The Overlooked Epidemic: An Analysis of Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Older Adults

• In Event: 282 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 03. Gender, Identity, and Sexual Behavior

Abstract

Older adults are often ignored in studies of sexual risk, despite research suggesting substantial effects of ‘unsafe’ sex on this age group. Using multiple regression, I analyze data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) to estimate the effects of social and demographic variables on older individuals’ sexual risk behaviors and sexual health-seeking behaviors. Findings suggest gendered differences, where men are more likely to participate in risky sexual behaviors, and women are less likely to seek medical assistance for sexual health problems. The frequency one socializes with friends also affects their risk-taking behaviors, an effect that appears to be based on role expectations that are established in the context of those interactions. Health seeking behaviors also appear to be determined by demographic factors, where age and education affect an individual’s likelihood to pursue medical management of their sexual health. Finally, visibility and privacy of living situations also affected sexual safety behaviors; most notably, living in a single-family home significantly increased the likelihood of payment for sex. This suggests that moral accountability or the need for preservation of a particular role are heightened when in close proximity with other people, even when the number of people in ones’ social circle is held constant.

Author

• Megan Penzkofer, Michigan State University