title: Body issues, sexual satisfaction, and relationship status satisfaction in long-term childhood cancer survivors and healthy controls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research on body image and sexual satisfaction after adult onset cancer has shown significant and lasting impairments regarding survivors' sexuality and romantic relationships. However, knowledge about these topics and their associations in adult survivors of childhood cancer is largely lacking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants completed web-based questionnaires concerning body image, body dissociation, sexual satisfaction, and relationship status satisfaction (i.e., satisfaction with either being in a relationship or being single). Survivors (n = 87) and controls (n = 87) were matched on age and gender, with a mean age of 27 years (range: 20-40). Survivors were most often diagnosed with leukemia (46%), at an average of 16 years prior to study participation (range: 6-33 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Similar numbers of survivors and controls were single (n = 24/31), in a committed relationship (n = 33/23), or married (n = 30/33). Survivors and controls reported comparable levels of body image, body dissociation, sexual experiences, and sexual and status satisfaction (d = 0.15-0.28). Higher status satisfaction was associated with being in a relationship (compared with being single, β = 0.439), more positive body image (β = 0.196), and higher sexual satisfaction (β = 0.200).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adult survivors of childhood cancer were comparable to healthy peers regarding views of their bodies and psychosexual development, which was unexpected. Independent of whether people experienced cancer or not, their status satisfaction was associated with their relationship status, body image, and sexual satisfaction. Future research should explore why sexual and body problems are identified after adult onset cancer, whereas this seems to be less of a problem in childhood cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.|Health Psychology Research Section, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lehmann
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Research Section, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mariët
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hagedoorn
authors.affiliation: The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.|The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gerhardt
authors.affiliation: The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Marci
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fults
authors.affiliation: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.|Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Randal S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Olshefski
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Research Section, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanderman
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Research Section, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marrit A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tuinman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010379:Peer Group; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult