Chronic diseases and sexuality

Journal title RIVISTA DI SESSUOLOGIA CLINICA
Author/s Leonardo Tizi, Adele Fabrizi, Chiara Simonelli
Publishing Year 2014 Issue 2014/1
Language Italian Pages 15 P. 5-19 File size 55 KB
DOI 10.3280/RSC2014-001001
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Chronic diseases are often associated with problems of a sexual nature, the impact of which can be underestimated and the problems themselves are often undiagnosed. People suffering from chronic conditions may think that sexual difficulties related to the disease may not warrant being mentioned to physicians, and physicians for their part may feel uncomfortable or unprepared in dealing with these topics. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between chronic diseases and sexuality, to consider the implications in the couple relationship, and to identify appropriate methods of intervention by clinicians through the main models of psychosexological counselling currently available. It is found that chronic diseases can have a profound negative effect on relationships and sexual satisfaction for both individuals with the disease and their partners. Even for patients with chronic diseases, sexuality plays a significant role and sexual intimacy is an important mode of communication with their partners. It is the duty of clinicians to guarantee that proper attention be paid to these subjects and it is necessary to have a conceptual framework as well as strategies for a quick understanding of these kind of problems and to render psychosexological therapies more efficient and accessible. .

Keywords: Sexuality, chronic disease, couple, sexual satisfaction, psychosexuological counselling, sexological intervention models

  1. Basson R. (2007). Sexuality in chronic illness: no longer ignored. Lancet, 369 (9559): 350-2. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60166-
  2. Bitzer J., Platano G., Tschudin S., Alder J. (2007). Sexual counselling for women in the context of physical diseases – a teaching model for physicians. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 4 (1): 29-37. PMID: 17233774
  3. Checton M.G., Greene K., Magsamen-Conrad K., Venetis M.K. (2012). Patients’ and Partners’ Perspectives of Chronic Illness and Its Management. Families, Systems and Health, 30(2): 114-29 DOI: 10.1037/a0028598
  4. Claiborne N., Rizzo V.M. (2006). Addressing Sexual Issues in Individuals with Chronic Health Conditions. Health and Social Work, 31(3): 221-224 PMID: 16955661.
  5. Coelho-Marques F.Z., Wagner M.B., Poli de Figueiredo C.E., d’Avila D.O. (2006).
  6. Quality of life and sexuality in chronic dialysis female patients. International Journal of Impotence Research, 18: 539-43 PMID: 16554852.
  7. Dune T.M. (2012). Sexuality and Physical Disability: Exploring the Barriers and Solutions in Healthcare. Sexuality and Disability, 30: 247-255 DOI: 10.1007/s11195-012-9262-8
  8. Fletcher S.G., Castro-Borrero W., Remington G., Treadaway K., Lemack G.E., Frohman E.M. (2009). Sexual dysfunction in patients with multiple sclerosis: a multidisciplinary approach to evaluation and management. Nature clinical practice urology, 6(2): 96-107 DOI: 10.1038/ncpuro1298
  9. Harrison T., Stuifbergen A., Adachi E., Becker H. (2004). Marriage, impairment and acceptance in persons with multiple sclerosis. Western Journal of Nursing, 26: 266-85. DOI: 10.1177/0193945903260188
  10. Hordern A.J. (2008). Intimacy and Sexuality After Cancer. A Cristical Review if the Literature. Cancer Nursing, 31 (2): 9-17.
  11. Kedde H., Van De Wiel H., Weijmar Schultz W., Vanwesenbeeck I., Bender J. (2012). Sexual Health Problems and Associated Help-Seeking Behavior of People With Physical Disabilities and Chronic Diseases. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 38 (1): 63-78 DOI: 10.1080/0092623X.2011.569638
  12. Kedde H., Van De Wiel H.B., Weijmar Schultz W.C.M., Vanwesenbeek W.M.A., Bender J.L. (2010). Efficacy of Sexological Healthcare for People With Chronic Diseases and Physical Disabilities. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 36 (3): 282-294 DOI: 10.1080/00926231003719798
  13. Lenz E.R., Pugh L.C., Milligan R.A., Gift. A., Suppe F. (1997). The Middle-Range Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms: An Update. Advanced Nursing of Science, 19 (3): 14-27 PMID: 9055027.
  14. Lombardo L., Rossi R. (2010). Sessualità e malattia neoplastica: criteri e strumenti per una consulenza sessuologica in oncologia. Rivista di Sessuologia Clinica, 17 (1): 69-90.
  15. McCabe M.P., Taleporos G. (2003). Sexual esteem, sexual satisfaction, and sexual behavior among people with physical disability. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 32 (4): 359-69. DOI: 10.1023/A:1024047100251
  16. McInnes R.A. (2003). Chronic illness and sexuality. The Medical Journal of Australia, 179: 263-6.
  17. Mick J., Hughes M., Cohen M.Z. (2004). Using the BETTER Model to Assess Sexuality. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 8 (1): 84-86 PMID: 15043034. Rolland J.S. (1994). Families, illness and disability. New York: Basic Books.
  18. Schmidt E.Z., Hofmann P., Niederwieser G., Kapfhammer H.-P., Bonelli R.M. (2005). Sexuality in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neural Transmission, 112: 1201-11. DOI: 10.1007/s00702-005-0275-7
  19. Segal J.Z. (2012). The sexualization of the medical. Journal of Sex Research, 49 (4): 369-78 DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2011.653608
  20. Simonelli C., Tripodi F., Rossi R., Fabrizi A., Lembo D., Cosmi V., Pierleoni L. (2008). The influence of caregiver burden on sexual intimacy and marital satisfaction in couples with an Alzheimer spouse. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 62 (1): 47-52. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2007.01506.x
  21. Taylor B., Davis S. (2007). The Extended PLISSIT Model for Addressing the Sexual Wellbeing of Individuals with Acquired Disability or Chronic Illness. Sexuality and Disability, 25: 135-139 DOI 10.1007/s11195-007-9044-x.
  22. Verschuren J.E.A., Enzlin P., Dijkstra P.U., Geertzen J.H.B., Dekker R. (2010). Chronic disease and sexuality: a generic conceptual framework. Journal of Sex Research, 47 (2-3): 153-70. DOI: 10.1080/00224491003658227
  23. Vitrano V., Catania V. (2009). Aspetti della sessualità nel paziente neoplastico. La Rivista Italiana di Cure Palliative, 9 (2): 33-39.
  24. Wilmoth M.C. (2007). Sexuality: a critical component of quality of life in chronic disease. Nursing Clinics of North America, 42: 507-14. DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2007.08.008

Leonardo Tizi, Adele Fabrizi, Chiara Simonelli, Malattie croniche e sessualità in "RIVISTA DI SESSUOLOGIA CLINICA" 1/2014, pp 5-19, DOI: 10.3280/RSC2014-001001