Abstract
IntroductionAge-related declines in multiple facets of sexuality in later life are well documented. However, most studies have been cross-sectional with data collected at one point in time, leaving questions about cohort differences and interrelated historical changes in physical health and psychosocial functioning unanswered.MethodsWe examined cohort differences in perceived importance and enjoyment of sexuality in late midlife using data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) obtained 20 years apart, 1992–1993 (N = 718) and 2012–2013 (N = 860), from two independent samples aged 55 to 65 years (both samples: Mage ≈ 60, 52–53% women).ResultsLater-born adults in late midlife reported attributing slightly higher importance to sexuality than their earlier-born peers and experiencing their sex life as slightly less pleasant. Effect sizes were small at the sample level (d < .15), but substantial for certain population segments. For example, historical increases in reported importance of sexuality were especially pronounced among women with no partner (d = .56). When controlling for socio-demographic, physical health, and psychosocial factors, cohort differences in perceived importance of sexuality remained significant, but those for enjoyment did not.ConclusionsLate-midlife sexuality undergoes historical changes. Specifically, reported perceived importance of sexuality has increased over historical time, especially in particular population segments.Policy implicationsWe discuss whether our findings represent historical changes in actual behavior, perception, or the willingness to report on one’s sex life.
Highlights
Age-related declines in multiple facets of sexuality in later life are well documented
Given that sexuality is considerably shaped by historical and social circumstances (Pettit & Hegarty, 2014), it stands to reason that attitudes toward sexuality differ across historical time and contribute to the occurrence of cohort differences in sexual behaviors and experiences (Mercer et al, 2013; Twenge et al, 2017)
Importance and enjoyment of sexuality were moderately correlated in both samples (r = .50 for the earlier-born, and r = .41 for the later-born Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) cohort, both ps < .01), indicating that the two cover in part different aspects of the larger measurement space of sexuality
Summary
Age-related declines in multiple facets of sexuality in later life are well documented. Most studies have been cross-sectional with data collected at one point in time, leaving questions about cohort differences and interrelated historical changes in physical health and psychosocial functioning unanswered. Previous empirical reports were typically based on cross-sectional data collected at one specific point in time (e.g., Lee et al, 2016). They did not allow disentangling age-related differences from those associated with the historical times people were born and living in. Historical changes in several life domains in late midlife that are closely intertwined with sexual functioning such as lower levels of loneliness (Suanet & van Tilburg, 2019) and higher levels of internal control among later-born cohorts (Gerstorf et al, 2019) might have allowed later-born
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