Evaluating sexual self-consciousness, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual functions of older people

Abstract

This descriptive study evaluated the sexual self-consciousness, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual function of older people in Adana, Yuregir between June 10 and September 10, 2019. The study sought to include a minimum of 380 older people based on stratified sampling. The study sample included 381 older people who agreeing to participate, married, and aged 65 years and above. Those who had communication difficulty, used psychotropic drugs, or had mental disorders were excluded from the study. Study data were collected using the Personel Information Form, Sexual Self-Efficacy Scale, Sexual Self-Consciousness Scale, and Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale. Study findings were evaluated using IBM SPSS Statistics 18 (IBM SPSS, Turkey) for statistical analysis. Study data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis analysis, Post-hoc test, and Spearman's Correlation analysis. The significance level was evaluated at p < 0.05. The total median value for the Sexual Self-Consciousness Scale and Sexual Self-Efficacy Scale were 26 and 38, respectively. The total median value for the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale was 25 for females, 17 for males. These results indicate that older people have sexual embarrassment, a high level of sexual self-efficacy, and most have sexual dysfunctionality. There was a positive weak correlation between ASEX-Female and Sexual Self_Conciousness Scale scores. There was a negative weak correlation between ASEX-Female and Sexual Self-Efficacy Scale scores.