Štulhofer, A., Hinchliff, S. orcid.org/0000-0002-6180-1165 and Træen, B. (2020) Relationship intimacy, sexual distress, and help-seeking for sexual problems among older European couples : a hybrid dyadic approach. International Journal of Impotence Research, 32 (5). pp. 525-534. ISSN 0955-9930
Abstract
There is evidence that emotional intimacy can buffer the distress associated with sexual difficulties. Considering that older adults are at an increased risk of chronic illness, many of which (including their medical treatment) can impact their sexual well-being, the link between intimacy and sexual distress may be particularly relevant for older couples. To start bridging the gap in our understanding of the links between older couples’ emotional intimacy, distress about sexual function, and seeking professional help for sexuality-related issues, the current study used a 4-country sample with 218 Norwegian, 207 Danish, 135 Belgian, and 117 Portuguese couples aged 60-75 years. Two hypotheses were explored with a hybrid dyadic analysis: (1) a couple’s emotional intimacy is negatively related to partner’s distress about sexual function, but (2) positively associated with their help-seeking for sexual health issues. Less than 10% of participants in the current study reported seeking professional help, with the majority reporting their primary care physician as the contacted person. Couples’ emotional intimacy was consistently (and negatively) associated with female partners’ sexual distress across countries, but was unrelated to help-seeking for sexual problems. The findings illustrate the role of shared emotional intimacy in older women’s distress about sexual function, but also indicate that older couples characterized by high intimacy should not be assumed to seek professional help for sexually-related issues more readily than other couples.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 The Authors. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in International Journal of Impotence Research. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Older couples; intimacy; sexual distress; help-seeking; Europe |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 14 Nov 2019 09:23 |
Last Modified: | 17 Dec 2021 11:28 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer Nature |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s41443-019-0214-z |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:153149 |