Attitudes of Nursing Home Licensed Practical Nurses Toward Sexually Active, Older Residents

Abstract

The participants were 87 Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) working in a nursing home for the elderly. Vignettes were used to elicit the LPNs' attitudes toward sexually active older nursing home residents. Each LPN was randomly assigned one of four versions of a vignette which either contained or excluded information about sexual activity in a 68-year-old male or female nursing home resident. Contrary to assumptions about widespread taboos for aged sexuality, the LPNs showed a statistically si-cant bias favoring the sexually active resident, regardless of whether the resident was a woman or man. Implications of these findings are discussed.