Examining aging sexual stigma attitudes among adults by gender, age, and generational status. (2nd January 2016)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Examining aging sexual stigma attitudes among adults by gender, age, and generational status. (2nd January 2016)
- Main Title:
- Examining aging sexual stigma attitudes among adults by gender, age, and generational status
- Authors:
- Syme, Maggie L.
Cohn, Tracy J. - Abstract:
- Abstract : Objectives: Stigma related to later life sexuality could produce detrimental effects for older adults, through individual concerns and limited sexual health care for older adults. Identifying groups at risk for aging sexual stigma will help to focus interventions to reduce it. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine cross-sectional trends in aging sexual stigma attitudes by age group, generational status, and gender. Method: An online survey was administered to a national sample of adults via a crowdsourcing tool, in order to examine aging sexual stigma across age groups, generational status, and gender ( N = 962; 47.0% male, 52.5% female, and .5% other; mean age = 45 years). An aging sexual stigma index was formulated from the attitudinal items of the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale. Results: This sample reported moderately permissive attitudes toward aging sexuality, indicating a low level of aging sexual stigma. Though descriptive data showed trends of stigma attitudes increasing with age and later generations, there were no significant differences between age groups or generations in terms of aging sexual stigma beliefs. Men, regardless of age and/or generation, were found to espouse significantly higher stigmatic beliefs than women or those reporting 'other' gender. Conclusions: Aging sexual stigma beliefs may not be prevalent among the general population as cohorts become more sexually liberal over time, though men appear moreAbstract : Objectives: Stigma related to later life sexuality could produce detrimental effects for older adults, through individual concerns and limited sexual health care for older adults. Identifying groups at risk for aging sexual stigma will help to focus interventions to reduce it. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine cross-sectional trends in aging sexual stigma attitudes by age group, generational status, and gender. Method: An online survey was administered to a national sample of adults via a crowdsourcing tool, in order to examine aging sexual stigma across age groups, generational status, and gender ( N = 962; 47.0% male, 52.5% female, and .5% other; mean age = 45 years). An aging sexual stigma index was formulated from the attitudinal items of the Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale. Results: This sample reported moderately permissive attitudes toward aging sexuality, indicating a low level of aging sexual stigma. Though descriptive data showed trends of stigma attitudes increasing with age and later generations, there were no significant differences between age groups or generations in terms of aging sexual stigma beliefs. Men, regardless of age and/or generation, were found to espouse significantly higher stigmatic beliefs than women or those reporting 'other' gender. Conclusions: Aging sexual stigma beliefs may not be prevalent among the general population as cohorts become more sexually liberal over time, though men appear more susceptible to these beliefs. However, in order to more comprehensively assess aging sexual stigma, future research may benefit from measuring explicit and implicit aging sexual stigma beliefs. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Aging & mental health. Volume 20:Number 1(2016)
- Journal:
- Aging & mental health
- Issue:
- Volume 20:Number 1(2016)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 20, Issue 1 (2016)
- Year:
- 2016
- Volume:
- 20
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2016-0020-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- 36
- Page End:
- 45
- Publication Date:
- 2016-01-02
- Subjects:
- aging -- sexuality -- stigma -- attitudes
Older people -- Mental health -- Periodicals
Geriatric psychiatry -- Periodicals
Older people -- Psychology -- Periodicals
Aging -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals
Aged -- psychology -- periodicals
Mental Health -- periodicals
Mental Health Services -- periodicals
Aging -- psychology -- periodicals
Aged, 80 and over -- psychology -- periodicals
618.97689 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.tandfonline.com/ ↗
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/13607863.asp ↗ - DOI:
- 10.1080/13607863.2015.1012044 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 1360-7863
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - 0736.354000
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