STAFF AND ELDERLY KNOWLEDGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARD ELDERLY SEXUALITY

This study compared staff and elderly knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to sexual expression by elderly persons in a long-term care setting. Volunteers (N = 194) responded agree or disagree to 159 items. Significant differences were observed between the staff and elderly responses on 36 it...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational gerontology 1998-01, Vol.24 (5), p.471-489
Main Authors: Walker, Bonnie L., Osgood, Nancy J., Richardson, James P., Ephross, Paul H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Medical sciences
Miscellaneous
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
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Summary:This study compared staff and elderly knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to sexual expression by elderly persons in a long-term care setting. Volunteers (N = 194) responded agree or disagree to 159 items. Significant differences were observed between the staff and elderly responses on 36 items. Areas of greatest differences involved knowledge and attitudes about consensual sex and sexual abuse, issues related to family attitudes toward remarriage and sexual expression, and age-related changes and health problems related to sexuality. Items related to masturbation received the greatest percentage of no response. The staff had significantly higher total scores as compared to the elderly reflecting more knowledge, positive attitudes, and support for more proactive responses toward elderly sexuality. Findings have major implications for staff training in long-term care settings.
ISSN:0360-1277
1521-0472
DOI:10.1080/0360127980240504