Sexual relations in later life: a national study of married persons
Article Abstract:
In spite of the growing proportion of older Americans, very little is known about the sexual activity of the elderly. Most of the research has concentrated on the physiological and psychological aspects of sex and the elderly, but what they actually do has been largely ignored. Data on sexual behavior was taken from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH) in order to assess the sexual frequency patterns of persons aged 60 and older, and how these patterns are affected by income, status, health, and psychological measures. The investigators analyzed the responses of 807 married respondents regarding the number of times they had had sex during the previous month. About one third of the respondents did not answer the question, but of those who did, 423 (over 52 percent) were sexually active. Those who did have sex averaged slightly more than four times a month. Only 24 percent of those age 76 or older reported having had sexual intercourse during the past month. It is possible that the older respondents do not reflect a lowered interest in sex, but a change in generational attitudes between the older and younger respondents (cohort effect). Other variables, such as gender and race, did not influence the frequency of sexual intercourse. Surprisingly, the health of the respondent was not as good a predictor of frequency of intercourse as the health status of the partner and the respondent's sense of self-worth. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1991
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Work careers in men's later years: transitions, trajectories, and historical change
Article Abstract:
Both age and method retirement have changed dramatically in the US. A sample of two birth cohorts from the Stanford-Terman longitudinal study revealed that 46% retired gradually, 30% retired in a single exit, 16% continued work sporadically and 8% had not yet retired. The younger cohort retired at an earlier age and also more gradually than the older cohort. Age at retirement and course of retirement are separate decisions, with a number of different influences. Although the Terman sample is unusual, other data suggest that the results reflect general trends among males of the same age groups.
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1993
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Automatic and effortful memory processes in depressed persons
Article Abstract:
The effect of depression on the performance of subjects on effort-requiring tasks were compared with their performance on automatic tasks. Free recall and paired associates were used as effort-requiring tasks while memory for frequency and location were used as automatic tasks. Results showed that depression was not related to memory deficits. Psychiatric hospitalization and use of psychotropic drugs had a greater negative impact on memory than did depression. Increased age resulted in more effort-requiring deficits while increased aging resulted in minimal automatic task deficits.
Publication Name: Journals of Gerontology
Subject: Seniors
ISSN: 0022-1422
Year: 1993
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