[Sexual activity in advanced age in the context of gender, family status and personality aspects--results of a representative survey].

In a representative study, 450 elderly men and women over the age of 60 years were--besides other questions--asked if they had any sexual activity within the last 12 months. Not regarding the gender of these persons, but rather just the marital status, i.e. if they still have a partner, two-thirds of the old people between 61-70 years and one-third of the group older than 70 years, who still have a partner, had sexual activity. We then looked for a relationship between sexual activity and special aspects of personality, measured by the Giessen Test. We found that older people who still have sexual activity describe themselves als less depressed, with more social contacts, and with a higher social potency than elderly people with no sexual activity.