Sexual script flexibility after a prostate cancer diagnosis: Implications for sexual satisfaction.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship among sexual functioning, sexual script flexibility, and sexual satisfaction in individuals diagnosed with prostate cancer. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online survey. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty-one men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer. METHODS: Online survey of sexual functioning, sexual script flexibility, and sexual satisfaction. Ordinal logistic regression investigated predictors of sexual satisfaction. FINDINGS: Greater sexual script flexibility was associated with a greater likelihood of being sexually satisfied. CONCLUSIONS: Helping patients explore different ways of being sexual after treatment could help with sexual satisfaction maintenance. IMPLICATIONS: Patients' sexual satisfaction may benefit from discussions of issues related to sexuality and ways to work around treatment-related sexual dysfunction with healthcare providers.

An Investigation of Sexual and Relationship Adjustment During COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the mitigation measures put in place have resulted in universal disruption in the usual ways of life for individuals. The current study sought to investigate how aspects of sexual health (well-being and functioning) and relationship satisfaction changed or remained stable during the pandemic. During two separate time points (Time 1 including Time 1 and a retrospective baseline, Time 2), participants completed online measures of sexual well-being (sexual pleasure, partnered and solitary orgasm frequency, sexual distress), sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction. Participants reported slight declines in sexual pleasure, frequency of orgasms with a partner, and frequency of solitary orgasms from pre-COVID-19 (retrospective baseline) to Time 1, with no significant differences in sexual distress and relationship satisfaction. For individuals with vulvas, sexual functioning improved from Time 1 to Time 2, whereas no significant differences in sexual functioning were observed for individuals with penises. Aspects of sexual health and relational satisfaction did not sufficiently change across time points to be considered meaningful health outcome changes. Given that minimal disruptions were noted in pre-COVID-19 to COVID-19 sexuality, these results highlight the potential resiliency of individuals' sexuality when facing sudden changes in their daily lives. Implications of COVID-19's effects on sexual well-being and relationship satisfaction research are broadly discussed.

Sex After Prostate Cancer in Gay and Bisexual Men: A Review of the Literature.

INTRODUCTION: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among males globally, and it has one of the highest 5-year net survival rates of all cancers. Most diagnosed individuals, therefore, must live with the consequences of the disease and its treatments, including sexual side effects. Unfortunately, little is known about the sexual outcomes of PCa in individuals who identify as gay or bisexual. OBJECTIVES: To highlight the unique concerns, experiences, and needs of gay and bisexual men with PCa by reviewing the literature on sexual outcomes in this patient population. METHODS: A literature review through June 2019 was conducted, with a focus on sexual outcomes in gay and bisexual men with PCa; comparisons of sexual outcomes between heterosexual and gay and bisexual men with PCa; and the health care experiences of gay and bisexual men with PCa, specifically with regards to discussing sex with health care providers. RESULTS: Gay and bisexual men with PCa report a number of unique sexual concerns compared to their heterosexual counterparts. They face heteronormative biases and homophobia in the health care system and are frequently dissatisfied with the information they receive with regards to PCa and sexuality. CONCLUSION: There has been limited research on the experiences of gay and bisexual men with PCa; additional research to replicate and extend upon the findings of previous studies is warranted. Research on the experiences of PCa patients and survivors should be inclusive of participants of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Research results must be translated into clinical practice, so that health care providers can communicate specific and relevant information to their gay and bisexual patients. McInnis MK, Pukall, CF. Sex After Prostate Cancer in Gay and Bisexual Men: A Review of the Literature. Sex Med Rev 2020;8:466-472.

Exploring Comfort Levels and the Role of Compensation in Sexual Psychophysiology Study Participation.

A number of devices have been developed to assess physiological sexual response. Some come into direct contact with the genitals (e.g., vaginal/clitoral/penile plethysmography [VPP/CPP/PPG], labial thermistors [LT]), whereas others capture images of the genitals remotely (e.g., thermal imaging [TI], laser Doppler imaging [LDI]). Researchers have speculated about the relative invasiveness of these measurement tools, with limited empirical work examining participants' perceptions of different devices and how these may impact volunteer bias. We investigated individuals' levels of comfort with participating in hypothetical sexual psychophysiology studies and their reasons for discomfort. We also examined the relationship between comfort level and compensation for participation. Men (n = 291) and women (n = 716) completed an online survey where they were presented with vignettes describing studies using VPP, CPP, PPG, LT, TI, and LDI. Participants reported their comfort level with the idea of participating in each study, the amount of compensation that would be reasonable, and factors influencing their decision not to participate if they were unwilling. Participants were similarly comfortable with some studies involving genital contact (VPP) or remote imaging (TI), and somewhat less comfortable with others (LDI, LT, PPG; small or small-medium effect sizes). Along with our qualitative analysis, these findings reveal that direct genital contact is one aspect of study intrusiveness, but that it is not necessarily the most important study feature influencing comfort with participation. Our results suggest that providing additional information regarding protocols at screening and offering $50 compensation might attract wider samples of participants.

Effects of Individual Difference Variables, Gender, and Exclusivity of Sexual Attraction on Volunteer Bias in Sexuality Research.

Sexuality research is often regarded as more intrusive than other types of research, contributing to sample self-selection biases. Researchers have consistently found that volunteers and non-volunteers for sexuality studies differ on a number of sexuality-related variables. Despite a large number of studies examining volunteer biases, relatively few have examined the effects of gender and exclusivity of sexual attraction on willingness to volunteer. Given that comparisons on the basis of gender and/or sexual attraction are frequently made in sexuality studies, understanding how these factors may contribute to volunteer bias is particularly important. In the current study, we investigated the impact of gender and sexual attraction, as well as individual difference variables, on hypothetical willingness to volunteer for a variety of sexuality studies, including new measurement technologies not previously investigated. Greater proportions of men and individuals with any degree of same-gender attraction reported that they were willing to volunteer for eye tracking and psychophysiology studies, whereas there were no significant effects of gender or sexual attraction on willingness to volunteer for sexuality surveys. The proportions of volunteers willing to participate were inversely related to study invasiveness. Greater sexual experience and more positive sexual attitudes were significant predictors of willingness to volunteer, whereas gender, sexual attraction, and other sexuality characteristics were not significant predictors. Implications of volunteer bias for research findings are discussed. Strategies to minimize volunteer bias and to examine whether or not recruited samples differ from the population are provided.