A Study on the Predictive Factors of Sexual Function in Women with Gynecologic Cancer

Do spouse burden of care, family resilience, and coping affect family function in gynecologic cancer in Korea?: a cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate family functioning among spouses of gynecologic cancer patients in Korea. McCubbin and McCubbin's Family Resilience Model (1993) guided the study focus on burden of care, family resilience, coping, and family functioning.

METHODS

An online survey collected data from 123 spouses of gynecologic cancer patients through convenience sampling from online communities for gynecologic cancer patients in Korea. Burden of care, family resilience (social support, family hardiness, and family problem-solving communication), coping, and family functioning were measured by self-report.

RESULTS

The patients (44.7%) and their spouses (47.2%) were mostly in the 41 to 50-year age group. Stage 1 cancer was 44.7%, and cervical cancer was the most common (37.4%) followed by ovarian cancer (30.9%) and uterine cancer (27.6%) regarding the cancer characteristics of the wife. Family function, burden of care, family resilience, and coping were all at greater than midpoint levels. Family functioning was positively related with social support (r=.44, p<.001), family hardiness (r=.49, p<.001), problem-solving communication (r=.73, p<.001), and coping (r=.56, p<.001). Multiple regression identified significant factors for family functioning (F=25.58, p<.001), with an overall explanatory power of 61.7%. Problem-solving communication (β=.56, p<.001) had the greatest influence on family function of gynecologic cancer families, followed by coping (β=.24, p<. 001) and total treatment period of the wife (β=.17, p=.006).

CONCLUSION

Nurses need to assess levels of family communication and spousal coping to help improve gynecologic cancer patients' family function, especially for patients in longer treatment.

Factors influencing sexual function of middle-aged married Korean women

[Purpose] This study investigated the status of women's sexual function and relevant factors given the fact that women's health is crucial to the national health, and in particular that women's sexual health has a significant impact on their overall health. [Subjects and Methods] This study surveyed 353 women living in South Korea's P and K metropolitan regions from July 2012 to August 10, 2013. The Female Sexual Functional Index (FSFI), the Sexual Attitude Scale (SAS), sexual knowledge and questionnaires were used. [Results] Two groups based on FSFI scores above and below a cutoff value of 25 were compared with each other, and significant differences were found in age, male friends, menstrual status, sex status, and frequency of sex, experience of forced sex, personal health, husband's health and sexual knowledge. Male friends, sex status, experience of forced sex, husband's healths and sexual knowledge explained women's sexual function. [Conclusion] The finding that women's sexual function is associated with multiple factors suggests an intervention program for improving women's sexual function should be developed to reflect the factors influencing the target groups' sexual function.