Sexual Problems of Patients with Urostomy: A Qualitative Study

Urostomy is a surgical procedure that creates a stoma for the treatment of advanced stage bladder cancer, which is more common among males. It is performed mandatorily by attaching ureters to the abdominal wall directly or indirectly via a stoma after a cystectomy. This study was designed and conducted in order to identify experiences, views, and problems of patients who had urostomy due to bladder cancer, regarding the effects of urostomy on their and their spouse/partner’s sexual life. This phenomelogical qualitative study was conducted with 10 volunteer male patients with urostomy and their spouses/partners. The data were collected using an interview form which had open-ended questions about the effects of urostomy on sexual life. The obtained data were coded, and themes were formed using content analysis methods. Content analysis results revealed the following themes: change in body image, problems experienced during sexual activity, spouse’s response to the problems experienced, and receiving help and support about the problems experienced. This study revealed that urostomy affected the patients’ sexual functions in a negative way, and they did not receive any professional help or support for the solutions to their problems. In the care and treatment of patients with urostomy, health professionals should be aware that these patients might experience sexual problems during their care and treatment, and they should encourage and guide patients and their spouses/partners about receiving help and support and telling about their sexual problems.     

Sexual and Reproductive Health in Women with Pulmonary Hypertension: A Qualitative Study

Archives of Sexual Behavior - Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease characterized by elevation in pulmonary artery pressure causing progressive symptoms: shortness of...     

Sexual Performance and Reproductive Health of Patients with an Ostomy: A Qualitative Content Analysis

This study was carried out to explore the sexual performance experiences of patients with an ostomy and their spouses. Determine the results of fertility in these patients is another goal of the study. Conventional content analysis approach with purposive sampling and unstructured interviews were utilized to collect data from 27 ostomy patients and ten of their spouses. They were selected from Iranian Ostomy Association in Tehran. Negative impact of treatments on the sexual health and trimmed sexual desire are main sexual problems experienced by patients with an ostomy. Some of them try to solve their problems while others deliberately neglect them. On the other hand their spouses either tolerate or accept these changes. Living with menopause suffering and the unknown status of fertility after ostomy are other significant problems of these patients. Sex life changes after ostomy because of different reasons. This alteration results in negative consequences in some cases. Patients and their spouses have their own approaches in order to adapt with the new conditions. Furthermore, status of uncertain fertility and how to deal with menopausal symptoms in these patients is notable.     

The Sexual Health Needs of Women with Spinal Cord Injury: A Qualitative Study

Sexual health as an important aspect of reproductive health, is a foundation for physical and emotional health which also affects couples and families’ wellbeing. Furthermore, disability could impact couple’s sexual relationships. Studies show that people with physical disability receive less sexual education which in turn exposes them to a higher risk for sexually transmitted infections. This qualitative study explored the sexual needs of women with spinal cord injury (SCI) aged 18–55 years old living in Tehran. In depth and individual semi-structured interviews were hold for data collection until data saturation was reached. They were recruited from the Organization of Welfare and Protection Center of Spinal Cord Disables of Iran. In this study 23 individuals were chosen using purposive sampling. The collected data was analyzed using the content analysis approach suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. The sexual health needs of women with SCI was explained in two themes and nine categories. The themes were “physical rehabilitation” and “couples’ sexual consultation”. The categories of the first theme were “resolving physical problems contributing to sexual relationships” and “complementary medicine application”. The categories of the second theme were “the husband’s emotional support”, “concentration”, “protecting sexual health”, “the need for having sexual relationships”, “diminishing factors for unpleasant sexual relationships”, “paying attention to wife’s readiness to start sexual relationships” and “decreasing factors that suppress spouse’s sexual desire”. This study showed that women with spinal cord injury require sexual rehabilitation. They overcome their physical problems with the help of complementary medicine and sexual counselling around the aforementioned categories for promoting the quality of their sexual health.     

Sexual Partner Concurrency of Urban Male and Female STD Clinic Patients: A Qualitative Study

Partner concurrency (i.e., overlapping sexual partnerships) facilitates the spread of STDs, including HIV. The present study explored the context of and motivations for partner concurrency among patients recruited from an urban STD clinic. Eight focus groups were conducted with 59 patients (47% women; 77% African American). Qualitative analyses revealed five motivational themes related to the occurrence of concurrent partnerships for men and women. Participants reported these partnerships tend to occur: when people believe that sexual partners are unfaithful or cannot be trusted; when sexual satisfaction is low; when patients report the need for different partners to fulfill multiple needs; in retaliation for a partner’s concurrency; and when people wish to maintain a sexual relationship with an ex-partner who is the parent of a shared child. Four additional themes unique to men were identified. Men reported that they had multiple partners because this practice supports their sense of masculinity and is consistent with familial modeling and community norms, and because having multiple partners is “in a man’s nature.” Men also mentioned that the imbalance in the number of women-to-men in their sexual network facilitates partner concurrency. These findings can help prevention practitioners and researchers to develop interventions to reduce risk associated with partner concurrency.     

Isolated Psychiatric Ward Patients in Southern Israel with Severe Mental Illnesses Describe Their Sexual Needs: A Qualitative Study

Sexuality and Disability - Intimacy and sexuality are fundamental issues in human nature, but have been neglected in the rehabilitation of mental health patients, particularly those admitted into...     

Health Literacy and Medication Adherence in Underserved African-American Breast Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study

The increased survival rate of breast cancer has brought attention to women who are beyond the diagnosis and treatment phases of breast cancer. Although research has been conducted to address specific medical and psychosocial needs of breast cancer survivors, there has been little attention placed on health literacy and medication adherence among this population. The purpose of this article is to present the findings of a qualitative study conducted with two focus groups of underserved African-American breast cancer survivors. Four themes emerged from the transcribed interviews: inequality of access to health information, acquisition of medication information, medication usage and adherence, and barriers to access to medications.     

Sexual Dysfunction in Muslim Women Receiving Dialysis: A Qualitative Study

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is common in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, affecting their quality of life. Sexuality is not a subject that patient’s, particularly Muslim women, discuss when they require assistance. They need to develop strategies to cope with SD. The qualitative study explored how Muslim women with ESRD cope with SD. A phenomenological approach was adopted and data were collected using semistructured individual interviews. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 20 participants from two southern regional hospitals in Thailand between September and December, 2018. Recruitment continued until data saturation was reached. Data were analysed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach. Participants were aged between 30 and 63 years (mean?=?45.25, SD?=?8.50). Ten were receiving haemodialysis (HD) and 10 were receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Five themes were identified: (1) receiving compassion and understanding from their partner, (2) being afraid of sin if not taking responsibility as a wife’s role, (3) denying and ignoring sexuality, (4) being patient to keep their family together and (5) accepting SD associated with God’s will. The findings suggest that understanding Islamic views on SD and how the religion’s beliefs and practices influence SD and the way Muslim women cope with it. Hence, it is critical in opening lines of communication with patients and their partners to help them cope with SD.

     

Determination of Changes in the Sexual Lives of Young Women Receiving Breast Cancer Treatment: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study was performed to identify changes in the sexual lives of young women receiving breast cancer treatment. The study was conducted with eight exclusively self-defined heterosexual married women whose breast cancer treatments were ongoing in the ambulatory chemotherapy unit. The data were collected through semi-structured and in-depth individual interviews. All interviews were tape-recorded. The raw results were obtained by analyzing the content of the recorded data. In this study, the subject of the interviews was penile-vaginal intercourse, as the participants perceived sexuality as equivalent to penile-vaginal intercourse. The changes in the sexual lives of young women receiving breast cancer treatment were analyzed according to three themes as follows: (1) intermittent penile-vaginal intercourse, (2) sexual activity initiated by the male and (3) sexual dysfunction. This study assists health professionals in recognizing changes in young women’s sexual lives. Thus, healthcare professionals can provide couples with appropriate counseling to promote healthier sexuality and maintain a higher quality of life.     

北京市大学生性健康/生殖健康教育需求的定性研究

北京市大学生性健康/生殖健康教育需求的定性研究结果显示:在首都高校开展全面的性健康/生殖健康教育并提供可及的生殖健康服务是广大青年学生自己的心声、愿望和共同需求;实施大学生性健康/生殖健康项目应实行性道德教育和安全性行为教育相结合方式;开展的具体方法应遵循以下原则:(1)多种形式并用,以便不同对象各取所需;(2)非(或低)敏感话题采用群体干预,而高度敏感话题采用个别辅导形式;(3)加强生殖健康服务提供者的职业道德培训和”脱敏“工作;(4)不断尝试、评估和总结干预新方法.本研究提示,学生自身对性健康/生殖健康教育需求、内容及开展方式的想法和建议为今后首都高校教育/干预项目的设计提供了一些有价值的现实信息     

妇科手术患者实施术前健康教育的效果评价

目的 探讨对妇科手术患者实施术前健康教育的效果.方法 选取2011年1月-2013年12月期间永昌县医院收治的妇科手术患者160例,随机分为观察组和对照组,每组各80例.对观察组患者实施术前健康教育,对照组不采取任何健康教育措施.采用调查问卷的方式对两组患者术前健康教育前后疾病相关知识的掌握情况、对护理工作的满意度等进行调查统计,并采用焦虑自评量表（SAS）对两组患者的焦虑心理进行评价.结果 观察组患者对疾病相关知识的掌握程度、对护理工作的满意度均明显优于对照组,差异具有显著性（P＜0.05）.观察组患者焦虑心理较对照组改善明显,差异具有显著性（P＜0.05）.结论 有效的术前教育可减轻或消除患者对手术的紧张、焦虑及恐惧心理,以最佳心态接受手术,促进其术后的健康恢复.     

Bed Death and Other Lesbian Sexual Problems Unraveled: A Qualitative Study of the Sexual Health of Lesbian Women Involved in a Relationship

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To shed light on lesbian “bed death” among lesbian women. To explore the wishes and expectations of lesbian women with respect to healthcare professionals.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews with 30 self-identified lesbian women. The interviews were audio recorded. Three researchers classified and analyzed the most important themes.

Results: The women indicated few sexual problems except for “bed death,” a quasi-complete cessation of sexual activity. Twenty-three women experienced “bed death” during the current relationship or a previous one. The factors felt by the women to contribute to “bed death” were environmental influences, the existence of a symbiotic relationship, hormonal factors, and reduced sexual initiative. The women indicated that they would like family doctors to adopt a neutral attitude, be knowledgeable about homosexuality, and be able to recognize homosexuality in their patients.

Discussion: A careful examination of the potential causes of “bed death” suggests that the phenomenon is more closely linked to a patient's gender than to her sexual orientation. Lesbian women would also like general practitioners to possess at least some basic knowledge about homosexuality.     

Health and Safety in Organic Farming: A Qualitative Study

Objective: To explore health and safety issues in organic farming, particularly among small farmers in central New Mexico. Methods: Participants included 10 certified organic producers and 20 workers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and observations. Results: The sample consisted of a young, educated, low experienced population that may differ from conventional farmers. Both producers and workers seemed to be aware of the health risks involved with small-scale farming. Producers presented mixed attitudes toward health and safety, while the attitudes of workers were more systematically negative. Perception of risk was generally lower among workers compared to producers. Although health and safety training was not specifically mentioned, most participants seemed to understand the relevance of the work environment for health and safety. Regarding ergonomics, the physical demands of working for long hours and the necessity to perform a multitude of tasks that contribute to physical stress were issues of concern. Conclusions: This is one of the few studies in the United States exploring health and safety among organic farmers. Although participants reported very few actual incidents, the study identified relevant intrapersonal and behavioral factors that may increase or reduce the risk for disease and injury. Results also indicate the need for research that focuses on the psychosocial and contextual factors that may contribute to injury and disease among organic farmers.     

心理干预改善妇科恶性肿瘤患者生活质量的临床研究

目的：探讨实施心理干预对于改善妇科恶性肿瘤患者生活质量的临床作用。方法：选取2013年4月-2014年2月本院就诊治疗的妇科恶性肿瘤患者52例,在行个性化治疗的基础上进行心理干预护理,分别于干预前及干预后发放焦虑自评表（SAS）、抑郁自评表（SDS）、癌症患者生活质量核心问卷（QLQ-C30）,以了解患者干预前后心理状况、生活质量情况。结果：较中国常模结果,干预前患者的SAS、SDS平均得分均升高;心理干预实施后,患者SAS、SDS评分显著降低（P〈0.01）。同时,干预后患者躯体功能、角色功能、情绪功能、认知功能、社会功能评分及总体健康评分均较干预前显著升高（P〈0.01）;症状量表中除呼吸困难外,各项症状评分均较干预前显著降低（P〈0.05）,而干预后呼吸困难评分也有所降低,但差异无统计学意义（P〉0.05）。结论：妇科恶性肿瘤患者发生焦虑、抑郁现象较为普遍,通过心理干预的实施,能够有效缓解患者的心理障碍,提高其生活质量。