Multiple Perspectives on Sexuality and Intimacy Post-cancer, Leading to the Development and Evaluation of Supportive Interventions: ARC Linkage Grant 2008-2012: Publications Arising From the Project and Executive Summary

The aims of this research were to: "¢ Investigate the experience and construction of sexuality and intimacy post-cancer for people with cancer and their partners, across a broad range of cancer types and stages, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods; "¢ Identify pathways that influence couples' ability to re-negotiate sexuality post-cancer, including couple communication, relationship satisfaction and intimacy, physical and psychological well-being, burden of care, and constructions or beliefs about sexuality; "¢ Examine the constructs underpinning the perspectives of professional stakeholders: social workers, psychologists, nurses and doctors working in oncology, as well as GPs, and identify how these facilitate or provide barriers to communication and support in this area. "¢ Develop a couple based psycho-educational intervention, which will be evaluated, comparing self-help and professionally administered interventions, in a randomised controlled trial.