Methodological challenges in understanding sexuality in Indian women

The semi-structured interview schedule included open-ended questions about the impact of the illness and its treatment on the sexual relationship with spouses. The mean of the present study was 2.34 suggesting poor sexual functioning in the survivors. [...]out of the 50 survivors, 15 of them refused to respond to the measure for various reasons enumerated in [Table 1]. [4] Several questions could be raised to help better understand it: (a) was there a gap between terms used in the questionnaire such as “climax” or “orgasm” and the participant's knowledge about meanings of these words? (b) Could it be associated with breast cancer itself wherein participants are required to discuss stigmatizing issue of cancer and taboo of sexuality? (c) Could it be a form of denial used by survivors to help avoid emotional discomfort which may be associated with talking about it? (d) Could it be a function of the belief that ideal Indian women are sexually passive and expression of sexual dissatisfaction would connote that they were “bad women” by asking for more sexually?