| Title |
Sexual Health and Well-being Among Older Men and Women in England: Findings from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Archives of Sexual Behavior, January 2015
|
| DOI | 10.1007/s10508-014-0465-1 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
David M. Lee, James Nazroo, Daryl B. O’Connor, Margaret Blake, Neil Pendleton |
| Abstract |
We describe levels of sexual activity, problems with sexual functioning, and concerns about sexual health among older adults in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), and associations with age, health, and partnership factors. Specifically, a total of 6,201 core ELSA participants (56 % women) aged 50 to >90 completed a comprehensive Sexual Relationships and Activities questionnaire (SRA-Q) included in ELSA Wave 6 (2012/13). The prevalence of reporting any sexual activity in the last year declined with age, with women less likely than men at all ages to report being sexually active. Poorer health was associated with lower levels of sexual activity and a higher prevalence of problems with sexual functioning, particularly among men. Difficulties most frequently reported by sexually active women related to becoming sexually aroused (32 %) and achieving orgasm (27 %), while for men it was erectile function (39 %). Sexual health concerns most commonly reported by women related to their level of sexual desire (11 %) and frequency of sexual activities (8 %). Among men it was level of sexual desire (15 %) and erectile difficulties (14 %). While the likelihood of reporting sexual health concerns tended to decrease with age in women, the opposite was seen in men. Poor sexual functioning and disagreements with a partner about initiating and/or feeling obligated to have sex were associated with greater concerns about and dissatisfaction with overall sex life. Levels of sexual activity decline with increasing age, although a sizable minority of men and women remain sexually active until the eighth and ninth decades of life. Problems with sexual functioning were relatively common, but overall levels of sexual health concerns were much lower. Sexually active men reported higher levels of concern with their sexual health and sexual dissatisfaction than women at all ages. Older peoples' sexual health should be managed, not just in the context of their age, gender, and general health, but also within their existing sexual relationship. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 55 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 17 | 31% |
| United Kingdom | 13 | 24% |
| Canada | 5 | 9% |
| Mexico | 3 | 5% |
| Colombia | 1 | 2% |
| New Zealand | 1 | 2% |
| South Africa | 1 | 2% |
| Japan | 1 | 2% |
| Switzerland | 1 | 2% |
| Other | 0 | 0% |
| Unknown | 12 | 22% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 39 | 71% |
| Scientists | 9 | 16% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 7 | 13% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 224 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 1 | <1% |
| Unknown | 223 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 32 | 14% |
| Student > Master | 32 | 14% |
| Student > Bachelor | 24 | 11% |
| Researcher | 19 | 8% |
| Student > Doctoral Student | 16 | 7% |
| Other | 48 | 21% |
| Unknown | 53 | 24% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Medicine and Dentistry | 42 | 19% |
| Psychology | 41 | 18% |
| Social Sciences | 32 | 14% |
| Nursing and Health Professions | 25 | 11% |
| Business, Management and Accounting | 5 | 2% |
| Other | 16 | 7% |
| Unknown | 63 | 28% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 524. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 14 February 2024.
All research outputs
#47,519
of 25,347,980 outputs
Outputs from Archives of Sexual Behavior
#33
of 3,736 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#451
of 365,471 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Archives of Sexual Behavior
#1
of 49 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,347,980 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,736 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 32.9. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 365,471 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 49 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.