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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Influence of cognitive status on the sexual life of 352 elderly Italians aged 65-105 years | | Author(s) | W Padoani, M Dello Buono, P Marietta |
| Journal title | Gerontology, vol 46, no 5, 2000 |
| Pages | pp 258-265 |
| Keywords | Mental health [elderly] ; Sexual activity ; Social surveys ; Italy. |
| Annotation | Various factors are considered to influence sexual behaviour in elderly people, but the role played by preservation of adequate cognitive functioning has not been adequately explored. Research conducted with 352 older adults aged between 65 and 105 years attending the surgeries of 21 general practitioners (GPs) in Padua, Italy explores this subject. Analysis of sexual functioning was based on two items from the LEIPAD questionnaire. Subjects' cognitive status was assessed objectively through the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and subjectively by the LEIPAD subscale on cognitive functioning. Those who were sexually active and interested in sex were more highly represented among the married elderly. They were also significantly younger and had a significantly superior educational level and MMSE score. One third of the subjects reported being still sexually active; 40% were still interested in sex. This study seems to suggest that a significant role may be played by cognitive functioning in the maintenance of sexual interest in older people, especially older women in whom this dimension is evidently linked to far more diversified experiences than their male peers. (KJ). |
| Accession Number | CPA-001027211 A |
| Classmark | D: BIU: 3F: 76V |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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