Influence des facteurs individuels et dyadiques sur l’ajustement sexuel des couples lors d’un cancer du côlon
Influence of Individual and Dyadic Factors in Sexual Adjustment of Couples with Colon Cancer/Partners’ Interdependence in Sexual Adjustment
Abstract
Context: Colon cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer in the world and has an impact on all aspects of the lives of patients and their partners. To date, few studies have examined patients’ sexual adjustment, and none have analyzed partner interactions.
Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the relationships between individual variables and couples’ emotional and sexual adjustments.
Method: Thirteen couples completed a set of questionnaires on social support, dyadic communication and coping strategies, and sexual satisfaction. Non-parametric analyses were performed on the quantitative data.
Results: Social support, communication, and dyadic coping strategies play a role in couples’ sexual adjustment. Patient and partner satisfaction with marital support is positively correlated with patient sexual adjustment. The quality of patients’ communication about illness-related stress is related to partners’ sexual satisfaction. Both supportive dyadic coping and shared stress management promote patient and partner sexual adjustment. These strategies demonstrate the importance of unity within the couple, with cancer being approached as a “couple’s disease”. This mutual commitment appears to promote sexual satisfaction in couples.
Conclusion: Dealing with illness and treatment stress as a couple, and perceiving one’s partner as a satisfying source of support, is particularly beneficial to sexual satisfaction for couples who have a member with colon cancer.
Résumé
Contexte: Le cancer du côlon est le troisième cancer le plus diagnostiqué au monde et a un impact sur tous les aspects de la vie des patients et de leur partenaire. Jusqu’à présent, peu d’études ont étudié l’ajustement sexuel des patients et aucune n’a analysé les interactions entre les partenaires.
Objectif: Décrire les facteurs individuels et dyadiques liés à l’ajustement sexuel des couples.
Méthode: Treize couples ont répondu à un ensemble de questionnaires portant sur le soutien social, la communication et les stratégies de coping dyadique et la satisfaction sexuelle. Des analyses non paramétriques ont été réalisées sur les données quantitatives.
Résultats: Le soutien social, la communication et les straté- gies d’adaptation dyadique jouent un rôle dans l’ajustement sexuel des couples. La satisfaction ressentie par les patients et leurs partenaires quant au soutien conjugal est corrélée positivement à l’ajustement sexuel du patient. La qualité de la communication des patients quant au stress engendré par la maladie est liée à la satisfaction sexuelle des partenaires. Le coping dyadique de soutien comme la gestion commune du stress favorisent l’ajustement sexuel des patients et des partenaires. Ces stratégies démontrent l’importance de l’unité au sein du couple, le cancer étant abordé comme une « maladie du couple ». Cet engagement mutuel semble favoriser la satisfaction sexuelle des couples.
Conclusion: Gérer la maladie et le stress lié aux traitements en tant que couple et percevoir son partenaire comme une source de soutien satisfaisante est particulièrement bénéfique pour la satisfaction sexuelle des couples dont un membre est atteint d’un cancer du côlon.
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