Young and cancer: Sexual problems and need for care

  • Auteur Vivian W.G. Burgers, Brenda L. den Oudsten, Olga Husson
  • Pdf openbaar Yes

Purpose: To provide an overview of the sexual problems and care needs of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer between 15 and 39 years old (AYA’s).
Method: Databases Pubmed (1946-2017) and PsychINFO (1806-2017) were used in June 2017 to search articles. Relevant articles were selected.
Results: Results of 14 studies, 11 quantitative and 3 qualitative, indicate the negative impact of cancer on sexuality of AYA’s. The female AYA’s experience problems with sexual arousal and interest, relaxation and enjoy during sexual contact, reaching an orgasm, vaginal lubrication, and dyspareunia. Men experience problems with arousal, erection, and ejaculation. Feelings of physical attractiveness and a decrease of sexual activity were seen as problems for men and women. AYAs who experience unmet sexual needs, indicate that they miss practical help, information and/or counseling.
Conclusion: AYA’s can experience sexual problems caused by and/or maintained by physical, psychological and social factors and thereby they can experience unmet needs.
Implication: Despite the increase in AYA care initiatives, more attention should be paid to the sexual problems and needs of this group. Age-specific interventions should be developed.

Gepubliceerd in 2017, Volume 41, Issue 4

Economic evaluation of brief sex counseling for sexually dysfunctional adolescents

  • Auteur Andrea Grauvogl, Madelon Peters, Silvia Evers, Jacques van Lankveld
  • Pdf openbaar No

Objectives: In a randomized controlled trial brief sex counselling (BSC), intensive sexual healthcare (ISH) and no treatment (NT) for adolescents with a sexual dysfunction were compared. The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of BSC versus ISH and NT from a societal perspective.
Methods: Costs, sexual functioning and quality of life were measured during 6 months. Primary outcome measures were measured with the Female Sexual Functional Index, the International Index of Erectile Function and the utilities reflecting Quality of Life based on the SF-36. Uncertainty was dealt with by using bootstrap replications and sensitivity analyses.
Results: Results show that the societal costs were the highest for ISH followed by NT and BSC. The difference in costs between ISH compared to NT and BSC was significant. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences in sexual functioning or quality of life. With respect to the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility, BSC can be considered to be a suitable treatment for adolescents with a sexual dysfunction.
Conclusion: Due to the lack of a significant difference in clinical effect, it can be concluded that BSC is the cheapest treatment option when implementing the intention-to-treat, besides a no treatment option, for adolescents with a sexual dysfunction.

Gepubliceerd in 2016, Volume 40, Issue 1

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