Atitudes e conhecimentos sobre sexualidade em mulheres idosas frequentadoras de um ambulatório de ginecologia e unidade de convivência

Abstract

The concept of sexuality goes beyond the sexual act and it can be experienced at every age, still being present in elderliness. Some factors can influence on sexual practice, such as biological, psychosocial, cultural, ethnical and religious factors. For women, the sexual experience undergoes several changes and adjustments throughout their lives. However, the sexual desire remains present even when time passes. The study’s purpose was to analyze the factors that influence the sexuality of elderly women who visit a gynecological outpatient clinic and a community center. It is a descriptive research, within the quantitative approach. The participants of the study were women aged 60 years old or older. All of them were frequent visitors of a gynecological outpatient clinic and a community center, and they did not exhibit cognitive decline according to the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). A sociodemographic questionnaire, a semi-structured interview and the ASKAS – Aging Sexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale were the methods used to collect the data. The collected data were double entered in Excel, then validated and exported to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The interviews were gathered by sound record, and then listened, transcript, and analyzed according to Bardin's content analysis procedures. The sample consisted of 40 elderly women, 20 of them were from a gynecological outpatient clinic and the other 20 were from a community center. The women demonstrated moderate to high knowledge about the subject, and they revealed progressive and favorable attitudes towards elderly sexuality. Aspects of the relationship with their partners were the main helping factor to their sexual performance, showing that partnership is a dominating factor of sexuality. Among the impeding factors, the absence of both feelings and facilitating behaviors stands out, showing that searching for healthy intimate relationships is something to be encouraged. This study’s results offer the opportunity to rethink interventional strategies related to regular health services, surpassing a biological perception and achieving a broad perspective, in which the female sexuality is valued and acknowledged as a singular dimension of the human being.