Midlife relationship diversity, sexual fluidity, wellbeing and sexual health from a rural perspective

Kirkman, Linda; Dickson‐Swift, Virginia; Fox, Christopher

doi:10.1080/10371656.2015.1099272

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…While older people experience sexuality from a broader and richer point of view, its social expression can be delegitimised. Myths and stereotypes that deny their unique sense of sexual well-being and the right to express it (McAuliffe, Bauer and Nay 2007;Kirkman, Dickson-Swift and Fox 2015) are compounded in ageism, irrational fears, stereotypical thinking and lack of knowledge. Resultant attitudes and behaviours constitute significant barriers to older people's sexual expression, enjoying sexuality and achieving a sense of self (Snyder and Zweig 2010), which is reinforced by the bio-medicalisation of sexuality and the dominant role of pharmaceuticals in sexual discourse (Wentzell 2013;Marshall 2012;Marshall 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do older people discuss their own sexuality? A systematic review of qualitative research studies

Gewirtz‐Meydan

Hafford‐Letchfield

Ayalon

et al. 2018

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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This study captured older people's attitudes and concerns about sex and sexuality in later life by synthesising qualitative research published on this issue. The systematic review was conducted between November 2015 and June 2016 based on a pre-determined protocol. Key words were used to ensure a precise search strategy. Empirically based, qualitative literature from 18 databases was found. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. Thomas and Harden's thematic synthesis was used to generate 'analytical themes' which summarise this body of literature. Three main themes were identified: (a) social legitimacy for sexuality in later life; (b) health, not age, is what truly impacts sexuality, and (c) the hegemony of penetrative sex. The themes illustrate the complex and delicate relation between ageing and sexuality. Older adults facing health issues that affect sexual function adopt broader definitions of sexuality and sexual activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How do older people discuss their own sexuality? A systematic review of qualitative research studies

Gewirtz‐Meydan

Hafford‐Letchfield

Ayalon

et al. 2018

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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“…Changes in social and cultural mores also mean that the current older generation is more likely than previous older generations to form new relationships later in life, often following the cessation of a long-term monogamous partnership (Gott 2006). These relationships are increasingly taking different forms, including living-apart-together relationships (Reimondos, Evans and Gray 2011) and friends-with-benefits (Kirkman, Dickson-Swift, and Fox 2015). Some older people are also using online dating sites to meet new partners (Malta 2007;McWilliams and Barrett 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sex, Age, and Me study: recruitment and sampling for a large mixed-methods study of sexual health and relationships in an older Australian population

Lyons

Heywood

Fileborn

et al. 2017

Culture, Health & Sexuality

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Older people are often excluded from large studies of sexual health, as it is assumed that they are not having sex or are reluctant to talk about sensitive topics and are therefore difficult to recruit. We outline the sampling and recruitment strategies from a recent study on sexual health and relationships among older people. Sex, Age and Me was a nationwide Australian study that examined sexual health, relationship patterns, safer-sex practices and STI knowledge of Australians aged 60 years and over. The study used a mixed-methods approach to establish baseline levels of knowledge and to develop deeper insights into older adult's understandings and practices relating to sexual health. Data collection took place in 2015, with 2137 participants completing a quantitative survey and 53 participating in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. As the feasibility of this type of study has been largely untested until now, we provide detailed information on the study's recruitment strategies and methods. We also compare key characteristics of our sample with national estimates to assess its degree of representativeness. This study provides evidence to challenge the assumptions that older people will not take part in sexual health-related research and details a novel and successful way to recruit participants in this area.

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“…Indeed, Conley et al (2012) found that women who fear condemnation are less willing to accept an offer of casual sex that they would otherwise enjoy pursuing. This fear of judgment can cause anxiety that prevents those who practice CNM from seeking sexual health services (e.g., STD testing), particularly within rural communities where reputation can be more easily tracked (Kirkman et al, 2015). Moreover, therapists and clinicians who assume that monogamy is a universal relationship ideal may inadvertently marginalize or mistreat patients who are oriented toward multi-partner mating (see Finn et al, 2012;Brandon, 2016;van Tol, 2017;Cassidy and Wong, 2018).…”

Section: Cnm Morality and Sexual Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The harm that third-party stigmatization can introduce to the well-being of people in CNM relationships (e.g., Kirkman et al, 2015) highlights the need to explain moral stigma toward these relationship structures. Most current explanations relate stigma to CNM's defiance of monogamy as a predominant culture practice (i.e., mononormativity; see Emens, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life History and Multi-Partner Mating: A Novel Explanation for Moral Stigma Against Consensual Non-monogamy

et al. 2020

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Life history theory (LHT) predicts that individuals vary in their sexual, reproductive, parental, familial, and social behavior according to the physical and social challenges imposed upon them throughout development. LHT provides a framework for understanding why non-monogamy may be the target of significant moral condemnation: individuals who habitually form multiple romantic or sexual partnerships may pursue riskier, more competitive interpersonal strategies that strain social cooperation. We compared several indices of life history (i.e., the Mini-K, the High-K Strategy Scale, pubertal timing, sociosexuality, disease avoidance, and risk-taking) between individuals practicing monogamous and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) romantic relationships. Across several measures, CNM individuals reported a faster life history strategy than monogamous individuals, and women in CNM relationships reported earlier pubertal development. CNM individuals also reported more social and ethical risk-taking, less aversion to germs, and greater interest in shortterm mating (and less interest in long-term mating) than monogamous individuals. From these data, we discuss a model to explain how moral stigma toward non-monogamy evolved and how these attitudes may be mismatched to the modern environment. Specifically, we argue that the culture of sexual ethics that pervades contemporary CNM communities (e.g., polyamory, swinging) may attenuate risky interpersonal behaviors (e.g., violent intrasexual competition, retributive jealousy, partner/child abandonment, disease transmission) that are relatively more common among those who pursue multi-partner mating.

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Midlife relationship diversity, sexual fluidity, wellbeing and sexual health from a rural perspective

Cited by 8 publications

References 40 publications

How do older people discuss their own sexuality? A systematic review of qualitative research studies

How do older people discuss their own sexuality? A systematic review of qualitative research studies

The Sex, Age, and Me study: recruitment and sampling for a large mixed-methods study of sexual health and relationships in an older Australian population

Life History and Multi-Partner Mating: A Novel Explanation for Moral Stigma Against Consensual Non-monogamy

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