Open Collections

Allaire-Stacey, Genevieve Rose

University of British Columbia

More advanced and aggressive treatment for gynecological cancer leads to greater impacts on survivors’ quality of life, including sexual health, which is often overlooked. Indeed, cancer treatments have substantial effects on survivors’ sexual functioning and well-being, with most experiencing sexual difficulties as a result. These sexual difficulties can cause major distress and have significant impacts on the psychological well-being of survivors. There are few sexual health resources adapted to this population with unique needs. Therefore, the first 2 aims of this thesis are (1) to understand the lived realities of gynecological cancer survivors about sex after cancer, and (2) to adapt an existing online platform (eSense) delivering therapy to treat sexual difficulties to create eSense-Cancer, a new platform tailored to the needs and experiences of gynecological cancer survivors. Six patient partners were recruited to review the modules within eSense and provide written feedback regarding the changes required to better reflect their experience with sexual concerns and cancer. Once completed, we met over 3 sessions to further discuss their experiences and concerns regarding sexuality after cancer treatments as well as the necessary edits that would make eSense-Cancer more accessible and better reflective of the cancer experience. Our team, consisting of two research assistants and myself, then carried out a thematic analysis of the insights collected throughout the collaborative work to make concrete adaptations to the intervention along with registered psychologists, gynecological oncologists, a web developer, and a graphic illustrator. The third objective focused on creating a knowledge translation toolkit to disseminate the insights gleaned from the first phase of this thesis. The recommendations obtained during the patient engagement were identified as being applicable across a multitude of contexts and could serve to educate other healthcare providers who seek to create resources and interventions focused on sexual health after cancer for gynecological cancer survivors. Therefore, using the Knowledge to Action Framework, I created an informative toolkit which synthesized insights gained from our patient partners and produced a list of considerations. The longer-term goal of this work is to evaluate eSense-Cancer to determine its efficacy and appropriateness for this population.

Text

2025-04-23

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90718

Women+ and Children’s Health Sciences

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/