Supportive care needs related to the sexual quality of life of the spouses of ostomy patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer: a descriptive phenomenological study.

Four main themes emerged from spouses' experiences related to sexual quality of life following their partner's ostomy surgery for colorectal cancer.

• The four themes were: challenges in sexual life, the ability to reconstruct sexuality, sexuality-oriented supportive care needs, and future perceptions and hopes in the context of sexuality and relationships.
• Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews with 40 spouses selected through purposive sampling.
• Data analysis followed Colaizzi's phenomenological analysis steps.
• The study used a descriptive phenomenological design.

Physical symptoms, body image changes, and caregiving responsibilities negatively affected the sexual lives of spouses of ostomy patients.

• These factors were reported by spouses as primary contributors to challenges in their sexual lives.
• Body image changes related to the ostomy were identified as a distinct disruptive factor separate from physical symptoms.
• Caregiving responsibilities compounded the sexual quality of life burden experienced by spouses.
• This finding fell under the theme of 'challenges in sexual life.'

Many spouses experienced difficulties discussing sexuality, often influenced by social norms that inhibit open communication.

• Inhibition of open communication was attributed to prevailing social norms.
• This difficulty in discussing sexuality was a prominent finding across participants.
• The communication barrier represented both a personal and culturally influenced challenge for couples.
• This finding was part of the theme addressing challenges in sexual life.

Some couples attempted to rebuild closeness through emotional bonding and adjusting physical intimacy, reflecting a capacity to reconstruct sexuality.

• This finding corresponded to the theme 'the ability to reconstruct sexuality.'
• Strategies involved both emotional bonding and modifications to physical intimacy practices.
• Not all couples demonstrated this reconstructive capacity, as indicated by the qualifier 'some couples.'
• Rebuilding closeness was identified as an adaptive response to the illness and ostomy experience.

Spouses frequently emphasized needs related to sexual health education, psychological support, and access to financial resources as unmet supportive care needs.

• These three categories of need were 'frequently emphasized' by participants.
• This finding constituted the theme 'sexuality-oriented supportive care needs.'
• Financial resource access was identified alongside informational and psychological needs, suggesting multi-dimensional unmet needs.
• The findings indicate that current care approaches do not adequately address spouses' sexuality-related needs.

Spouses expressed future perceptions and hopes regarding sexuality and their relationships in the context of their partner's ostomy and colorectal cancer diagnosis.

• Future perceptions and hopes in the context of sexuality and relationships constituted the fourth major theme.
• This theme suggests that despite current challenges, spouses maintained forward-looking perspectives on their sexual and relational lives.
• The inclusion of this theme indicates that temporal orientation (future hope) is a meaningful dimension of the spouse experience.
• Specific content of future hopes was not detailed in the abstract.

The study concluded that supportive care practices should expand beyond patient-centered approaches to incorporate couple-based interventions.

• Psycho-oncology nurses were specifically identified as needing training to identify and address spouses' needs for sexual health information, counseling, and emotional support.
• Sexuality-related discussions should be integrated into routine care, according to the authors.
• Structured psychoeducational programs encouraging open communication and rebuilding intimacy were recommended for couples.
• Programs were recommended to be 'inclusive, evidence-based, and accessible both in clinical settings and through online platforms.'
• The authors stated that 'addressing the unmet needs of spouses may enhance overall couple well-being and improve the quality of survivorship care.'