International Journal of Sexual Health

 

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International Journal of Sexual Health

ISSN: 1931-7611 (Print) 1931-762X (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wijs20

Seventy-Five Years Old and Still Going Strong: Stability and Change in Sexual Interest and Sexual Enjoyment in Elderly Men and Women Across Europe

Bente Traeen, Aleksandar Štulhofer, Tanja Jurin & Gert Martin Hald

To cite this article: Bente Traeen, Aleksandar Štulhofer, Tanja Jurin & Gert Martin Hald (2018) Seventy-Five Years Old and Still Going Strong: Stability and Change in Sexual Interest and Sexual Enjoyment in Elderly Men and Women Across Europe, International Journal of Sexual Health, 30:4, 323-336, DOI: 10.1080/19317611.2018.1472704

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2018.1472704

Published online: 10 Feb 2019.

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Seventy-Five Years Old and Still Going Strong: Stability and Change in Sexual Interest and Sexual Enjoyment in Elderly Men and Women Across Europe

Bente Traeena, Aleksandar �Stulhoferb, Tanja Jurinc and Gert Martin Haldd

aDepartment of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; bDepartment of Sociology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; cDepartment of Psychology, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; dDepartment of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to test a conceptual model of retrospectively assessed change in sexual interest and sexual enjoyment in the past 10 years among coupled older adults in Norway, Denmark, Belgium and Portugal. To which degree do structural influences, personal characteristics, and interpersonal factors predict the dynamics of sexual interest and enjoyment in partnered persons? Methods: Data were collected as a cross-sectional pos- tal survey, with national probability-based samples of the population aged 60-75 years recruited by phone registers in Norway (676 men and 594 women), Denmark (530 men and 515 women), Belgium ( 318 men and 672 women), and Portugal (236 men and 273 women). Results: Across countries, personal characteristics—primarily general health status—were the most important predictors of change in sexual interest and sexual enjoyment in men. Change in sexual interest and enjoyment among women (except for Portuguese women) was best predicted by interpersonal factors. Conclusions: Good health, an active sex life throughout the lifespan, direction of relationship, and feeling emotionally close to partner during sex are important factors in maintaining sexual interest and enjoyment among part- nered older adults in Europe.