Eu opean Jou nal o Heal h Resea ch
2020, Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242)
© Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch.
e-ISSN 2445-0308 // www.ejh .es
doi: 10.30552/ejh . 6i2.219
Sexual desi e and ac i i y among olde men and women
Isabel Piñei o1, Ma cia G. Ullau i1, Susana Rod íguez1,
Bibiana Reguei o2, and I is Es é ez1
1Uni e si y o A Co uña (Spain); 2Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela (Spain)
Conside ing ha , aging is associa ed wi h changes ha could signi ican ly a ec sexuali y,
and ha indi iduals o e 65 yea s a e a g oup o g ea sexual he e ogenei y, he main
pu pose o his wo k is o explo e he di e ences be ween olde men and women in e ms
o sexual desi e, ac i i y, and p ac ices. This s udy was ca ied ou h ough a ques ionnai e
su ey in o de o analyse he di e ences be ween he men and women in e ms o sexual
ac i i y du ing he pas yea , sexual desi e and p ac ices. Resul s show us ha sexual ac i i y
in gene al, and he ype o sexual p ac ice in pa icula , as well as he equency o such
p ac ices, e lec ele an di e ences be ween olde women and men. Speci ically, esul s
o his wo k e eal ha he e a e men who acknowledge a g ea e conce n abou he dec ease
in equency o sexual p ac ices; howe e , a signi ican ly mo e p onounced dec ease in he
equency o hese p ac ices in he pas yea occu s among women. Al hough he e may be
signi ican di e ences in some speci ic sexual p ac ices and in he le el o sexual desi e and
impulse be ween men and women, a signi ican numbe o men and women a e sexually
ac i e h oughou hei old age.
Keywo ds: Olde women and men, sexual ac i i y, sexual p ac ices, sexual desi e.
Deseo y ac i idad sexual en homb es y muje es mayo es. Conside ando que la edad es á
asociada con cambios que pod ían a ec a signi ica i amen e a la sexualidad, y que los
indi iduos de más de 65 años son un g upo de impo an e he e ogeneidad sexual, el
p opósi o de es e abajo es obse a las di e encias en e homb es y muje es mayo es en
é minos de deseo, p ác icas y ac i idad sexual. Es e es udio se lle ó a cabo median e la
implemen ación de un cues iona io pa a analiza las di e encias en e muje es y homb es
mayo es de 65 años en base a su ac i idad, deseo y p ác icas sexuales en el úl imo año. Los
esul ados mues an que la ac i idad sexual en gene al y el ipo de p ác ica sexual en
pa icula , así como la ecuencia de dichas p ác icas, e lejan di e encias ele an es en e
muje es y homb es mayo es. Especí icamen e, los esul ados de es e abajo e elan que
hay homb es que econocen una mayo p eocupación po el descenso en la ecuencia de
las p ác icas sexuales; sin emba go, es en e las muje es donde se p oduce un mayo
descenso en la ecuencia de es as p ác icas du an e el úl imo año. Aunque pa ecen exis i
di e encias signi ica i as en algunas p ác icas sexuales especí icas y en el ni el de deseo
sexual en e homb es y muje es, un núme o signi ica i o de homb es y muje es son
sexualmen e ac i os du an e su ejez.
Palab as cla e: Mayo es, ac i idad sexual, p ác icas sexuales, deseo sexual.
Co espondence: Isabel Piñei o. Depa men o Psychology. Uni e si y o A Co uña. Campus o
El iña, s/n. Pos code: 15071. A Co uña (Spain). E-mail: [email p o ec ed]
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
228 Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242)
The absolu e numbe o olde people is inc easing d ama ically wo ldwide. This
is e lec ed in he Global Repo on Ageing and Heal h o he Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion
(WHO) o 2015, which also s a es ha , in many coun ies, he cu en a e o popula ion
ageing is much g ea e han in he pas . I is expec ed ha be ween 2000 and 2050, he
wo ld popula ion olde han 60 yea s o age will ise om 605 million o 2 billion and will
end up ep esen ing 22% o he wo ld's popula ion. This phenomenon o popula ion ageing
is also beginning o be obse ed in La in Ame ica. In he yea 2015, he popula ion o he
con inen was es ima ed a abou 620 million inhabi an s, wi h a g ow h a e o 1.3%, and
a ecundi y a e o 2.3 child en. Li e expec ancy a bi h was 73.3 yea s, and he p opo ion
o people o e 60 eached 10.9% o he o al.
Ecuado is no s ange o he eali y ha we ha e jus desc ibed. In he pe iod
be ween 1960 and 1965, li e expec ancy was abou 54.76 yea s, 53.44 yea s o males and
56.07 o emales, whe eas o he pe iod be ween 2005 and 2010, i inc eased o 74.63
yea s, 71.73 yea s o males and 77.54 yea s o emales. The ageing a e has inc eased in
his coun y; whe eas in 1962, he e we e se en people o e 65 yea s o e e y 100 people
unde 15 yea s, in 2010, he e we e 21 people o e 65 o e e y 100 people unde 15 yea s
(Na ional Ins i u e o S a is ics and Censuses [Ins i u o Nacional de Es adís icas y Censos,
INEC], 2012).
In addi ion o he dec ease in e ili y a es, which ha e gone om 7 o 5
child en pe woman in many pa s o he wo ld, he e is ano he explana o y ac o o he
ageing wo ld popula ion: he inc ease in li e expec ancy. As a esul o heal h, scien i ic,
echnological, economic, educa ional, cul u al, and socio-poli ical ad ances, people all
o e he wo ld cu en ly li e longe . Wi h economic de elopmen , imp o ed public heal h,
and educed in an -ju enile mo ali y, he mo ali y pa e ns in old age ha e changed; mos
dea hs occu in people o e he age o 70, especially in coun ies wi h highe incomes
(WHO, 2015). Globally, li e expec ancy will con inue o inc ease and i is expec ed ha ,
among he 194 coun ies in he wo ld, 116 will expe ience signi ican p og ess in his line
by 2040. I will be by ha , ime when inequali ies in li e expec ancy be ween coun ies
wi h di e en Sociodemog aphic Index we e educed (Fo eman, 2018).
The esul s o hese ad ances ha e ul illed no only a quan i a i e goal o
"li ing mo e yea s", bu also a quali a i e pu pose, ha is, "li ing longe and wi h be e
quali y o li e.” Thus, i he goal o li ing o mo e yea s compa ed o p e ious cen u ies
became a eali y in he second hal o he las cen u y, in he p esen cen u y and om
di e en a eas (poli ical, sani a y, educa ional, cul u al, e c...), he goal o li ing a quali y
li e has been achie ed. I is no only impo an o li e o many yea s, bu o age
sa is ac o ily and ac i ely. In his way, ac i e ageing becomes a p ocess o op imizing
heal h oppo uni ies and pa icipa ion in o de o imp o e quali y o li e as people age. The
imp o emen o physical, social, and men al well-being h oughou hei li e cycle, and
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242) 229
social pa icipa ion acco ding o he needs, desi es, and capaci ies, p o iding p o ec ion,
sa e y, and adequa e ca e, ha e become a cen al objec i e o olde ci izens (WHO, 2002).
Fo many people, sexuali y is an essen ial dimension o such well-being and
quali y o li e. Sexuali y cons i u es an a ea o pe sonal g ow h and ul illmen ha
con ibu es o he subjec i e well-being and he quali y o li e o olde people, helping o
delay he decline associa ed wi h age. Sex and sexuali y a e an essen ial pa o he li e
cycle, and a basic human need o g ea social ele ance (Ga cía e al., 2014).
Al hough in ecen decades, he e has been a widesp ead change in a i udes
owa ds sexuali y, he social belie ha olde people ha e no sexual ela ionships o desi es
is s ongly oo ed in ou cul u e (Walz, 2002). Olde people hemsel es end o see old age
as a pe iod o in olu ion and de e io a ion in which sexuali y and e o ic ac i i y is
nulli ied. T adi ionally, being olde has been ela ed o being sick, o ha ing a disabili y
and/o dependency, and o a s age o physical and psychological decline. Sexuali y has
been pe cei ed as one o he human dimensions in which his deple ion o capaci ies is
expe ienced, wi h de e io a ion in sexual capaci y, ac i i y, and desi e. Howe e , while
he numbe o in es iga ions on sexual ac i i y in old age is limi ed, especially in lowe -
income coun ies, popula ion su eys show ha people o en emain sexually ac i e up o
ad anced ages (WHO, 2015).
Indeed, al hough di e en s udies (e.g., Domínguez and Ba bagallo, 2016;
Lindau e al., 2007; S ep oe, B eeze, Banks, and Naz oo, 2013) ha e shown ha sexual
in e es and ac i i y do diminish o e he yea s, he my h o he asexual olde pe son is
o ally un ounded, gi en ha many people, especially hose be ween 65 and 70 yea s o
age, con inue o engage in egula sexual ac i i y.
In addi ion o sexual inac i i y, he asexuali y a ibu ed o olde people may
also lead o he belie o low o no le els o sexual desi e and low desi abili y o o he
people. Howe e , a ious esea ch wo ks indica e ha bo h sexual ac i i y and desi e a e
p esen among middle-aged men and women and pe sis in o old age (Nicolosi e al.,
2004). Likewise e al. (2015) ound ha he expe iences o olde people conce ning sex
and sexual desi e a e di e se, especially in he case o women. Along he same line, he
esul s o a ecen sys ema ic e iew (To es and Rod íguez-Ma ín, 2019), show ha
pe cep ions o olde people abou sexuali y a e posi i e and hey s ill wan o exp ess
sexual desi e a his s age o hei li es.
In any case, olde people con inue o ha e sexual desi e and o main ain sexual
ac i i y despi e a la ge se ies o heal h ba ie s and o he social aspec s ha could limi o
al e hei abili y o engage in di e en sexual p ac ices (Bi ze , Pla ano, Tschudin, and
Alde , 2008; Hinchli and Go , 2008; Kon ula and Haa io-Mannila, 2009; T udel,
Tu geon, and Piché, 2010). In his sense, i has also o be assumed ha gende oles and
adi ional cul u al iews o sexuali y in old age could al e sexual ac i i y and desi e a
ad anced ages (DeLama e , 2012; D ummond e al., 2013; Kon ula and Haa io-Mannila,
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
230 Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242)
2009; Lodge and Umbe son, 2012; Mon emu o and Gillen, 2013). In his sense, To es
and Rod íguez-Ma ín (2019) ound ha olde people conside ed as ba ie s o exp ess
hei sexual desi e he ollowing elemen s: a) social s e eo ypes owa ds sexuali y a his
i al s age, b) he lack o in imacy and, c) he associa ion o sexuali y wi h sexuali y
p oc ea ion o wi h he ma i al obliga ion.
Al hough i seems indispu able ha sexuali y is an impo an pa o people's
li es and well-being, esea ch on sexual p ac ices in olde people is s ill sca ce.
Conside ing ha , aging is associa ed wi h changes ha could signi ican ly a ec sexuali y,
and ha indi iduals o e 65 yea s a e a g oup o g ea sexual he e ogenei y, he main
pu pose o his wo k is o explo e he di e ences be ween olde men and women in e ms
o sexual desi e, ac i i y, and p ac ices
METHOD
Pa icipan s
The sample consis ed o 200 olde people, 100 men and 100 women, esiden s
o he ci y o San a Rosa de El O o (Ecuado ), who belonged o he "Associa ion o Re i ed
People and Pensione s o he Ci y o San a Rosa”. The emale subsample had a mean age
o 71.8 (SD = 5.52), anging be ween 65 and 91 yea s. The mean age o he male
subsample was 70.7 (SD = 5.42), anging be ween 64 and 90 yea s. As i can be seen in
Table 1, he e we e no signi ican di e ences in he p opo ions o men and women in he
ca ego ized age anges ega ding economic le el, p o enance, and a ea o sec o .
On ano he hand, he e we e signi ican di e ences in he subsamples o men
and women in e ms o ma i al s a us, cu en pa ne s a us, and educa ional le el
(χ2 = 43.495, p < .001; d = 1.02; χ2 = 29.804 p <.001, d = 0.78, and χ2 = 16.157, p < .01,
d = 0.56, espec i ely). Thus, whe eas 63% o he men we e ma ied, only 29% o he
women we e ma ied. In ac , 39% o he women we e widows, compa ed o only 9% o
he men. These di e ences a e cong uen wi h he ac ha 67.7% o he men in he sample
epo ed ha ing a sexual pa ne , whe eas 71% o women epo ed he con a y.
The e we e also signi ican di e ences in he educa ional le el be ween he
subsamples o women and men, such ha whe eas 45% o he men had comple ed
seconda y and/o uni e si y s udies, only 23.2% o he women had done so (see Table 1).
The di e ences be ween men and women a e also signi ican in e ms o he
exis ence o p e ious pa ne s (χ2 = 43.495, p < .01, d = 0.51), such ha whe eas mo e
han 70% o he men had had pa ne s in he pas , he pe cen age o women who had had
o he pa ne s p e iously did no each 50% (see Table 1).
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242) 231
Table 1. F equencies and p opo ions co esponding o he in e ac ion be ween
socio-demog aphic a iables and gende
To al
Men
Women
S a is ical signi icance and
magni ude o he di e ences
n (%)
n (%)
n (%)
2
p
d
Age (yea s)
>70
119(59.5)
65(65)
54(59.5)
2.511
.113
--
<70
81(40.5)
35(35)
46(46)
Economic le el
Medium
125(62.5)
65 (65)
60(60)
.533
.467
--
Low
75(37.5)
35(35)
40(40)
Sec o
No h
159(79.5)
83(52.2)
76(76)
1.806
.405
--
Cen e
19(9.5)
7(7)
12(12)
Sou h
22(11)
10(10)
12(12)
O igin
Coas
159(79.5)
85(85)
74(74)
3.712
.054
---
Sie a
41(20.5)
15(15)
26(26)
A ea
Ru al
39(19.5)
16(16)
23(23)
1.561
.212
--
U ban
161(80.5)
84(84%)
77(77)
Ma i al s a us
Ma ied
92(47.2)
63(66.3)
29(29)
43.495
.000
1.02
Single
11(5.6)
9 (9.5)
2(2)
Common law union
15(7.7)
7(7.4)
8(8)
Di o ced/ sepa a ed
29(14.9)
7(7.4)
22(14.9)
Widowed
48(24.6)
9(9.5)
39(39)
Pa ne S a us
Wi h a pa ne
96(48)
67(67.7)
29(29)
29.804
.000
0.78
Wi hou a pa ne
103(51.8)
32(32.3)
71(71)
Educa ional le el
16.157
.003
0.56
No s udies
50(25.1)
16(16)
34(34.3)
P ima y
51(25.6)
25(25)
26(26.3)
Incomple e Seconda y
30(15.1)
14(14)
16(16.2)
Seconda y
41(20.6)
24(24)
17(17.2)
Uni e si y
27(13.6)
21(21)
6(6.1)
P e ious pa ne s
Yes
111(58.1)
68(70.1)
43(45.7)
11.636
.001
0.51
No
80(41.9)
29(40)
51(54.3)
Ins umen s
The ins umen selec ed o ca y ou his esea ch was he Sexual Rela ionships
and Ac i i ies Ques ionnai e (SRA-Q; Lee, Naz oo, O’Conno , Blake, and Pendle on,
2016). The o iginal ins umen , d awn om o he alida ed ins umen s (Mi chell,
Ploubidis, Da a, and Wellings, 2012; O’Conno e al., 2008; Wai e, Laumann, Das, and
Schumm, 2009), seeks o ensu e gende speci ici y by p esen ing one ques ionnai e o
men and ano he one o women. In o al, he men's scale is made up o 50 i ems and he
women's scale o 44 i ems. The men's scale asks abou hei e ec ion capaci y, and he
women's scale asks abou hei capaci y o sexual a ousal. Bo h e sions include i ems
ela ed o o gasm and gene al sex li e in ecen mon hs, as well as sexual expe iences
h oughou li e.
We used he ansla ion ca ied ou by he Resea ch G oup on Educa ional
Psychology (GIPED) o he Uni e si y o A Co uña (Spain). In his ansla ion, we adap ed
he o iginal i ems, a ge ing he B i ish popula ion, o Spanish-speaking popula ion.
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
232 Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242)
In acco dance wi h he objec i es es ablished in his wo k, only issues ela ed
o sexual ac i i y, impulse o desi e, and ype and equency o sexual p ac ices we e used.
Speci ically, o explo e olde men's and women's sexual desi e o impulse in he las mon h
and compa ed wi h a yea ago, he ollowing h ee ques ions we e used:
How o en did you hink abou sex o e he pas mon h? The esponse scale is
a 7-poin Like ype scale, anging om 1 (No a all) o 7 (Mo e han once a day).
Thinking abou he pas mon h, ha e you been conce ned abou you le el o
desi e and sexual impulse? Responses a e a ed on a 5-poin Like ype scale anging om
1 (No conce ned) o 5 (Ex emely conce ned).
Compa ed o one yea ago, has you sexual desi e o impulse changed?
Responses a e also a ed on a 5-poin Like ype scale om 1 (Has inc eased a lo ) o 5
(Has dec eased a lo ).
To de e mine he sexual p ac ice o he sample in he pas yea , we used he
ollowing i em:
In he pas yea , ha e you engaged in any sexual p ac ice (coi al sex,
mas u ba ion, ouching, o s oking)? In his case, we used a dicho omous esponse scale
(yes/no), which we coded as "sexual p ac ice yes", in case o ac i i y, o "sexual p ac ice
no", in case o sexual inac i i y
To de e mine he ype o sexual ac i i y engaged in by sexually ac i e samples,
we es ima ed he ollowing h ee i ems wi h e e ence o he pas mon h:
Du ing he pas mon h, how many imes ha e you had o ied o ha e sex
( aginal, anal, o o al sex)?
Apa om he imes you ied o ha e coi us, du ing he pas mon h, how o en
did you engage in o he sexual p ac ices (kisses, ca esses, and ouching)?
How o en did you mas u ba e in he pas mon h?
The h ee ques ions we e a ed on a 5-poin Like - ype scale anging om 1
(None) o 5 (Mo e han once a day).
Finally, we also explo ed he pe cei ed change in he equency o hese sexual
p ac ices compa ed wi h he pas yea , he conce n abou he sexual ac i i y e e ed o he
pas mon h, and he cu en sa is ac ion wi h he equency o he ac i i y, h ough he
ollowing h ee ques ions:
Compa ed o one yea ago, has he gene al equency o you sexual p ac ices
changed? The esponse scale is a 5-poin Like ype scale anging om 1 (Has inc eased
a lo ) o 5 (Has dec eased a lo ).
Thinking abou he pas mon h, ha e you been conce ned abou he equency
o you sexual p ac ices (coi al sex, kissing, ca essing and ouching, and mas u ba ion)?
This was also a ed on a 5-poin Like scale anging om 1 (No a all conce ned) o 5
(Ex emely conce ned).
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242) 233
How do you eel abou he equency o you sexual p ac ices? This was a ed
on a 3-poin scale anging om 1 (No equen enough) o 3 (Too equen ).
P ocedu e
The di ec ion o he Associa ion o Re i ees and Pensione s o he Ci y o San a
Rosa (El O o, Ecuado ) ini ially signed an in o med consen , and we p oceeded o in o m
he pa icipan s o he objec i es o he esea ch, he con iden iali y and e hical ea men
o he da a. A e e i ying compliance wi h he inclusion c i e ia, he sel - epo
ins umen was p esen ed, and he gene al ins uc ions o i s comple ion we e ead aloud.
Pa icipan s we e exp essly in o med a his ime ha hey could lea e he in es iga ion
eely a any ime.
The ques ionnai e was answe ed indi idually, anonymously, and olun a ily.
The in es iga o s we e p esen du ing he adminis a ion o he es s in o de o clea up
any doub s ha could a ise and e i y he pa icipan s' independen adminis a ion. The
su eyo s assis ed pa icipan s wi h di icul ies.
E hical app o al: All p ocedu es pe o med in his s udies in ol ing he
pa icipan s we e in acco dance wi h he e hical s anda ds o he ins i u ional (Uni e si y
o A Co uña E hical Comi ee) and wi h he 1964 Helsinki decla a ion and i s la e
amendmen s o compa able e hical s anda ds.
S a is ical analysis
To analyze he di e ences be ween he men and women o he sample, we
ca ied ou chi-squa e es s o di e ences be ween p opo ions o subsamples o he same
size. This s a is ic was also used o s udy signi ican sex di e ences in e ms o sexual
ac i i y du ing he pas yea . I includes he d index p oposed by Cohen (1988) o es ima e
he magni ude o he di e ences ound. The no mali y in he dis ibu ion o he esponses
in he subsamples o men and women was analyzed wi h he Kolmogo o -Smi no o he
Shapi o-Wilks s a is ic, as a unc ion o sample size. Due o he cha ac e is ics o he
a iables, he Mann-Whi ney U- es was used o analyze he di e ences be ween men and
women in sexual desi e and p ac ices
RESULTS
Fi s ly, we p esen all he esul s conce ning sex di e ences in sexual desi e
and impulse. A e es ablishing, he sexual ac i i y o he men and women o he sample,
he di e ences in ype and equency o sexual p ac ices be ween sexually ac i e men and
women was explo ed.
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
234 Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242)
Desi e and sexual impulse in olde men and women
Conside ing he non-no mali y o he dis ibu ion o sexual desi e and impulse
in he popula ions o men and women (see Table 2), he Mann-Whi ney U- es was used
o es ima e he di e ences in e ms o he equency o hinking abou sex, conce n abou
sexual desi e o impulse, and a ia ion in impulse o e he las yea .
Table 2. No mali y o he a iables used o measu e sexual desi e and impulse in he
sample o men and women
Kolmogo o -Smi no
S a is ic
d
p
How o en did you hink abou sex o e he pas mon h? (1)
Men
.122
99
<.001*
Women
.362
100
<.001*
Thinking abou he pas mon h, ha e you been conce ned
abou you le el o sexual desi e and impulse? (2)
Men
.299
99
<.001*
Women
.487
100
<.001*
Compa ed o a yea ago, has you sexual desi e and impulse
changed? (3)
Men
.220
99
<.001*
Women
.308
100
<.001*
(1) 1 = no a all, 2 = once in he las mon h, 3 = wo o h ee imes in he las mon h, 4 = once a week, 5 = wo o h ee imes a
week, 6 = once a day, 7 = mo e han once a day
(2) 1 = no a all, 2 = a li le, 3 = mode a ely, 4 = qui e a lo , 5 = ex emely
(3) 1 = i has inc eased a lo , 2 = i has inc eased mode a ely, 3 = i has no inc eased o dec eased, 4 = i has dec eased
mode a ely, 5 = i has dec eased a lo .
* all ps < .001
The Mann-Whi ney U- es e ealed di e ences in he equency wi h which
men and women hough abou sex in he pas mon h (z = -7.237, p < .001). Acco ding o
ou esul s, men hough abou sex, an asized o wan ed o ha e sex signi ican ly mo e
han he women o he sample du ing he pas mon h (see Figu e 1).
Figu e 1. A e age ange in sexual impulse and desi e o men and women
(1) 1 = no a all, 2 = once in he las mon h, 3 = wo o h ee imes in he las mon h, 4 = once a week, 5 = wo o
h ee imes a week, 6 = once a day, 7 = mo e han once a day
(2) 1 = no a all, 2 = a li le, 3 = mode a ely, 4 = qui e a lo , 5 = ex emely
(3) 1 = i has inc eased a lo , 2 = i has inc eased mode a ely, 3 = i has no inc eased o dec eased, 4 = i has
dec eased mode a ely, 5 = i has dec eased a lo
050 100 150
How o en did you hink abou
sex o e he pas mon h? (1) Thinking abou he pas mon h,
ha e you been conce ned abou
you le el o sexual desi e and
impulse? (2)
Compa ed o a yea ago, ha e
you sexual desi e and impulse
changed? (3
MEN WOMEN
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242) 235
Likewise, he e is e idence o sex di e ences in he le el o conce n abou he
sexual impulse o desi e du ing he pas mon h (z = -5.230, p < .001), showing ha women
we e less conce ned abou hei le el o sexual desi e han men (see Figu e 1). Wi h ega d
o he change in sexual desi e compa ed o one yea ago, he di e ences did no each
signi icance (z = -1.360, p = .174) al hough women may end o epo a g ea e dec ease
in sexual desi e han men do (see Figu e 1).
Sexual ac i i y o he sample o men and women
The analysis o esul s e ealed signi ican sex di e ences in he sample’s
sexual ac i i y du ing he pas yea (χ2 = 27.925, p < .001, d = 0.81). Only 21 o he 100
women, compa ed o 57 o he 100 men su eyed, epo ed ha ing engaged in some sexual
p ac ice (coi al sex, mas u ba ion, ouching o ca essing) o e he pas yea . We will now
p esen he ype o sexual p ac ices and hei equency in he sexually ac i e g oups o
men and women.
Type o sexual p ac ice
The dis ibu ion in he popula ions o he a iables used o obse e he ype o
sexual p ac ice in he sexually ac i e sample was shown o be non-no mal (see Table 3).
In his case, we used he Shapi o-Wilk es , gi en he size o he sample o sexually ac i e
women.
Table 3. No mali y o he a iables used o measu e he ype and equency o sexual p ac ice in he sample o
sexually ac i e men and women du ing he pas yea
Shapi o-Wilks
S a is ic
d
p
Du ing he pas mon h, how many imes ha e you had o ied o ha e sex
( aginal, anal, o o al sex)? (1)
Men
.916
56
< .001
Women
.853
20
< .01
Apa om he imes you a emp ed coi us, du ing he pas mon h, how o en
did you engage in o he sexual p ac ices (kissing, ca essing, and ouching) (2)
Men
.934
56
< .01
Women
.924
20
.119
How o en did you mas u ba e in he pas mon h? (3)
Men
.628
56
< .001
Women *
---
---
---
(1)1 = no a all, 2 = once du ing he pas mon h, 3 = wo o h ee imes du ing he pas mon h, 4 = once a week, 5 = wo o
h ee imes a week, 6 = once a day, 7 = mo e han once a day.
(2)1 = no a all, 2 = once du ing he pas mon h, 3 = wo o h ee imes du ing he pas mon h, 4 = once a week, 5 = wo o
h ee imes a week, 6 = once a day, 7 = mo e han once a day.
(3)1 = no a all, 2 = once in he pas mon h, 3 = wo o h ee imes in he pas mon h, 4 = once a week, 5 = wo o h ee imes
a week.
* Omi ed, as i was cons an in he sample o sexually ac i e women.
As we can see in Figu e 2, he e we e di e ences be ween sexually ac i e men
and women wi h ega d o hei sexual p ac ices.
Speci ically, he Mann-Whi ney es showed ha , wi hou eaching s a is ical
signi icance, he sex di e ences in e ms o sexual p ac ices consis ing o kisses, ca esses,
and ouching (z = -1.230, p = .219), wi h he men claiming mo e coi al, anal, o o al sex
du ing he pas mon h (z = -2.942, p < .01). On ano he hand, whe eas jus one o he
PIÑEIRO e al. Sexual desi e and ac i i y in ede ly
242 Eu . J. Heal h. Resea ch. Vol. 6, Nº 2 (Págs. 227-242)
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ageing: A poli ical amewo k]. Re is a Española de Ge ia ía y Ge on ología, 37(2),
74-105.
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[Global epo on ageing and heal h]. Re ie ed om h p://apps.who.in /i is/
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9F26BAAB1169AF0788?sequence = 1.
Recei ed: May 2nd, 2020
Recep ion Modi ica ions: June 17 h, 2020
Accep ed: June 19 h, 2020
