Barriers to Sexual Health Communication in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Sexual dysfunction following breast cancer treatment is common. However, it's often been neglected. Patients often have difficulty to talk about sexuality issues with their partner. Health-care providers avoid entering this domain too. Identifying communication barriers around sexuality is important to solve sexual dysfunction in breast cancer survivors. Aim: To diagnose communication barriers regarding sexual health in breast cancer survivors. Materials and Methods: In this qualitative study, 13 breast cancer survivors and 12 key informants were interviewed in semi-structured face to face approach. The participants were selected through targeted sampling method and data were analysed using conventional content analysis approach by MAXQDA12.0 software. Results: Two main categories including "relationship with partner" and "relationship with health care providers" were extracted from the interviews as barriers. Weakness of sexual discourse was the most important barriers between couples. In terms of patient-providers relationship, the most known barriers were neglecting patients' sexual concerns and lack of a teamwork approach from the patients and providers point of view respectively. Conclusion: Health provider needs to acquire communication skills and knowledge about managing sexual disorders in breast cancer survivors.