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Thyroid cancer has a small impact on patient–partner relationships and their frequency of sexual activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2017

Natalie Büel-Drabe ,
Hans Steinert ,
Hanspeter Moergeli ,
Steffi Weidt ,
Annina Seiler  and
Josef Jenewein
Natalie Büel-Drabe*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Hans Steinert
Affiliation:
Division of Nuclear Medicine, Department of Medical Radiology, University Hospital of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Hanspeter Moergeli
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Steffi Weidt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Annina Seiler
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Josef Jenewein
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Natalie Büel-Drabe, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Zürich, University of Zürich, Rämistrasse 100, 8091 Zürich, Switzerland. E-mail: [email protected].
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Abstract

Objective:

This cross-sectional survey examined changes in perceived relationships and sexual activity in a sample of thyroid cancer patients and their partners, taking into account sociodemographic and disease-related variables, as well as such outcome measures as anxiety, depression, fatigue, and quality of life (QoL).

Method:

A total of 38 patients with thyroid cancer who were being treated at the department of nuclear medicine in Zürich or Lucerne over the preceding seven years, as well as their partners, completed questionnaires about the quality of their relationships (RQ), about perceptions of changes in their relationships, and about their frequency of sexual activity. They also filled out prevalidated questionnaires related to anxiety, depression, fatigue, and QoL.

Results:

Some 17 patients (44.7%) and 16 partners (42.1 %) reported that the cancer diagnosis had changed their relationships. Of these, 10 (26.3%) patients and 9 (23.7%) partners reported positive changes only, while 7 patients (18.4%) and 7 partners (18.4%) reported mixed or negative changes. A perceived mixed/negative relationship change was associated with increased depression and lower RQ in patients and partners, as well as with increased anxiety in patients. While the frequency of sexual activity only changed in roughly half of patients and partners (16 patients [42.1%] and 20 partners [52.6%]), increased sexual activity was associated with lower physical QoL scores and a higher depression score than in counterparts who reported no change.

Significance of Results:

Compared to other cancer sites, in our sample thyroid cancer had a relatively small impact on patient–partner relationships and levels of intimacy. We found that screening patients and their partners with a simple question—“Did the diagnosis of cancer change your relationship?”—can lead to early detection of couples who are potentially at risk for perceived negative relationship changes and can facilitate timely psychosocial referral for couple's therapy.

Keywords

CancerOncologyDifferentiated thyroid cancerCouplesQuality of life
Type
Original Article
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 16 , Issue 3 , June 2018 , pp. 335 - 346
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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