The caring experience and supportive care needs of male partners for women with gynaecologic cancer: A qualitative literature review

Abstract

Gynaecologic cancer refers to the cancer that starts in a woman's reproductive organs, which mainly include cervical, ovarian, uterine/endometrial, vaginal and vulva. It affects women at different age group, and risk increases with age (Harris, 2019). As a unique type of cancer in women, may pose preventable, adverse outcomes, especially on a woman's femininity, fertility and sexual life (Chow et al., 2016). Gynaecologic cancer not only has significant impacts on patients' physical and psychological health, but also affects their

Exploring the lived experience of partners of women impacted by cervical cancer and the CervicalCheck screening failure in Ireland

“…Previous research highlights inadequacies in terms of both healthcare providers’ communication with family caregivers of women with gynaecological cancers 6 and available psychological supports to help male partners cope 4 . Our data corroborate these prior findings, conveying participants’ dissatisfaction with the quality of information they received regarding how to best support their wives, and their desire for improved psychological supports for the partners of women with cervical cancer.…”

“…Empirical evidence regarding the impact of cervical cancer on partners is also limited 4 . Prior research has revealed the negative impact of the disease on partners’ lives and their difficulty adapting to their new reality 4 . The aim of the present study is to give voice to the experiences of the partners of women affected by the CervicalCheck controversy; examine their experience of cervical cancer and explore their perspective of the cancer screening controversy.…”

“…Studies focussing on the partners of women who experience a missed cancer diagnosis are scarce. Empirical evidence regarding the impact of cervical cancer on partners is also limited 4 . Prior research has revealed the negative impact of the disease on partners’ lives and their difficulty adapting to their new reality 4 .…”

Perceived social support and posttraumatic growth among couples coping with gynecological cancer: A cross-sectional survey

“…A potential explanation for this nding is that the need for receiving appropriate social support in adversity is an intrinsic part of human nature that contributes to health and well-being [32]. Another potential explanation for this nding is that increased relationships with others is often reported in spouses of women diagnosed with GC [4].…”

“…A potential explanation is that the assistance received from other family members (e.g., visiting, offering food, and psychological and emotional support) was a critical resource for helping women diagnosed with GC to effectively balance their own needs, make decisions during uncertainty, cope with the situation, and manage emotions [6,8,9]. Another potential explanation is that the assistance received from other family members can help spouses of women diagnosed with GC effectively manage emotions, balance their own needs, make decisions during uncertainty, cope with the situation, and alleviate caregiving burden [4].…”