BACKGROUND: while sexual behaviours are potentially important for quality of life in older adults, they are under-researched. The current study examined associations between frequency and importance of sexual behaviours and quality of life in older adults. METHOD: one hundred and thirty-three participants (mean 74 years, SD = 7.1) provided information about the frequency with which they participated in six sexual behaviours and the perceived importance of these: touching/holding hands, embracing/hugging, kissing, mutual stroking, masturbating and intercourse. Participants also completed the WHO Quality of Life scale, providing an overall quality of life score, in addition to the domains of physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment. Participants provided information on their marital status, living arrangements and self-reported health. RESULTS: both the frequency and importance of sexual behaviours were moderately positively correlated with quality of life (r = 0.52 and 0.47, respectively, both P < 0.001). In separate regression analyses, the frequency of sexual behaviours was a significant predictor of quality of life in the social relationships domain (β = 0.225, P < 0.05), and the importance of sexual behaviours was associated with the psychological domain (β = 0.151, P < 0.05), independent of the presence of a spouse/partner and self-reported health. CONCLUSIONS: with ageing trends, a broader understanding of the factors that influence quality of life in older adults is increasingly important. The current findings suggest that aspects of sexual behaviour and quality of life were positively associated. Researchers are encouraged to consider aspects of sex and sexuality when exploring determinants of well-being in later life.
BACKGROUND: while sexual behaviours are potentially important for quality of life in older adults, they are under-researched. The current study examined associations between frequency and importance of sexual behaviours and quality of life in older adults. METHOD: one hundred and thirty-three participants (mean 74 years, SD = 7.1) provided information about the frequency with which they participated in six sexual behaviours and the perceived importance of these: touching/holding hands, embracing/hugging, kissing, mutual stroking, masturbating and intercourse. Participants also completed the WHO Quality of Life scale, providing an overall quality of life score, in addition to the domains of physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment. Participants provided information on their marital status, living arrangements and self-reported health. RESULTS: both the frequency and importance of sexual behaviours were moderately positively correlated with quality of life (r = 0.52 and 0.47, respectively, both P < 0.001). In separate regression analyses, the frequency of sexual behaviours was a significant predictor of quality of life in the social relationships domain (β = 0.225, P < 0.05), and the importance of sexual behaviours was associated with the psychological domain (β = 0.151, P < 0.05), independent of the presence of a spouse/partner and self-reported health. CONCLUSIONS: with ageing trends, a broader understanding of the factors that influence quality of life in older adults is increasingly important. The current findings suggest that aspects of sexual behaviour and quality of life were positively associated. Researchers are encouraged to consider aspects of sex and sexuality when exploring determinants of well-being in later life.
Authors: Lee Smith; Igor Grabovac; Lin Yang; Nicola Veronese; Ai Koyanagi; Sarah E Jackson Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-02-08 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Louis Jacob; Lee Smith; Laurie Butler; Yvonne Barnett; Igor Grabovac; Daragh McDermott; Nicola Armstrong; Anita Yakkundi; Mark A Tully Journal: J Sex Med Date: 2020-05-14 Impact factor: 3.802
Authors: Lee Smith; Lin Yang; Suzanna Forwood; Guillermo Lopez-Sanchez; Ai Koyanagi; Nicola Veronese; Pinar Soysal; Igor Grabovac; Sarah Jackson Journal: PLoS One Date: 2019-09-09 Impact factor: 3.240