A scale for the assessment of attitudes and knowledge regarding sexuality in the aged.

Current research on sexuality in the aged suffers from a lack of measuring instruments designed to assess the particular aspects of sexual knowledge and attitudes as they relate to the aged. The present scale is the result of several studies of sexual functioning in the aged, including intervention research, utilizing the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS) with aged persons, families of aged persons, and people who work with the aged. All findings support the validity and reliability of the scale in assessing sexual attitudes and sexual knowledge with specific reference to the aged. Significant changes in scale scores following intervention and significant relationships of sexual behavior to scale scores follow predicted directions. A factor analysis supported the two dimensions of attitudes and knowledge in the instrument.