Individual and relational contributors to optimal sexual experiences in older men and women

• Published in: Sexual and relationship therapy Vol. 30; no. 1; pp. 78 - 93
• Main Authors: Ménard, A. Dana, Kleinplatz, Peggy J., Rosen, Lianne, Lawless, Shannon, Paradis, Nicholas, Campbell, Meghan, Huber, Jonathan D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basingstoke Routledge 02.01.2015; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: ageing; Aging; Chronic illnesses; Content analysis; Deterioration; Disability; Empathy; eroticism; Gays & lesbians; Older men; Older people; Older women; Openness; optimal sexuality; relationship development; Sex education; Sexual development; sexual intimacy; Sexual violence
• ISSN: 1468-1994; 1468-1749
• DOI: 10.1080/14681994.2014.931689

Research on sexual development has tended to focus on those events and experiences (e.g., poor sex education, sexual violence, chronic illness, and disability) that lead to sexual dysfunctions rather than on those that might facilitate optimal sexual experiences. The sexual development of older individuals and couples has been pathologized and marginalized, with the assumption that sexual deterioration will be the inevitable accompaniment to ageing. As part of a larger study on the contributors to optimal sexual experiences, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 men and women, aged 60-82, who had been in relationships for 25-52 years and who reported having experienced "great sex." A phenomenologically oriented content analysis was conducted using interview transcripts to identify the factors that had contributed to optimal sexual experiences. The individual and relational contributors across the lifespan that led to optimal sexual experiences for older people are described (e.g., overcoming early learning, openness to experience, mutual empathy, structure and depth of the relationship). The ramifications of these findings for sex and relationship therapy are considered.