Exercise interventions and their effect on masculinity, body image, and personal identity in prostate cancer-A systematic qualitative review.

OBJECTIVE: Men with prostate cancer face various body composition and psychosocial challenges following diagnosis. Movement-based interventions such as exercise may represent novel strategies to improve these important biopsychosocial changes. This systematic qualitative review aimed to examine the various exercise interventions and their effect on male perception of masculinity, body image, and personal identity.

METHODS: A systematic search across nine electronic databases was conducted in July 2017 and repeated in August 2018. Eligible studies included qualitative works examining masculinity, body image, or personal identity within an exercise intervention. Thematic content analysis allowed for qualitative synthesis across numerous studies.

RESULTS: Six studies met eligibility criteria for inclusion. Four interventions used multimodal aerobic and resistance training, one incorporated aerobic exercise through football practice, and one utilized a home-based aerobic plus yoga program. Exercise was implicated to improve masculinity through creation of a safe community, allowed for refocusing on valued male traits, provided a source of distraction, and offered a means of establishing control over one's illness. Exercise also facilitated a process of self-reflection secondary to changes in physique and helped to re-establish male self-efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of prostate cancer stage, treatment status, or prior androgen deprivation therapy exposure, both aerobic or aerobic and resistance training exerted positive effects on perceived feelings of masculinity, body image, and personal identity.