers (

Understanding perceptions of the public and key stakeholders toward a localised cancer screening promotion campaign

The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of members of the public and key stakeholders of a localised campaign to increase engagement with cervical cancer screening. Whilst numerous interventions have been trialled to increase engagement with cancer screening, the evidence for their effectiveness is somewhat mixed. In addition, few studies have explored the perceptions of members of the public targeted by such campaigns nor the perceptions of healthcare professionals who may be involved in delivering such campaigns in the United Kingdom. Members of the public who had potentially been exposed to the campaign in the North-East of England were approached to take part in individual interviews whilst stakeholders were invited to take part in a focus group. A total of 25 participants (13 members of the public, 12 stakeholders) took part. All interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using applied thematic analysis. Four themes were identified, two of which were cross-cutting (barriers to screening and factors promoting screening), with one theme identified as specific to the public interviews (knowledge of and attitudes toward awareness campaigns) and one theme specific to the focus group (keeping campaigns relevant. Awareness of the localised campaign was limited; however, when made aware, participants were mostly positive towards the approach, although mixed responses were noted in relation to financial incentives. Members of the public and stakeholders identified some common barriers to screening although differed in their perceptions of promotional factors. This study highlights the importance of multiple strategies to promote cervical screening as one size fits all approach may limit engagement.