The Experience of AYA Generation Cancer Survivors Regarding Sexuality

• Published in: Journal of Japan Academy of Nursing Science Vol. 43; pp. 1 - 10
• Main Authors: Okesaku, Kozue, Hama, Kouko, Yoneda, Masayo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese; English
• Published: Japan Academy of Nursing Science 2023
• Subjects: AYA generation; cancer; sexuality
• ISSN: 0287-5330; 2185-8888
• DOI: 10.5630/jans.43.1

Objective: To clarify sexuality-related experiences among adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 men and 6 women aged 18–39 years who had survived cancer as AYA, and the collected data were analyzed qualitatively and descriptively.Results: Both men and women experienced “concerns regarding sex and having children by themselves”. Men experienced “loss of confidence in being accepted as a man”, which undermined their identity and led to a “fear of the negative impact their potential inability to reproduce would have on their partner’s future”. Women showed “defensiveness toward their partner’s response to changes in their physical appearance and aftereffects of their illness”, but ultimately, they “reevaluated their relationship with their partner and the importance of having children with an understanding of their potential inability to reproduce”.Conclusion: AYA cancer survivors experience concerns about sex and having children, and have their identities undermined, but still seek a way to live their lives and have relationships with their partners going forward, including the idea of having children.