This study aimed at comprehending the meaning of sexual life for aged people, their strength of sexual desire and causes of change in their sexual life. It was another purpose to understand the extent of aged people´s acknowledging the necessity of sexual consultation. This study adopted descriptive method using open-ended questionaires. The data for study was collected from 26 people over 65 years who reside in communities. It was gathered from April to June of 1998 through interview. The interviewee includes 16 males, 9 females and their average age was 73.3. 19 people among them have spouses.
The conclusion of this study can be summarized as follows.
1) Attitude to sexual life:
The meaning of sexual life for aged people is categorized as ´sense of duty´, ´feeling of intimacy´, ´basic desire´, ´decrease of meaning´ and ´meaningless´.
2) Sexual desire:
Sexual desire of aged people is categorized as ´extinction´, ´decrease´, ´continuation´ and ´restraint´. Restraint of sexual desire is due to social convention or the difficulty in fulfilling desire.
3) Causes of troubles in sexual life
Causes which lead to troubles in sexual life of aged people can be categorized as ´physical´, ´psychological´ and ´social´. ´Physical´ elements include ´incompetence of erection´, ´decrease in duration of erection´, ´increase in time needed to re-erection´, ´declining of physical strength´, ´decrease in vagina secretion´ and ´worsening of health´. Among ´psychological´ elements ´decrease of self-confidence´, ´diminished concern of female aged people´ are. ´Social elements´ are ´absence of sexual parter´, ´circumstances of living´ and ´recognition of neighbor´.
4) Response to change of sexual life
The reaction of aged people to change of sexual activities is classified as ´positive´ and ´negative´.
5) Attitude to the consultation of sexual life of aged people
The attitude to the consultation of sexual life in old age is classified as ´negative´, ´doubtful´ and ´positive´.
This study explored the meaning which aged people in community attach to sexual life, the extent of their sexual desire, the causes of troubles in their sexual life, their emotional response to changes in sexual life, their recognition of necessity in sexual consultation. Considering the frequency of the statement, most of aged people who were interviewed thought much of sexual life and put emphasis on it. Those who said that sexual life has decreased meaning or is not important to them are few. Though aged people still maintain sexual desire, most of them have some trouble in sexual life. These trouble changes the sexual life, and results in negative feeling such as depression, renunciation and difficulty in relations. So they acknowledged that sexual consultation is necessary to them.
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