Silencing the sexual self and relational and individual well-being in later life: a gendered analysis of North versus South of Europe

Abstract

This study explores the European North-South differences in older partnered individuals’ silencing of the sexual self and its links to relational and individual well-being. A web survey was conducted among partnered individuals aged 65 years or above in Norway and Croatia. There were 368 (women: 37.8%, response rate: 22%) and 359 (women: 34.5%, response rate: 27%) individuals who participated in Norway and Croatia, respectively. A range of relational (sexual satisfaction, relationship quality) and individual well-being (anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction) indicators was considered. Sexual self-silencing had significant impacts across outcomes, gender, and countries. Furthermore, contrary to what might be expected, we observed no differences in self-silencing between the two countries; and in both countries, men were more self-silenced than women. Findings suggest that sexual self-silencing can compromise relationship quality and psychological well-being in later life. Health and clinical practice toward older individuals and couples should thus probe about and aim to improve the expression of sexual desires and needs.

Keywords:

• Older adults
• silencing the sexual self
• cross-cultural assessment
• quality of life
• successful aging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Norwegian Research Council under the grant number 250637.

Notes on contributors

Bente Traeen

Bente Traeen is a professor of health psychology at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her research interests are sexual behaviour, sexual problems and use of pornography. She is the principal investigator of an international research project on healthy sexual aging financed by the Research Council of Norway.

Thomas Hansen

Thomas Hansen is a research professor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Oslo Metropolitan University. By education a social psychologist, he has worked mainly in the areas of social gerontology and the psychology of aging. His publications focus on aging and the life course, well-being, mental health, loneliness, family relationships, informal caregiving, volunteering, and active aging.

Aleksandar Štulhofer

Aleksandar Štulhofer is a professor of Sociology and chair of the Sexology Unit at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. His research focuses on sexual risk taking, pornography use, intimacy and sexual satisfaction, and healthy sexual aging. He also works as a sexual therapist.