When sex meets age: Family physicians' perspectives about sexual dysfunction among older men and women: A qualitative study from Israel

Associations of sexual behavioral aspects and sexual scripts among college students: A cross-sectional study

Background

Sexual scripts (SSs) are formed based on the gendered culture in societies.

Objective

To evaluate the associations between the sexual behavioral aspects: capacity, motivation, performance, and SS amongst Iranian college students.

Materials and Methods

From September to December 2020, we recruited 400 college students who were married, had no acute or chronic diseases, was no drug abuser, and were not pregnant at the time of the study. The demographic questionnaire, sexual behavior assessment, and SSs questionnaires were completed by all the participants. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multivariate regression were used for data analysis. We also employed an independent t test to compare sexual behavior-related variables: sexual capacity, sexual performance, sexual motivation, and SSs in 2 female and male student groups.

Results

Men and women were significantly different in the component of sexual behaviors. Women had higher sexual motivation than men. The participants' SSs were positively correlated with all 3 components of sexual behaviors at a significant level of p ≤ 0.001. Of demographic characteristics, only women's age had a significant correlation with sexual capacity. For men, education level and economic status were positively correlated with all components of men's sexual behaviors.

Conclusion

Sexual behaviors seem to be highly gendered, particularly, in the motivational component. Based on the results, SSs are more determinant than demographics. We recommend gender-sensitive and cultural-oriented sexuality educations for Iranians to provide fundamental changes in the SSs.

Discomfort in Discussing Sexual Issues: Developing a New Scale for Staff at Long-Term Care Facilities for Older Adults

Interviews reveal that many health professionals working with older adults are uncomfortable discussing sexual issues with those under their care. Nevertheless, to date, discomfort in discussing sexual issues with older adults has not been empirically investigated. To facilitate exploration of this subject, the current study evaluated the psychometric properties of a new measure: The Discomfort in Discussing Sexual Issues (DDSI) with Older Adults scale. The study was conducted via online survey among 127 long-term care staff (e.g., nurses, physicians, physical therapists, social workers, speech therapists, occupational therapists) serving older adults. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the DDSI scale's structure as a single, four-item construct. More conservative attitudes regarding sexuality in later life were associated with higher DDSI scores. In addition, DDSI scale scores were negatively correlated with knowledge about sexuality in later life and educational level. Findings indicate that the DDSI has good psychometric properties, as reflected by its high reliability and adequate validity, making it a useful assessment tool for future research. [Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 48(9), 27-37.].

Communicating with older adults about sexual issues: How are these issues handled by physicians with and without training in human sexuality?

Although sexuality is an important part of health and emotional well-being throughout the entire life cycle, including during old age, little is known about how physicians discuss or approach the topic of sexuality during later life. The present study examined the perspectives of two groups of physicians toward discussing sexuality with older patients: 17 physicians who did not have any training in human sexuality and 21 physicians who were certified as sex therapists. The interviews underwent thematic content analysis to identify and code major themes and patterns. Qualitative analysis of the interviews yielded three main themes: (a) discourse between physicians and older adults regarding sexuality, (b) diagnosing sexual dysfunction among older adults, and (c) treating sexual dysfunction among older adults. Physicians who were not trained in sex therapy did not regularly ask their older patients about sexual functioning and/or problems with sex, tended to diagnose sexual problems from a medical perspective, and offered medication as the main treatment for sexual problems. Physicians trained as sex therapists felt more comfortable discussing sex-related issues with their older patients and diagnosed sexual problems from a medical, social, dyadic and psychological perspective. Although they offered their older patients a greater variety of medication-oriented interventions than those without training in sexuality, they did not rush into such interventions and instead emphasised the importance of the psychological and relational aspects of sex. The present study highlights the importance of human sexuality training for physicians and points out the effects of such training on the discourse, diagnosis and treatment of sexual concerns in later life.