Sexuality through the eyes of the elderly.

Abstract Objective: to identify the perception of elderly persons about sexuality. Methods: a quantitative, observational and analytical cross-sectional study was performed in an institution specializing in elderly care in Belém, in the state of Pará. A questionnaire, produced by the authors, was applied to 200 elderly persons, aiming to identify issues related to sexuality both in their youth and today, as well as stimulant strategies and sexuality inhibiting factors among the elderly, among other issues. Data was statistically analyzed through the G-Test for adherence. Results: The researched elderly had an average age of 72 (±5.92) years. The majority said they were not prepared for the beginning of sexual activity when young (62.5%), and had little knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases or methods of preventing them (42.3%). Today, the majority (84%) did not understand the distinction between sexuality and sex, even though most (69.5%) believed that they can stimulate their own sexuality. They also identified family (16.5%) and religion (15.5%) as inhibitory factors for their sexuality. A total of 28.5% of those interviewed reported having a sexual dysfunction and more than half (52.5%) did not seek medical support. They believed that health professionals are prepared to deal with the issue, although such professionals are almost the last information source consulted (17.5%) in relation to sexuality. Conclusion: many factors support the myth that older people are asexual: limited access to information from their youth to the present day, the physiological changes connected to aging itself, religious precepts and family oppression. However, further studies and actions directed at this population are important to promote the health of the elderly.

摘要
研究目的：明确老年人对性的认知情况。
研究方法：采用定量、观察性分析横断面研究设计，于巴西帕拉州贝伦市的一家老年专科护理机构开展研究。由研究者自制问卷对200名老年人进行调查，内容涵盖其青年时期与当前的性相关议题、老年人的性刺激策略及性抑制因素等。数据采用G拟合优度检验（G-Test for Adherence）进行统计学分析。
研究结果：本次调研的老年人平均年龄为72岁（±5.92）。多数受访者（62.5%）表示其青年时期未做好性活动启动的准备，且42.3%的人群对性传播疾病及其预防手段缺乏了解。当前，尽管69.5%的老年人认为自身能够主动激发性唤起，但绝大多数（84%）仍无法清晰区分性与性行为的概念。此外，受访者将家庭因素（16.5%）与宗教观念（15.5%）列为自身性表达的抑制因素。总计28.5%的受访者报告存在性功能障碍，且超半数（52.5%）未寻求医疗支持。尽管多数老年人认为医护人员具备处理该议题的专业能力，但医护人员几乎是其获取性相关信息的最后信息渠道（17.5%）。
研究结论：多项因素共同强化了"老年人无性需求"的刻板印象：从青年时期至当前的性信息获取受限、衰老伴随的生理变化、宗教戒律及家庭压迫。然而，针对该人群开展相关研究与干预措施，对提升老年人健康水平具有重要意义。