Abstract
There has been an increase in research on sexual activity in later life, yet far less is known about the actual perceptions and experiences of older adults who refrain from sexual activity. In the current study, a thematic analysis was conducted to identify patterns in semi-structured interviews with 47 older adults, aged 60-91. The analysis yielded seven themes that describe why older adults refrain from sex: 1) avoiding confronting sexual dysfunctions, 2) avoiding confronting the aging body, 3) avoiding performance anxiety, 4) being uninterested in sexual activity, 5) taking time to grieve the loss of a partner, 6) avoiding judgment, and 7) seeing sexuality as evolving and changing. Themes were organized according to the bio-psycho-social perspective and based on the axis of personal (self-focused) and interpersonal (partner-focused) motives. It is perfectly acceptable for people to refrain from sexual activity for their own reasons. However, if older adults want to remain sexually active, they should receive complete information about the many possibilities of treating different sexual problems in later life and about the many ways, beyond sexual penetration, one can enjoy sexual activity even in old age.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 189-207 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy |
| Volume | 49 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | 16 Jun 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Funding
This work was supported by the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research |
Keywords
- Sex
- biopsychosocial model
- later life
- older adults
- qualitative methods