Sexual Health and Relationship Quality in Advanced Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Dyadic Analysis of Heterosexual Couples in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND

Sexual health is an important component of quality of life and relationship quality in advanced cancer patients, yet research on this domain remains limited in the Asian context.

OBJECTIVES

To examine how evaluations of sexual satisfaction and frequency of intimacy behaviors are associated with relationship satisfaction and emotional closeness in advanced cancer dyads.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey study involving patient-partner dyads.

SETTING/SUBJECTS: Adult patients with advanced cancer and their partners in an oncology clinic in Malaysia.

MEASUREMENTS: Measures of sexual health (sexual satisfaction, frequency of sexual activity, and frequency of nonsexual physical affection) and relationship quality (relationship satisfaction and emotional closeness) were analyzed using descriptive and correlational analyses and dyadic analysis.

RESULTS

Responses from 49 patients (mean age 44.7 ± 11.0 years) and their 49 partners (mean age: 45.1 ± 11.4 years) were analyzed. Both patients and partners reported high sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and emotional closeness. Only patients' evaluation of sexual satisfaction was positively correlated with their relationship satisfaction (b = 0.54, p < 0.001, partial r = 0.70). Patients' evaluations of sexual and nonsexual physical affection behavior frequencies were not associated with relationship quality. Partners' evaluations of sexual satisfaction and intimacy behavior frequencies were not correlated with patients' evaluations of emotional closeness and relationship satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Relationship satisfaction is linked to subjective sexual satisfaction more than frequency of sexual behaviors among advanced cancer patients. Interventions should prioritize individual perceptions and dyadic communication over behavioral targets. Future research with more diverse cohorts is needed to generalize these findings across varying cultural and relationship contexts.