SEXUALITY AND COUPLE COMMUNICATION IN WOMEN WITH CERVIX CANCER

The aim of this quasiexperimental research of single case with n replications was to evaluate a psychologicalintervention with emphasis on sexuality and marital communication for women diagnosed withcervical cancer under treatment. Four women patients of the Javeriano Oncology Centre participatedvoluntarily. The instrument was a semi-structured interview validate by experts judgement and wasapplied individually in order to collect relevant and pertinent data according to the objectives. Based onthe information from the interview special patient’s needs were detected which guided the selection ofthe intervention program contents. Intervention was applied and evaluated in different moments, as isrequired to decrease threatens to internal validity (Kazdin 2001). The intervention program consistedof three-session psycho-educational workshop with pre-post-test measures specially designed for eachoccasion. Evaluations were applied immediately after each session, 15 days after, 30 days after the lastsession. Results were presented graphically and in tables and were analysed descriptively without statisticsthrough categories derived from the answers. The intervention effectivity was demonstrated in positivechanges in each participant, especially in general information and beliefs; there were changes respect tosexuality favourable to couple relation, however some deficits in communication and sexual relationpersisted. Practical and theoretical implications were analysed in different moments during the research.