Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t8hqh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-01T00:06:30.087Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Older Adult Perceptions of Attitudes Toward Sex Among the Elderly

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

John B. Bond Jr.  and
Richard R. Tramer
John B. Bond Jr.
Affiliation:
The University of Manitoba
Richard R. Tramer
Affiliation:
The University of Manitoba
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Two hundred and seventy three married, independently living adults completed an 11-item Likert questionnaire of perceived attitudes of various reference groups toward sexual relations among the elderly. Multivariate analysis of variance of Helmert contrasts revealed no significant age, sex or age X sex interaction effects among the respondents. With the exception of elderly females, the younger the age of the reference group, the less favorable the perceived attitude toward sexual activities among the elderly; the self, the doctor and spouse were seen as more favorable toward sex among the elderly than friends, clergy or children.

Résumé

273 personnes mariées de 56 à 75 ans à et vivant indépendamment ont répondu à un questionnaire portant sur leur perception des attitudes propre à diverses catégories concernant la vie sexuelle des personnes âgées (11 items structurés selon Likert concernant ces groupes d'âge et des rôles familiers).

L'analyse multivariée de veriance des contrastes (Helmert) n'a révélé aucun effet significatif de l'âge, du sexe (ou de leur interaction) des répondants. A l'exception des femmes âgées, plus le groupe de références est jeune, plus il est perçu comme défavorable à la vie sexuelle des personnes âgées. Le sujet, le medecin et le conjoint soit perçu comme plus favorables que les amis, le clergé et les enfants.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , October 1983 , pp. 63 - 70
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bauman, K.E., & Wilson, R.R.Premarital sexual attitudes of unmarried university students: 1968 v. 1972. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1976, 5, 29–37.Google Scholar
Bock, R.D.Multivariate statistical methods in behavioral research. New York: MrGraw Hill, 1975.Google Scholar
Burnap, D.W., Golden, J.S.Sexual problems in medical practice. Journal of Medical Education, 1967, 42, 673–680.Google ScholarPubMed
Cameron, P.The generation gap: Beliefs about sexuality and self-reported sexuality. Developmental Psychology, 1970, 3, 272.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cameron, P., & Biber, H.Sexual thought throughout the lifespan. The Gerontologist, 1973, 13, 144–177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Christensen, H.T., & Gregg, C.F.Changing sex norms in America and Scandinavia. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1970, 32, 616–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Comfort, A. Sexuality in later life. In Birren, J.E. and Sloane, R.B. (Eds.), Handbook of Mental Health and Aging. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1980.Google Scholar
Corby, N., & Solnick, R.L. Psychosocial and physiological influences on sexuality in the older adult In Birren, J.E. and Sloane, R.B. (Eds.), Handbook of Mental Health and Aging. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall, 1980.Google Scholar
Dean, R.Geriatric sexuality: Normal, needed and neglected. Geriatrics, 1914, 29, 134–137.Google Scholar
Elias, M.F., & Elias, P.K. Motivation and activity. In Birren, J.E. and Schaie, K.W. (Eds.) Handbook of the Psychology of Aging. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977.Google Scholar
Finkle, A.L., & Finkle, P. S.How sexual counseling may solve sexual problems of aging men. eriatrics, 1977, 32 (11), 84–89.Google ScholarPubMed
Finn, J.D.Multivariance: univariate and multivariate analysis of variance, covariance, regression and repeated measure. Version VI. National Educational Resources, Inc. 1977.Google Scholar
Freud, S. Totem and taboo. In Strachey, J. (Ed.) The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud. London: The Hogarth Press, 1955.Google Scholar
Golde, P., & Kogan, N.A sentence completion procedure for assessing attitudes toward older people. Journal of Gerontology, 1959, 14, 355–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hess, B. Friendship. In Riley, M. W., Johnson, M. and Foner, A. (Eds.) Aging and society: Volume 3. A sociology of age stratification. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1972.Google Scholar
Kinsey, A.C., Pomeroy, W.B., & Martin, C.R.Sexual behavior in the human male, Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders & Co., 1948.Google Scholar
Kinsey, A.C., Pomeroy, W., Martin, C., & Gebhard, P.Sexual behavior in the human female. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders & Co., 1953.Google Scholar
La Torre, R.A., & Kear, K.Attitudes toward sex in the aged. Archives of Sexual Behavior 1977, 6, 203–213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lee, G.Children and the elderly: Interaction and morale. Research on Aging, 1979, 1, 355–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lowenthal, M.F., & Robinson, B. Social networks and isolation. In Binstock, R.H. and Shanas, E. (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976.Google Scholar
Luckey, E.B., & Nass, G. D.A comparison of sexual attitudes and behavior in an intergenerational sample. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 1964, 31, 364–379.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lutsky, N.S. Attitudes toward old age and elderly persons. In Eisdorfer, C. (Ed.), Annual review of gerontology and geriatrics. New York: Springer Publishing Co., 1980.Google Scholar
Masters, W.H., & Johnson, V.W.Human sexuality. Boston: Little Brown, 1966.Google Scholar
Neugarten, B., & Hagestad, G.O. Aging and the life course. In Binstock, R.H. and Shanas, E. (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976.Google Scholar
Pfeiffer, E.Sexuality in the aging individual. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. 1974, 22, 481–484.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pfeiffer, E. Psychopathology and social pathology. In Birren, J.E. and Schaie, K.W. (Eds.) Handbook of the psychology of aging. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1977.Google Scholar
Pfeiffer, E., & Davis, G.Determinants of sexual behaviour in middle and old age. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 1972, 20, 151–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pfeiffer, E., Verwoerdt, A., & Davis, G.Sexual behavior in middle life. American Journal of Psychiatry, 1972, 128, 1262–1267.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pocs, O., & Godow, A.Can students view parents as sexual beings? Family Coordinator, 1977, 26, 31–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pocs, O., Godow, A., Tolone, W., & Walsh, R.Is there sex after 40? Psychology Today, 1977, 11, 54–56, 87.Google Scholar
Snyder, E.D., & Spreitzer, E.Attitudes of the aged toward nontraditional sexual behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 1976, 5, 249–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Terman, L.M.Psychological factors in marital happiness. New York: McGraw Hill, 1938.Google Scholar
Verwoerdt, A., Pfeiffer, E., & Wang, H.S.Sexual behavior in senescence. II. Patterns of sexual activity and interest. Geriatrics, 1969, 24 (Feb.), 137–154.Google ScholarPubMed