Sexual well-being in old age: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction

We conducted a systematic review of the qualitative literature on the sexuality and sexual health of older adults.

Objectives

The aim is to address which topics have been researched and the quality of research within this field.

Methods

All stages of this review were carried out peer-to-peer in order to guarantee minimized bias. The Cochrane Database, Psy-EBSCO, MEDLINE, Psy-Redalyc, Scielo, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched and 32 studies met inclusion criteria. The majority had not been reviewed in earlier review articles. A total of 95,478 references were screened and 27 studies were included in this review. The studies involved 3044 participants across seven countries, most being women (approximately 83%).

Results

We identified a wide variety of factors that can determine SWB of older adults, such as perceived health, sexual health, demonstrations of love; non-sexual joint activities; overall well-being and quality of life; partner support; positive self-image; being independent and active; the strength of spiritual beliefs, and patriarchal roles upheld by upbringings conveying that women’s role is to provide men with sexual pleasure.

Conclusions

Methodological issues related to sampling procedures, such as purposive sampling through the older samples and limited generalisability due to the homogeneity of participants. Additionally, there was a widespread lack of non-heterosexual control groups. However, most studies used appropriate measures and acknowledged inherent limitations. There is a lack of research with the older population, those with significant health needs, those outside the Western countries, and those with additional characteristics associated with discrimination.

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared