Sexual Activity of Older Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Abstract

Objective: The goal was to conduct a literature review of studies that examined sexual activity in older adults. Method: A systematic search was conducted to identify studies that had examined sexual activity in adults aged 60 years and older. The main characteristics of each study and results were examined and reported according to PRISMA guidelines. Results: Sixty-three articles were found. These articles were classified into three main groups based on the results they presented: percentage of older adults that were sexually active; frequency of sexual activity; and type of sexual activities. The results show that older adults are sexually active, engage in frequent sexual activity, and participate in a wide variety of activities. Conclusions: Although older adults remain sexually active, differences in the way sexual activity is assessed limit the drawing of firm conclusions and our understanding of the sexual activity of older adults. We propose a series of recommendations to gain a better understanding of this topic.

Keywords:

• Sexual activity
• older adults
• sexual frequency
• sexual health

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The literature search and data collection were performed by Joshua Cameron. All analyses and summary of results were performed by Joshua Cameron and Pablo Santos-Iglesias. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Joshua Cameron and further revised by Joshua Cameron and Pablo Santos-Iglesias. All authors read and approved the final manuscript

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research is part of a larger project funded by a Cape Breton University – RISE grant, granted to the second author.