Development of a Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire for Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men With Prostate Cancer

Tsz Kin Lee; Erik Wibowo; Gary W Dowsett; Christian J Nelson; John L Oliffe; Darryl Mitteldorf; Samantha Tze Sum Wong; Richard J Wassersug

doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100480

Development of a Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire for Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men With Prostate Cancer

Sex Med. 2022 Apr;10(2):100480. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2021.100480. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

Authors

Tsz Kin Lee¹, Erik Wibowo², Gary W Dowsett³, Christian J Nelson⁴, John L Oliffe⁵, Darryl Mitteldorf⁶, Samantha Tze Sum Wong⁷, Richard J Wassersug⁸

Affiliations

¹ Radiation Oncology, British Columbia Cancer, Abbotsford Cancer Centre, British Columbia, Canada. Electronic address: tkbernardlee@gmail.com.
² Department of Anatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
³ Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health, and Society, Melbourne, Australia.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
⁵ School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.
⁶ Malecare Cancer Support, New York, NY, USA.
⁷ Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Quebec, Canada.
⁸ Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer (PCa) is often diagnosed early with prolonged survival, which makes sexual quality of life (QoL) an increasingly important treatment consideration, but existing QoL questionnaires have limited applicability for men who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) beyond penile erections and penetrative sex.

Aim: We aimed to create a validated survey instrument for assessing a variety of sexual activities beyond penile insertive sex for MSM after PCa treatment.

Methods: Based on our previously published survey findings, we have generated a prototype questionnaire with 13 different domains, reviewed by both healthy MSM and pilot-tested by MSM treated for PCa.

Outcomes: We report here on progress in developing the questionnaire and demonstrate the complexity of MSM sexual side effects resulting from PCa treatment(s).

Results: Statistical analysis of 204 responses from MSM treated for PCa showed that each domain performed well individually (Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 0.95; item-total correlations ranged from 0.16 to 0.89), with many significant intercorrelations between the domains (ranged from -0.048 to 0.93).

Clinical implications: The questionnaire can contribute to clinical diagnosis and treatment decisions that best fit the preferred sexual practices of individual MSM.

Strengths & limitations: The current questionnaire considers a much broader repertoire of MSM's sexual practices and preferences than other currently available questionnaires. The high intercorrelations between the many parameters demonstrate that problems in one domain can affect other domains. This preliminary analysis warrants further exploration with a larger sample size.

Conclusions: Once validated our questionnaire should help develop tailored psychosocial supports for MSM experiencing sexual dysfunction after PCa treatment and help newly diagnosed MSM with PCa make treatment decisions informed by their preferred sexual practices. Wibowo E, Dowsett GW, Nelson CJ, et al. Development of a Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire for Men-Who-Have-Sex-With-Men With Prostate Cancer. Sex Med 2022;10:100480.

Keywords: Anal Sex; Bisexual; Gay; Masturbation; Oral Sex; Sexual Dysfunction.

Grants and funding

P30 CA008748/CA/NCI NIH HHS/United States