Couples' Communication about Sexuality when Facing Metastatic Breast Cancer

7. PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management can challenge romantic relationships. For individuals in committed partnerships, cancer is a dyadic endeavor that requires interpersonal communication to adapt to the couples’ new reality. For individuals who have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer (MBC), effective

communication with their partner(s) is especially important for providing support and sustaining closeness. Maintaining sexual intimacy, in particular, has been linked to positive cancer management outcomes and quality of life for individuals with breast cancer. Communication can help facilitate sexual well-being and is

especially important in the advanced stages of breast cancer when partners must establish new norms and expectations for expressing their sexual desire and intimacy. Despite the importance of sexuality for metastatic breast cancer patients (MBCPs) and their partners, little research has explored how MBCPs communicate

about the impact of breast cancer on sexuality and intimacy. Identifying specific forms and features of talk that may help or hinder couples as they navigate intimacy in the context of MBC is a pivotal first step in understanding if and how communication can benefit individual and relational well-being. The proposed pilot

study has three aims: 1) to identify themes in MBCPs’ communication about sexuality and intimacy; 2) to determine whether specific features of communication are associated with the sexual satisfaction, relational satisfaction, and individual well-being of MBCPs; and 3) to determine the feasibility of collecting data on

sexuality and intimacy from partners of MBCPs. Pilot data will be collected via an online survey of 82 MBCPs. The survey will consist of validated scales and open-ended questions. Participants will have the option to respond to the open-ended questions using Phonic, an audio-recording survey software, increasing

accessibility for MBCPs with a range of abilities. Feasibility of collecting additional data from 25% of MCBPs’ partners will also be determined, and concordance between MBCPs’ and their partners’ communication will be explored. Thematic analysis, correlations, and an exploratory mediation model will be employed to address the

study aims. Using a communication-based approach, this project will provide preliminary data regarding the relationships between communication and sexual, relational, and individual well-being, and determine the feasibility of collecting data from partners of individuals with MBC. The findings of the pilot study will address

the dearth of research on communication about sexuality among MBCPs and identify forms and features of communication that MBCPs find beneficial when navigating sexuality and intimacy in their relationship.