Attitudes toward sexuality and psychological well-being in older people.

oleh: Vicente Morell-Mengual, Roberta Ceccato, Juan Enrique Nebot-García, Isabel Chaves, María Dolores Gil- Llario

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Asociación Nacional de Psicología Evolutiva y Educativa de la Infancia Adolescencia Mayores y Discapacidad 2018-05-01

Deskripsi

The study of the factors that influence the active and healthy aging process is one of the main interests of psychogerontology. In this sense, psychological well-being is a reliable indicator that ensures the success of this process, while sexuality becomes a relevant modulating variable. The aim of this paper is to determine if attitudes towards sexuality and psychological well-being of ederly people are modulated by residence type, marital status and degree of autonomy. For this purpose, Ageing Attitude Scale on Sexuality and Psychological Well-Being Scale is used in a sample of 70 people, 35 women and 35 men, from 65 to 95 years old (M = 76.78; DT = 8.3). The results show that, in general, more liberal attitudes towards sexuality and greater psychological well-being are significantly associated with living outside residential institutions and maintaining a sentimental relationship with a stable partner. On the other hand, the degree of autonomy only obtains statistical significance in psychological well-being but not in attitudes towards sexuality. In conclusion, ederly people represent a stigmatised segment of the population (with many associated myths and negative beliefs), for this reason, this study contributes to create a positive conception of the aging process, normalizing behaviors and emphasizing the variables to be considered in the elaboration of intervention programs.