COLLEGE-STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD ELDERLY SEXUALITY - A 2-FACTOR SOLUTION

The present study examined the ability of the Aging Sexuality Knowledg e and Attitude Scale (ASKAS) to assess individuals' attitudes toward e lderly sexuality. The instrument's primary assumption, that individual s' attitudes toward elderly sexuality are one dimensional, was challen ged, Four hundred and fifty-eight college students, with a mean age of 27 (s.d. = 8.67), completed the attitude subscale of the ASKAS, respo nded to a series of elderly sexuality attitude items constructed by th e authors, and provided self-report information regarding a number of demographic and personality variables. A factor analysis of all attitu de items revealed a two factor solution in which items loading on the first factor appeared to represent more restrictive (i.e. less permiss ive) attitudes toward elderly sexuality, whereas items loading on the second factor appeared to represent more empathic attitudes. The valid ity of this bivariate attitude structure appears to be supported by th e differentially predictive nature of a number of subject variables in cluding religiosity, death anxiety, salience of elderly sexuality, and age. The discovery of this underlying, two factor attitude solution a lso is used to interpret previously discrepant findings regarding heal th care providers' attitudes toward elderly sexuality.