title: Androgen Deprivation Therapy and maintenance of intimacy: a randomized controlled pilot study of an educational intervention for patients and their partners.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) for prostate cancer is associated with many treatment side effects that tend to erode couples' intimacy. We piloted a randomized controlled trial to investigate the effect of an educational intervention designed to preserve couples' intimacy in the face of ADT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Couples were recruited at the time the patient was first prescribed ADT and were randomized to a treatment or control group. Those in the treatment group were asked to read an educational guide and participate in an educational session designed to inform couples about possible ADT side effects and management strategies. To assess changes in the couples' relationships, they were administered the Dyadic Adjustment Scale and the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships questionnaire prior to randomization and again at 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While results were not statistically significant, trends and effect sizes suggest that the educational intervention helped attenuate declines in intimacy for patients, but not for their partners. Couples who participated in the intervention were more successful at maintaining sexual activity than were couples in the control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ADT places considerable strain on intimate relationships, particularly for the partners. It appears that patients who receive help in anticipating and managing ADT related changes report better dyadic adjustment and closer intimacy. More efforts are needed to develop interventions to benefit patients' partners. We conclude that the intervention holds promise and that a full-scale evaluation of the intervention is both feasible and warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Lauren M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Amy J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hampton
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wassersug
authors.forename: Bejoy C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Robinson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists