Abstract
ObjectivesExisting data show that older adults rarely seek medical or psychological help for their sexual problems. The current study explores the barriers in help-seeking faced by older adults from a conservative Central European country.MethodsThirty semi-structured interviews were conducted among Polish residents (16 women, 14 men) aged 65–82. The data were analysed thematically, with coding validity and analytical rigour ensured throughout the process.ResultsThree main barriers in seeking help were identified: not recognising sexual problems; fear for the doctors’ disapproval; lack of knowledge how to access appropriate services. The data reveal that the participants’ main concern is that health providers would dismiss their problems as trivial. Older adults from Poland suffer from the lack of fundamental knowledge about their sexual functioning.ConclusionsEmploying qualitative methodology to understand why older adults from conservative cultures do not seek help for their sexual problems might contribute to existing literature by providing evidence from different cultural settings, and help to develop and implement appropriate interventions. Implications related to health providers’ attitude towards older patients’ concerns are further discussed.
Highlights
Many older adults consider sexuality an important part of their life and continue sexual activity well into late adulthood (Laumann et al 2006; Hinchliff et al 2018)
Several female and male participants admitted that they were unaware of the existence of any sexual problems other than erectile dysfunction (ED), and needed examples to engage in this part of the interview
It is noteworthy that many older women in this study admitted experiencing these sexual problems from a young age, and always considered them a normal part of sexual functioning
Summary
Many older adults consider sexuality an important part of their life and continue sexual activity well into late adulthood (Laumann et al 2006; Hinchliff et al 2018). Older adults report numerous barriers to discussing sex-related issues in a healthcare context, while physicians tend to consider older patients’ sexuality as outside their domain Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland et al 2019) It leads to a relatively small number of older adults receiving medical or psychological treatment for their sexual problems (Lindau et al 2007; Moreira et al 2008; Bauer et al 2016). This is considered a growing problem, as unaddressed sexual health issues may negatively affect the sex-lives of ageing generations (Malta et al 2018)
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