Couple therapy following prostate cancer surgery: A manual to guide treatment

Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. Ten-year survival is high; consequently a service priority is addressing survivorship issues to support men living with the longer-term consequences of the disease and its treatments. This paper presents a treatment manual which has been tested with couples following prostate cancer surgery to decrease distress in sexual functioning, and improve relational functioning. The content of the manual is described alongside a fictionalized case vignette that illustrates the content and process of sessions. The paper presents the RIPSToP Model (RelatIonal PSychosexual Treatment for couples with Prostate cancer). The manual was developed and piloted in a mixed-method feasibility and acceptability randomized pilot control trial. Qualitative interviews with clinicians delivering the intervention indicate that the manual was acceptable. Practitioner points A systemic manual for supporting couples after prostate cancer surgery has been developed The manual presents a new model, derived from the literature, focusing on family context and the couple dynamic The model impacts psychological wellbeing, relationship functioning and distress related to sexual functioning Practitioners reported positive views of the manual and adhered to its content and structur

Signposts: Resource for staff developers

This guide is for staff developers who work with new tertiary teachers, and provides guidelines on how to use 'Signposts: A professional development resource for new teaching staff in the tertiary sector'. It is the result of a project funded by the Ako Aotearoa Northern Hub

Lost conversations: finding new ways for black and white Australians to lead together

It\u27s time for a game-changer in how black and white Australians relate.   The difficulties we have in coming together—to talk, to work, to lead change—are core to our challenge to reconcile, as a country. But if we want to shift the status quo, if we want to lead change on entrenched Indigenous disadvantage, we don\u27t need another program, initiative or money to try and \u27fix\u27 the problem. We need to start having a different conversation.  The result of two years experience working together as part of a Social Leadership Australia initiative, Lost Conversations brings together the diverse perspectives and personal stories of five Aboriginal and four non-Indigenous authors, all with first-hand knowledge of what happens when black and white Australians come together to try and work on change.  Lost Conversations asks the questions and starts the conversations that we daren\u27t have in Australia ... until now:  What is \u27black\u27 power? What is \u27white\u27 power?  What qualifies someone to lead in this cross-cultural space?  Why is this so hard to talk about?  Can we start to name these things and try to shift the status quo?  Can we change?  Should we?  &nbsp

Exploring the feasibility and acceptability of couple-based psychosexual support following prostate cancer surgery: Study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

Background: Men who undergo surgery for prostate cancer frequently experience significant side-effects including urinary and sexual dysfunction. These difficulties can lead to anxiety, depression and reduced quality of life. Many partners also experience psychological distress. An additional impact can be on the couple relationship, with changes to intimacy, and unmet psychosexual supportive needs in relation to sexual recovery and rehabilitation. The aim of this exploratory randomised controlled trial pilot study is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of a novel family-relational-psychosexual intervention to support intimacy and reduce distress among couples following prostate cancer surgery and to estimate the efficacy of this intervention. Methods/Design: The intervention will comprise six sessions of psychosexual and relationship support delivered by experienced couple-support practitioners. Specialist training in delivering the intervention will be provided to practitioners and they will be guided by a detailed treatment manual based on systemic principles. Sixty-eight couples will be randomised to receive either the intervention or standard care (comprising usual follow-up hospital appointments). A pre-test, post-test design will be used to test the feasibility of the intervention (baseline, end of intervention and six-month follow-up) and its acceptability to couples and healthcare professionals (qualitative interviews). Both individual and relational outcome measures will assess sexual functioning, anxiety and depression, couple relationship, use of health services and erectile dysfunction medication/technologies. An economic analysis will estimate population costs of the intervention, compared to usual care, using simple modelling to evaluate the affordability of the intervention. Discussion: Given the increasing incidence and survival of post-operative men with prostate cancer, it is timely and appropriate to determine the feasibility of a definitive trial through a pilot randomised controlled trial of a family-relational-psychosexual intervention for couples. The study will provide evidence about the components of a couple-based intervention, its acceptability to patients and healthcare professionals, and its influence on sexual and relational functioning. Data from this study will be used to calculate sample sizes required for any definitive trial. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01842438. Registration date: 24 April 2013; Randomisation of first patient: 13 May 201

Couple-based psychosexual support following prostate cancer surgery: results of a feasibility pilot randomized control trial

Surgery for prostate cancer can result in distressing side effects such as sexual difficulties, which are associated with lower levels of dyadic functioning. The study developed and tested an intervention to address sexual, relational, and emotional aspects of the relationship after prostate cancer by incorporating elements of family systems theory and sex therapy

Couple-based psychosexual support following prostate cancer surgery: Results of a feasibility pilot randomized control trial

Introduction: Surgery for prostate cancer can result in distressing side effects such as sexual difficulties, which are associated with lower levels of dyadic functioning. The study developed and tested an intervention to address sexual, relational, and emotional aspects of the relationship after prostate cancer by incorporating elements of family systems theory and sex therapy. Aims: To develop and test the feasibility and acceptability of relational psychosexual treatment for couples with prostate cancer, determine whether a relational-psychosexual intervention is feasible and acceptable for couples affected by prostate cancer, and determine the parameters for a full-scale trial. Methods: Forty-three couples were recruited for this pilot randomized controlled trial and received a six-session manual-based psychosexual intervention or usual care. Outcomes were measured before, after, and 6 months after the intervention. Acceptability and feasibility were established from recruitment and retention rates and adherence to the manual. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measurement was the sexual bother subdomain of the Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the 15-item Systemic Clinical Outcome and Routine Evaluation (SCORE-15) were used to measure emotional and relational functioning, respectively. Results: The intervention was feasible and acceptable. The trial achieved adequate recruitment (38%) and retention (74%) rates. The intervention had a clinically and statistically significant effect on sexual bother immediately after the intervention. Small decreases in anxiety and depression were observed for the intervention couples, although these were not statistically significant. Practitioners reported high levels of adherence to the manual. Conclusion: The clinically significant impact on sexual bother and positive feedback on the study's feasibility and acceptability indicate that the intervention should be tested in a multicenter trial. The SCORE-15 lacked specificity for this intervention, and future trials would benefit from a couple-focused measurement

Participant and Public Involvement in Refining a Peer-Volunteering Active Aging Intervention: Project ACE (Active, Connected, Engaged)

© The Author(s) 2016. Background Evidence for the health benefits of a physically active lifestyle among older adults is strong, yet only a small proportion of older people meet physical activity recommendations. A synthesis of evidence identified "best bet" approaches, and this study sought guidance from end-user representatives and stakeholders to refine one of these, a peer-volunteering active aging intervention. Methods Focus groups with 28 older adults and four professional volunteer managers were conducted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 older volunteers. Framework analysis was used to gauge participants' views on the ACE intervention. Results Motives for engaging in community groups and activities were almost entirely social. Barriers to participation were lack of someone to attend with, lack of confidence, fear of exclusion or "cliquiness" in established groups, bad weather, transport issues, inaccessibility of activities, ambivalence, and older adults being "set in their ways". Motives for volunteering included "something to do," avoiding loneliness, the need to feel needed, enjoyment, and altruism. Challenges included negative events between volunteer and recipient of volunteering support, childcare commitments, and high volunteering workload. Conclusion Peer-volunteering approaches have great potential for promotion of active aging. The systematic multistakeholder approach adopted in this study led to important refinements of the original ACE intervention. The findings provide guidance for active aging community initiatives highlighting the importance of effective recruitment strategies and of tackling major barriers including lack of motivation, confidence, and readiness to change; transport issues; security concerns and cost; activity availability; and lack of social support

Healthcare, the Environment and Biomedicine

The final SSIR project aim: To better understand the factors that impact student well-being at the University of Richmond, with a focus on those that raise happiness and reduce stress.Goals and questions included: ● To find statistically significant data that correlates to who the happiest spidURs are ● Tried to separate student groups to identify individual factors ● Sought out students who had lowest stress, highest happinesshttps://scholarship.richmond.edu/ssir-presentations-2019/1000/thumbnail.jp