Masculinity and Men’s Adjustment Following Treatment for Prostate Cancer

6malignant areas of the prostate gland are frozen with cooled metal probes) demonstrated significant social impairments. In a similar study, Green, Pakenham, Headley, and Gardiner (2002) reported that men with erectile dysfunction following hormonal treatments experienced emotional difficulties that precipitated substantial role limitations (i.e., work interference, failure to complete regular daily activities). Trinchieri, Nicola, Masini, and Mangiarotti (2005) indicated that men reporting erectile dysfunction following rad-ical prostatectomy evinced clinically significant mood disturbances. According to Helgeson and Lepore (2004), the psychological and emotional difficulties these men experience may stem from the side effects of treat-ments for prostate cancer on their masculine identity. Many men derive their masculine identity through adherence to socially constructed ideals that consti-tute acceptable ways for boys and men to think, feel, and behave (Mahalik, Good, & Englar-Carlson, 2003). Autonomously coping with problems, remain-ing emotionally controlled, and exhibiting insatiable sexual desire, for instance, represent central mascu-line ideals (Burns & Mahalik, in press; Mahalik, Locke, et al., 2003). Men living with prostate cancer frequentlyreport poor sexual functioning followingtreatment for their illness (Eton & Lepore, 2002). Seventy-five percent of men treated with rad-ical prostatectomy (i.e., surgical removal of the prostate gland) report little or no erectile capacity 5 years posttreatment (Penson et al., 2005). Similarly, only 31 % of those who treat their cancer with radia-tion recover pretreatment sexual functioning within a year (Stanford, Feng, & Hamilton, 2000). Nearly 65 % of men electing external beam radiotherapy experience some sort of sexual problem at 8 years posttherapy (Fransson & Widmark, 1999). Research indicates that for many men, this loss of function is associated with severe psychological and emotional difficulties that diminish social, role, and mental health functioning. Robinson et al. (2002), for instance, noted that men reporting sexual impotence following cryosurgery (i.e., a process during whic