Safe Sex After 50 and Mature Women's Beliefs of Sexual Health

Abstract

This study explores sexual health risk attitudes among women aged 50 and older. Focus group research found that women 50+ are aware of the risk for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but are uncomfortable about seeking health information from their regular physician who may erroneously believe that they already possess the knowledge. Although they know the importance of condom use in avoiding STDs, they may avoid negotiating condom use with their partners in an effort to avoid conflict or rejection. The results highlight a need for greater focus on women 50+ who continue to pursue active sex lives.

Sexual Aging: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research on the Sexuality and Sexual Health of Older Adults

“…Viagra was seen as setting dangerous masculine standards in sexuality encouraging “expectations of sexually unrestrained men” and a lack of emotional and romantic intimacy (Loe, 2004). Other studies reported sexuality as a “risky business” for women (Hinchliff & Gott, 2008) and fear of negotiating condom use with their male partners (Morton, Kim, & Treise, 2011).…”

“…They indicated that they would have initiated discussion with their health care provider if they had been made aware of this (Rutte et al, 2016). Feelings of shame and embarrassment in this group were prevalent, as well as the perception that there is a social expectation to be sexually inactive during older age (Gott & Hinchliff, 2003b;Hughes & Lewinson, 2015;Morton et al, 2011;O'Brien et al, 2011). This social expectation particularly discouraged women from discussing sexual issues with young male health care providers (Abramsohn et al, 2013;Gott & Hinchliff, 2003b;Morton et al, 2011).…”

Adding Regret to Fear Appeals: When the Going Gets Difficult, Regret Gets Action

“…Previous research has documented among women 50+ that negotiating condom usage is not easy. The research found that knowing when and how to ask to use a condom is, in fact, difficult and associated with low self‐efficacy (Morton, Kim, and Treise ). Drawing on this research, a manipulation of task difficulty salience targeted at undergraduate students was designed.…”

“…While these actions seem easy in the moment, they are difficult for us to enact. Focus groups suggest that condom usage is not easy (Morton, Kim, and Treise ) because adults find it excruciatingly difficult and lack the confidence to interrupt the mood and to say, “We need a condom.” The purpose of this research is to determine how consumers can be motivated to act when taking action proves difficult.…”

Aging Gracefully: Emerging Issues for Public Policy and Consumer Welfare

“…What can we conclude about the key issues that face aging consumers and their implications for consumer welfare and public policy? There are various other questions related to aging that all impact marketplace abilities, interests and behavior, such as: what it means to be sexually active at 50+ (Morton, Kim, and Treise 2011); how consumers organize their investments to plan for the “final” years (Yang and Devaney 2011); the effects of being perceived as vulnerable (Moschis, Mosteller, and Fatt 2011) and the circumstances under which older consumers actually are vulnerable (Griffiths and Harmon 2011). One conclusion is that there are substantial problems with taking a single‐minded approach to issues within this widely varied group because there are many contradictions.…”