Bober SL, et al. – Experts here sought to develop and test a brief psychoeducational intervention for managing sexual dysfunction for women who had undergone treatment for ovarian cancer (OC). Significant improvements in overall sexual functioning and psychological distress were caused by this brief behavioral intervention. These improvements were maintained at the 6-month follow-up. This brief, low-intensity behavioral intervention was feasible.

Methods

• a single half-day group intervention that included sexual health education and rehabilitation training, relaxation and cognitive behavioral therapy skills to address sexual symptoms, and a single tailored booster telephone call 4 weeks after the group had been given to forty-six OC survivors with documented, treatment-related sexual dysfunction.
• After an 8-week no-treatment run-in period (baseline 2), and then again 2 and 6 months after the intervention, assessment measures were completed at the baseline (baseline 1).
• They employed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) to assess sexual functioning.
• Also, the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18) was used to capture psychological distress.

Results

• No significant changes were reported in the study measures, and this indicated no natural improvement during the run-in period, between baseline 1 and baseline 2.
• This study noticed improvement in the total FSFI scores from baseline 1 to the 2- (n = 45; P < .0005) and 6-month time points (n= 42; P < .05).
• As compared to baseline 1, the BSI-18 scores were also significantly improved at the 2- (P <.005) and 6-month time points (P<.01).