How is sexual satisfaction understood in middle and later life in an American context? - a quantitative study

Abstract: In the USA, older adults are sexually active and are the fastest growing age group in the country. However, previous research has placed little emphasis on sexual satisfaction amongst older adults. Research has focused on individuals up to midlife and how sexual function is affected by age. There is a need for studies that focus on both similarities and differences between age groups as well as other variables that may affect individuals’ sexual satisfaction.  Consequently, the aim of this study was to investigate sexual satisfaction between two age cohorts, 39-60- and 60–92-year-olds, in the United States of America taking age, sexual orientation, as well as gender into account. Other explanatory variables such as cohabitation status, educational level, financial situation, everyday health limits and chronic pain were added to the multiple regression model to investigate changes in relationship between the central independent variables and sexual satisfaction. A split sample regression model by gender was conducted to study if the effects of the variables were similar when men and women were analyzed separately. For this study, secondary data was retrieved from a study titled Midlife Development in the U.S (MIDUS). Results from the bivariate regression model showed a significant and negative correlation between the older age cohort and sexual satisfaction. In this study, these results may be understood from the respondent’s cohabitation status and the respondent’s health limits in their everyday life. No significant differences in sexual satisfaction were found between sexual orientations. Differences in sexual satisfaction between men and women were found, indicating women being on average less sexually satisfied than men. Women’s lower levels of sexual satisfaction could be fully understood from cohabitation status and socioeconomic resources, as women are often younger than their partner and therefore more likely to be alone in later life. Results from the split sample analysis by gender indicated similar effects. Living arrangements had a strong and significant effect on both men and women’s sexual satisfaction. For women, socioeconomic resources had a stronger and significant effect on women’s sexual satisfaction, whereas everyday health limits had a slightly higher effect on men’s sexual satisfaction. To increase the overall well-being for sexually active adults throughout life, future research should study sexual satisfaction with a longitudinal approach and focus on how sexual satisfaction develops in different stages of life. The amount of sexual education the respondents received earlier in life and the relationship with sexual satisfaction may also be investigated further. Lastly, further research could study to what extent social services and housing administrators are implementing living conditions that enable intimate moments in later life amongst older adults.