Sexuality In Older Adults Research Articles

Sexuality in Older Adults (65+)—An Overview of the Literature, Part 1: Sexual Function and its Difficulties

ABSTRACTObjectives: The aim of the current article was to provide an overview of literature on sexual function and sexual difficulties in older adults. Method: The authors conducted a narrative review of papers published in English between January 2005 and July 2015 based on an extensive search in PsycINFO. Results: The review showed that although common biological changes may adversely affect sexual function in old age, sexual experience seems to also be affected by psychological and interpersonal factors. Conclusions: Greater life expectancy and better medical care will result in older individuals with chronic diseases living longer. The need for help to cope with changes in sexual health is likely to increase in older adults, as sexuality may be negatively affected through several pathways.

Sexuality in Older Adults (65+)—An Overview of The Recent Literature, Part 2: Body Image and Sexual Satisfaction

ABSTRACTObjectives: the aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the literature published 2005-2015 on sexual satisfaction and body image in older adults. Method: A narrative literature search using the PsycINFO database was conducted. Results: Although women in general seem less satisfied with their bodies than men, particularly in sexual contexts, older women appear to be less vulnerable to body-related dissatisfaction than younger women. Despite the age-specific dynamics of sexual satisfaction and sexual well-being, which parallel age-related decrease in the frequency of sexual activity, research findings from different countries show that substantial proportions of aging men and women are satisfied with their sex life. There is some limited evidence that this proportion may be increasing across cohorts. Gender differences in factors that influence sexual satisfaction among older adults appear marginal. Conclusion: Older age can affect sexual satisfaction on individual, interpersonal, and culture-related levels. Future research in older adults' sexuality should focus on sexual well-being in women who are without partners, sexual satisfaction among aging lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and couples, the relationship between religiosity and sexual satisfaction, and employ a comparative, cross-cultural approach.

Sexuality in older adults: Clinical and psychosocial dilemmas

The present review aims to throw some light on the various aspects of sexuality in older adults and the challenges faced by medical professionals working in this area. Keyword searches using the terms sexuality, sexual dysfunction, geriatric, old age, and others in combination were carried out on PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Relevant clinical trials, case studies, and review papers were selected. This was further supplemented with the clinical experience of the authors, who work with older patients in a psychiatric outpatient setting with a dedicated sexual disorders clinic. Sexuality is a lifelong phenomenon and its expression a basic human right across all ages. However, the construct of normalcy for sex in aging is blurred, with agism playing a distinct role. Older adults face much stigma when expressing sexual desires or concerns, both from their own families and the health-care system. Sexual dysfunctions due to comorbid medical illnesses and medications are often treatable. Evidence-based treatments for sexual dysfunction in the elderly, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer, and other orientations are especially underrepresented in research; available research has several limitations. Sexuality in people with dementia and sexual rights in nursing homes are gray areas. Medical training, treatment guidelines, and health-care facilities all need to be stepped up in terms of awareness and quality of care provided to the elderly with concerns related to sexuality.

A Case for Sexual Health Policy that Includes Midlife and Older Adult Sexuality and Sexual Health

A Case for Sexual Health Policy that Includes Midlife and Older Adult Sexuality and Sexual Health

Consenting Adults: Making Sex Safer for Senior Residents

Consenting Adults: Making Sex Safer for Senior Residents

Sexuality in Nigerian older adults.

IntroductionOftentimes the older adults are assumed to be asexual as few studies explore into the sexuality of this age group worldwide and even in Nigeria. It is an important aspect of quality of life which is often neglected by people in this age group, attending physicians and the society as a whole. The study was aimed at determining the perception of older adults about sexuality, identify the factors that could militate against sexuality and fill any void in information in this regard.MethodsDescriptive study conducted in one hundred older adults. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to consenting participants between 1st of September 2013 and 31st of March 2014.ResultsMean age of respondents was 66.42± 5.77 years. Seventy-eight percent of the male respondents considered engaging in sexual activity as safe compared to 45.8% of the female respondents. More of the women (33.3%) regarded sexuality in the older adults as a taboo when compared to the men (5.4%). However, the men were more favourably disposed to discussing sexual problems than the women with their spouses (42% vs 20%) and Physicians (23.2% vs 0.0%). Major factors responsible for sexual inactivity were participants’ medical ailments (65%), partners’ failing health (15%) as well as anxiety about sexual performance (25%) in the men and dyspareunia (25%) in women.ConclusionThere is an urgent need to correct the misconception about sexuality in this age group especially among the women and for the physicians to explore the sexual history of every patient.

“Don’t Be Trying to Box Folks In”

Youth-centeredness presents a “deficit model” of aging and stigmatizes elders. Social constructions reduce the aging process to illness and asexuality. Western conflations of beauty and youth render older adult sexuality disgusting and/or abnormal. Grounded theory methods utilized to interview older women ( N = 20) about love, intimacy, and sexuality reveal more complex and heterogeneous narratives than we are socialized to believe. While important commonalities were reported across age cohorts, relationship statuses, and sexual orientations, sociohistorical as well as psychosocial factors, such as the feminist movement, attitudes about aging, experiences of ageism, and views on sexuality, demonstrate both within- and between-group differences.

Attitudes and Stereotypes Regarding Older Women and HIV Risk

Persons aged 50 years and over will soon disproportionately represent the future of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. It is estimated that by 2015 older adults will represent 50% of persons living with HIV in the United States. Despite the HIV/AIDS growing population among older adults, attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes toward older adults that exist in general society have affected HIV prevention, education, and care. Specifically, ageist attitudes about the sexuality of older adults in general and older women in particular, low clinical HIV suspicion among healthcare providers, lack of knowledge about risk among older women, and differentials in power related to negotiating sexual practices all lead to heightened concerns for the prevention, identification, and treatment of HIV disease in mature women. This article examines common attitudes, beliefs, and stereotypes that exist within general society as well as health and social service providers that place older women at a disadvantage when it comes to HIV prevention, education, and treatment.

Aging Sexuality: Knowledge and Perceptions of Preparation Among U.S. Primary Care Providers

Primary care providers are expected to address the sexual health concerns of older adults. This study aimed to assess knowledge of aging sexuality and adequacy of formal sexual health education in a sample of U.S. physicians and nurse practitioners in primary care. Response rate was 24.9% (N = 278). Knowledge scores reflected good knowledge; however, only 3% of the sample felt that they had adequate knowledge of older adult sexuality. Training was found to be adequate for 11% of the sample. U.S. providers in primary care are interested in learning more about aging sexuality but feel ill-prepared for it.

Sexuality and couple intimacy in dementia

The review assesses recent research and its impact on understanding of intimacy and sexuality in older adults with dementia. There is no universally accepted definition of inappropriate sexual behaviors (ISBs), but they have been divided into overt acts associated with increased libido and uninhibited sexual behaviors directed at oneself or other people. Couples affected by dementia frequently maintain physical intimacy. Nonintercourse intimate activities may be preferred over intercourse. Early therapeutic interventions may assist partners in modifying activities, behaviors, and expectations about the future of the relationship. Inappropriate sexual behaviors are commonly due to the disruption of interconnected brain structures. Trauma to the temporal lobes may lead to hypersexuality and ISB. Trauma to the limbic system can produce changes in sexual preference. Both temporal and frontotemporal dementias, or either of them, often present with socially and sexually inappropriate behaviors. Huntington's disease can exhibit hypersexuality, pedophilia, promiscuity, and marital infidelity. The involvement of the medial striatum of the basal ganglia in this disease explains the prevalence of ISB. There is no consensus regarding first-line pharmacotherapy for ISB. Little information is known about the adverse effects. Clinicians and society need to consider how dementia might affect physical intimacy.

Sexuality in Older Adults: Changing Misconceptions

Sexuality in Older Adults: Changing Misconceptions

The Perception of Sexuality in Older Adults and Its Relationship with Cognitive Functioning

Investigating whether cognitive functioning is associated with the perception of one's sexuality in old age. Cross-sectional analysis, using observation cycle 2005/2006 of the population-based prospective cohort of the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. Municipal registries in three Dutch regions. 1,908 older adults (mean [standard deviation] age: 71 [8.87] years; 54% women). Sexuality and intimacy were assessed using four questions. Four cognitive domains were assessed: general cognitive functioning (Mini-Mental State Examination), memory performance (Auditory Verbal Learning Test), processing speed (Coding Task), and fluid intelligence (Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices). Multinomial regression analysis was used, with sexuality as outcome. The interaction effect between gender and sexuality was also tested. Lower fluid intelligence was associated with perceiving sexuality as unimportant; lower general cognitive functioning was associated with perceiving sexuality as unimportant; and lower immediate memory recall was associated with evaluating sexual life as unpleasant. Associations were also found between lower fluid intelligence, processing speed, and general cognitive functioning, and agreeing with sexuality no longer being important. Lower processing speed, general cognitive functioning, and delayed memory recall were associated with disagreeing with a remaining need for intimacy when getting older. Finally, the association between fluid intelligence and perceiving sexuality as important, and the association between immediate memory recall score and evaluating sexual life as pleasant, was only significant in women. The association between lower general cognitive functioning and perceiving sexuality as unimportant seemed stronger in women compared with men. Higher cognitive functioning was associated with the way in which older people perceive their current sexuality.

Staff Knowledge and Perceptions of Sexuality and Dementia of Older Adults in Nursing Homes

Adults hold negative attitudes toward sexual expression in late life. We investigated knowledge and attitudes about older adult sexuality and dementia among staff in nursing homes (NHs). We acquired staff demographics, knowledge of dementia and sexuality, and attitudes of sexuality. Staff participated in focus groups and received continuing education credit. The three NHs had an average census of 178 beds. Participants' (N=100) mean age was 38.53. The most common type of sexual contact reported was nondemented male with nondemented female (67.5%), followed by demented male with demented female (53.6%). Participants endorsed neutral attitudes about late-life sexuality. Focus groups revealed a need for more training and effective interventions to balance resident safety and autonomy. Staffs' knowledge of sexuality and dementia, desire for guidance in "managing" sexual expression, and neutral attitudes toward late-life sexuality supports the need for educational interventions on sexuality and dementia in NH.

Sexuality in Older Adults: Effect of an Education Intervention on Attitudes and Beliefs of Residential Aged Care Staff

The sexual needs and wellbeing of older people living in residential aged care receives scant attention in practice, is easily dismissed by care staff, and remains a significant challenge for aged care service providers. This study reports on the evaluation of an education program delivered to residential aged care nurses to improve their knowledge about, and attitudes towards, older people's sexuality in this context. Participants' attitudes and beliefs towards older people expressing their sexuality in long-term care, including same sex couples and people with dementia, were more permissive following education. Findings further underscore the value of sexuality education as an important factor in dispelling the commonly held negative views of residential aged care staff about older people expressing their sexuality, thereby improving staff responses to this issue.

Predicting Sexual Decline and Dissatisfaction Among Older Adults: The Role of Partnered and Individual Physical and Mental Health Factors

To target improvement in older adult sexuality by understanding how a myriad of partnered and individual physical and mental health factors, often associated with aging, affect sexual unwellness. Data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study were used to conduct a case-control study on the risk factors for sexual unwellness (i.e., lack of sexual satisfaction, inability to maintain the sexual relationship) in older adults aged 63-67. Higher risk for lack of sexual satisfaction was associated with poor spousal health, a history of diabetes, and fatigue symptoms. In addition, being of male gender, being satisfied with marital support, and having better spousal health reduced the risk of being unsatisfied sexually. Also, higher risk for being unable to maintain the sexual relationship was independently associated with a higher education level, poorer self-rated health, better spousal health, a history of diabetes, prostate cancer, fatigue, sexual pain, and a history of depression. Results show the impact of several physical and mental health risk factors on the development of sexual unwellness in older adults. A gendered pattern also emerged, suggesting that women tend to be less sexually satisfied, as compared to their male peers, who tend to report sexual unwellness that is associated with individual health.

HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Sexuality in Later Life

In this article, we review recent evidence indicating that people over the age of 50years are increasingly at risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and that-thanks to the success of highly active antiretroviral therapies-those infected with HIV are now living into older age. We show that health professionals and society in general have been reluctant to acknowledge sexuality in older adults. Sexuality until recently has been regarded as merely a matter of male potency and sexual function, whereas older women's sexuality and desires have been ignored. Changing patterns of sexual practices, including high rates of divorce and partner change in the older age groups, indicate that focus and concern with sex and sexuality in later life will become part of routine prevention and maintenance of sexual health.

Staff Perceptions of Same-Gender Sexual Contacts in Long-Term Care Facilities

An ongoing fear in the gay and lesbian community is that long-term care (LTC) facilities may not be sensitive to their needs. In the present study, 218 LTC staff members responded to one of three vignettes in which resident sexual contact was observed, with only the gender of the characters changing, to create different gender pairings. Results suggested that staff rated male-male and female-female pairings more negatively than heterosexual intimacy. Knowledge about older adult sexuality made little difference in staff ratings. However, staff attitudes were directly related to ratings of negative reaction and level of acceptability of same-gender sexuality.

Sexuality in later life: opportunity for reflections for healthcare providers

The theme of sexuality of older adults is rarely addressed by the healthcare professionals. In this brief overview, the authors offer some thoughts in regards to the sexuality of older adults, demonstrate that the sexuality is a lifelong need and illustrate the effect that different societal attitudes have so far on the behavior practiced by seniors in the expression of sexuality and intimacy. The authors provide several exercises to assist healthcare providers in assessing their position on the topic of sexuality in later life.

POSTER PRESENTATION ABSTRACTS

[Extract] Background: Negative attitudes toward sexual expression among older adults are common; people become sexually inactive with increasing age. Knowledge of and attitudes toward sexuality in older adults among healthcare professionals is influenced by those characteristics in the people who provide health care training. The objective of this study was to survey educators of health care professionals in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa to determine the relationship between their knowledge of sexuality among older adults and their attitudes. Methods: The Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS, White, 1982) was used to survey universities offering courses in nursing, medicine, psychology, social work, occupational therapy, and physiotherapy. A total of 114 department heads (81 in Australia, 22 of 28 universities responding, 14 in New Zealand, all of 7universities responding, and 19 in South Africa, 5 of 7 universities responding) were contacted to request permission to distribute the ASKAS to their teaching staff. Results: The response rate was 43.3% of 838 questionnaires distributed, with the lowest participation from South Africa and the highest from Australia. Age was most highly correlated with knowledge about sexuality, with experience in clinical work, teaching, and work with older people also significantly correlated with knowledge. No demographic variable was associated with attitude scores. Conclusions: Older and more experienced educators of health professionals within the sample possessed aboveaverage levels of knowledge and had relatively permissive attitudes toward sexuality in older adults. Generalization of the results is limited by low levels of participation within some disciplines from some countries, but these preliminary findings suggest that educators of health care professionals are fairly knowledgeable about sexuality among older adults. We presume that this knowledge and positive attitudes are then conveyed to students, but this study does not have direct evidence on that point.

Hidden features of the emerging sexuality of older adults: a phenomenological study

Sexuality is a part of the human dimension that comes along with the living body throughout their existential trajectory, the reason because the individual do not west it in time, than it can be experienced in early age. From that concept it was developed a phenomenological study of nature which aimed to understand how the elderly understand and live their sexuality, being held in the period of January to July 2006, with ten senior citizens between 61 and 83 years old, who live in city of Curitiba (Brasil). The objective was to perceive as the aged one understands and lives its sexuality. The data of the study were obtained using a semi-structured interview recorded by digital media. The process of the analysis of speeches followed the moments of the phenomenological description trajectory: description, reduction and phenomenological understanding. From this study three themes emerged. This article describes only the theme ;;;;Hidden Faces and the emerging sexuality;;;;. We note that this research allowed us to realize how the elderly people perceive and experience their sexuality, and also it provided an opportunity to understand the importance of companionship, socialization and recreational activities as a vehicle of expression for sexuality. It also describes the phenomenon that points to the expansion of the approach of sexuality in the elderly, since it has proven to transcend the biological aspects intensely broadcasted when this topic is discussed.