PARAMETERS OF MARRIAGE IN OLDER ADULTS - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Three parameters of marriage and their effects on the marital relation ship in older adults are reviewed. Studies evaluating the impact of re tirement on the marital relationship indicate that the retirement tran sition is a ''generally positive'' experience for older adults who are in good health, have an adequate income, and a history of marital com patibility. Maintenence of this positive transition into retirement se ems to be dependent on a balance between temporal structuring, purposi ve activity, and a continuance of social contacts. Investigations of t he impact of illness on the marital relationship indicate that the emo tional or physical illness of either spouse can cause disequilibrium i n the relationship. Decrements in the health of either spouse yield an adverse effect on marital quality. Additionally, the impact is greate r on perceptions of marital happiness for the healthy partner than for the partner who is ill. Studies examining the impact of sexual dysfun ction on the marital relationship are lacking. Scarcity of work in thi s area appears to be due, in part, to prevailing cultural myths that o lder adults are physically incapable of sex, have no sexual desire, an d are physically unattractive. Yet, a few empirical efforts indicate t hat sexual relations are not only common among elderly persons, bat th at, particularly in the marital relationship, sexuality becomes an imp ortant source of gratification in a world where gratification of any s ort is diminishing.